Roofing in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania

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, Ebensburg Borough uses a third-party agency for the code: Section 4-101 of the Borough Code says "Ebensburg Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and allows "retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies," and the Borough's Code Enforcement & Zoning page says "Ebensburg's building codes are enforced by the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency," whose office is at 140 E. Carroll Street, Suite 202, Carrolltown, 814-471-0424. The agency's own list of participating municipalities names Ebensburg Borough. Section 4-101 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of Ebensburg Borough and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." The Borough's list of ordinances shows Ordinance No. 393 (1994), "Adopting the BOCA Building Code," Ordinance No. 525 (2005), "Expanding Uniform Construction Code to require building permits for all residential construction," and Ordinance No. 578 (2010), "Repealing ordinance requiring building permits for some residential construction"; none of their texts is published, and this record has not read them. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Cambria-Somerset COG filing that "Requires building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for the work excluded in section 403.62 of the UCC regulation" and shows "Ebensburg enacted 6 / 27 / 05"; it does not show the 2010 repealing ordinance. The Borough's building permit fee resolutions are listed but not published. Neither the Borough Code nor the Borough's pages name a code edition.

Ebensburg Borough's pages do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit, and they send the question to the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency (814-471-0424); ask it before starting. The Borough's Building Permits page (read October 9, 2026) says "The state wide building code applies to all construction and renovation" and "a building permit is required for nearly all construction-related work," and its Code Enforcement & Zoning page says "All questions regarding building permits, including whether or not a building permit is necessary for a particular job, should be directed to them," meaning the agency. Neither page names roof work. The agency's residential application, linked from the Borough's page, says "All roofing jobs must show receipt for the disposal of old roofing material"; it names no roofing permit type or fee and does not say when roof work needs a permit. Section 4-101 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Municipal Building Code of Ebensburg Borough and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; it keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." The Borough's list of ordinances shows Ordinance No. 393 (1994), "Adopting the BOCA Building Code," Ordinance No. 525 (2005), "Expanding Uniform Construction Code to require building permits for all residential construction," and Ordinance No. 578 (2010), "Repealing ordinance requiring building permits for some residential construction"; none of their texts is published, and this record has not read them. The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Cambria-Somerset COG filing that "Requires building permit for all residential alterations and repairs, except for the work excluded in section 403.62 of the UCC regulation" and shows "Ebensburg enacted 6 / 27 / 05"; it does not show the 2010 repealing ordinance. The Borough's building permit fee resolutions are listed but not published. The Borough's Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 20) says "A zoning permit is needed before a land owner may have a structure erected, constructed, altered, converted, or moved onto his or her lot" and names no roof work. Under state law, Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6) list "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress" and "Repairs to residential buildings" among work the Act does not apply to, "except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503," and 34 Pa. Code 403.62(c) says "A permit is not required for the exceptions listed in § 403.1(b) (relating to scope) and the following, if the work does not violate a law or ordinance." Read for this answer: Chapter 4, Code Enforcement (Parts 1 to 4), Chapter 7, Floodplain, Chapter 9, Housing, Chapter 10, Licenses & Permits, and Chapter 20, Zoning, of the Borough Code, and its lists of ordinances and resolutions; the Borough's Building Permits, Code Enforcement & Zoning, Ordinances, Online Applications and FAQ pages; and the agency's residential permit page, residential application and list of participating municipalities. The agency's residential application asks for the contractor's HIC number and says a certificate of workers' compensation or affidavit of exemption must be submitted if a contractor does the work.