Roofing in Fairview Township (Luzerne County), 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, Fairview Township in Luzerne County posts, on its Building, Zoning & Complaint Forms page, an "APPLICATION FOR BUILDING PERMIT / USE CERTIFICATE" issued on the letterhead of Advanced Code Consultants, LLC, 119 Klinger Drive, Sugarloaf, 570-436-1354, and the same page names Advanced Code Consultants as the Township's zoning officer; the application tells applicants to contact the "ACC OFFICE FOR ALL REQUIRED INSPECTIONS." The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published: the Township's Ordinances page lists chapters of the Code of the Township of Fairview (among them the International Property Maintenance Code, Nuisances, Sewers and Streets and Sidewalks) but no building construction chapter, no online code library carries the Township's code, and this record has not read that ordinance. A Township notice says "some of Fairview Townships ordinances have been amended and are not reflected within the ordinance on line." Neither the Township's pages nor its posted applications name a code edition.

No Fairview Township text read for this record names roof covering work as permit work or as exempt. The Township's posted building permit application is a general form whose "Improvement Type" boxes read "New Addition Alteration Repair/Replacement Relocation Other"; neither it, the Township's zoning permit application nor the Township's Zoning, Planning, Building and forms pages names reroofing or roof replacement as permit work or as exempt, and no Township fee schedule is posted. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published: the Township's Ordinances page lists chapters of the Code of the Township of Fairview (among them the International Property Maintenance Code, Nuisances, Sewers and Streets and Sidewalks) but no building construction chapter, no online code library carries the Township's code, and this record has not read that ordinance. A Township notice says "some of Fairview Townships ordinances have been amended and are not reflected within the ordinance on line." 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 record: the Township's home, Zoning / Planning / Building, Building, Zoning & Complaint Forms, Ordinances and Contact Us pages, its building permit and zoning permit applications, and its posted International Property Maintenance Code chapter. The Township's notice asks owners to "check with the zoning officer before you engage in any construction and or adding any accessory structure to your property"; the forms page gives the zoning officer's number as 570-436-1354, and the Township Municipal Building, 65 Shady Tree Drive, Mountain Top, is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, 570-474-9676.