Roofing in Easttown Township, Pennsylvania

Required

Required

The 2021 International Residential Code, as adopted by the State in the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC). 34 Pa. Code 403.21(a)(7) adopts "The 'International Residential Code of 2021,' except that:" followed by the State's list of exclusions and modifications, effective January 1, 2026 (55 Pa.B. 7701). None of the State's changes touches Chapter 9, Roof Assemblies, or Section R803, Roof Sheathing, so those apply as the International Code Council publishes them. Work on existing buildings is also pointed to the State's existing-building code: "The repair, alteration, change of occupancy, addition and relocation of existing buildings must comply with Chapter 34 of the 'International Building Code of 2021' or with the 'International Existing Building Code of 2021'" (34 Pa. Code 403.21(f)). The UCC is the minimum everywhere in the state: "no municipality may propose or enact any ordinance which is less than the minimum requirement of the Uniform Construction Code" (Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Act 45 of 1999, section 503(b)). The Act also lists work it "shall not apply to", including "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" or to "Repairs to residential buildings," in each case "except as might be required by ordinances" kept in force under section 303(b)(1) or adopted under section 503 (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6); 34 Pa. Code 403.1(b)(8) and (9)). The Act defines a repair as "The reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing building for the purpose of its maintenance." So whether the code's roofing rules reach a given house reroof depends on the municipality's own ordinances. Everything above is Pennsylvania state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Easttown Township administers the code itself: Section 160-1 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Permits page, for the Township office at 566 Beaumont Road, Devon, says "Building Permits (includes Mechanical and Re-roof) are reviewed and approved by the Township Building Code Official." Section 160-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of the Township, and Chapter 160 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Chapter 160 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" without naming an edition, and the Township's Permits page refers to "the 2009 International Residential Building Code , 2008 National Electrical Code , and Act 45 of 1999" and names no later residential edition; this record has not read the 2009 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Township applies. Section 160-5A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code; none is published with the chapter.

Easttown Township lists roof replacement or repair as building permit work. The Township's Permits page (read October 9, 2026) lists "Roof replacement or repair" among its examples of "Projects that Require Building Permits," and the Township's 2026 fee schedule has a "Re-Roofing Permits" line: "Application Fee $75.00" and "Permit Fee – Residential-Single Family $300.00." Chapter 160 of the Township Code, the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance, names no roof work either way and has no permit clause of its own. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof. The 2026 fee schedule sets a "Fee for Performing Work without a Township Permit" of "1.5x cost of applicable Permit Fee." Applications can be filed in person or online through the Permit Portal, and the Permits page says the review, approval or denial "will be issued within fifteen (15) or thirty (30) days (depending on the submitted drawings)." The 2026 fee schedule also lists "Contractor Registration $75.00" under construction permits. The Township office is open 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday, at 610-687-3000. Read for this answer: Chapter 160 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 160-1 to 160-6), in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Permits, Permit Portal and Inspections pages; and the 2026 fee schedule, in full.