Home / Roofing by City / Erie, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Erie, PA, issued by City of Erie - Bureau of Building Standards and Safety. The City of Erie's enacted code makes a full reroof permit work, while the Bureau of Building Standards and Safety's web page says roof coverings need no permit. City Code Section 1503.41 (Ord. 30-2004; https://ecode360.com/33839602, read October 5, 2026) requires a permit to "construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move, demolish or change the occupancy of a residential building" and exempts only "Replacement of existing roof material that does not exceed 25% of the total roof area performed within any twelve-month period," a limit a full reroof exceeds. The Bureau's Residential Permits page (https://www.erie.pa.us/departments/economic_development/bureau_of_building_standards_and_safety/residential_permits.php, read October 5, 2026) says "Permits are not required for residential roof coverings (ex: shingles, etc.) Permits are required for structural repairs or changes to roofs," and its Permitting page says "The City of Erie requires permits for" work including "Renovation and Repair of Existing Structures." This record follows the enacted code; the page is the Bureau's stated practice as of the date read. 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 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, a roofer replacing more than a quarter of a roof should expect the code's permit requirement to apply even though the Bureau's page says otherwise, and should settle the point with the Bureau before starting; City Code Section 333.07 says "Licensed contractors shall not engage in any work requiring a permit unless a permit has been issued by the Building Code Official." Applications go to the Code Enforcement office in Room 407 of the City of Erie Municipal Building, 626 State Street; the page says "For minor projects, a permit will often times be granted at time of application," and the Bureau's FAQ says the office "is open from 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM" and "All building permits require zoning approval, including those for interior renovations." Building Inspection is at 814-870-1471. Section 1502.02 charges "an administration and technology fee in the amount of $25" with each building permit application, plus $25 for work costing up to $2,000 or $25 plus $7 per $1,000 above $2,000, and Section 1502.001 adds a $4.50 state surcharge. Article 333 licenses contractors by examination and lists a roofing contractor category among its master contractor licences; Section 333.07 requires proof of liability insurance of $500,000 per person and $1,000,000 per occurrence and of workers' compensation coverage before a permit issues, and Section 333.13 lets an owner who does the work on a single-family home they own and occupy obtain a permit without a contractor licence. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Erie, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.