Roofing in Fawn Township (York 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, Fawn Township administers the code itself through contracted agencies: its Ordinance No. 2-2004 says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and lets the Board of Supervisors act through "one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies," and its Building & Zoning Permits page lists "Building Code Official / UCC Inspector" as "PA Municipal Code Alliance, Inc" and "Zoning Officer / Codes Enforcement Officer" as "South Penn Code Consultants, LLC (SPCC)." Section 6.E of Ordinance No. 2-2004 says that "as the UCC is amended to include or adopt new or updated versions of any building or other codes, such codes automatically shall be updated as part of this Ordinance," and the Township's pages name no code edition.

Fawn Township's ordinances and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Ordinance No. 2-2004 (the "Fawn Township Building Code") says "The UCC is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as the building code of the Township," adds only "All uncovered decks, regardless of how far above grade or whether at grade" to the code's scope, keeps "any permits required by Township ordinances, or state or federal statutes or regulations, which are not superceded by the UCC, including but not limited to zoning, driveway, sewage, highway, or NPDES permits, as applicable," and repeals the earlier Building Code Ordinance No. 3-91 and Building Permit Ordinance No. 1-88 "for all buildings for which permits are issued after the effective date of this Ordinance"; it names no roof work. Section 904(a) of the Zoning Ordinance says "Hereafter, no building or structure shall be erected, moved, placed, constructed, improved, altered, repaired, or enlarged within the limits of Fawn Township unless a permit to do so shall first be secured in accordance with the provisions of the Building Permit Ordinance and/or the BOCA Building Code Ordinance of Fawn Township." This record does not decide whether Section 904(a), which refers to those two ordinances, still reaches a house reroof after Ordinance No. 2-2004 repealed them, and the Zoning Ordinance and its amendments name no roof permit. The Township's Building & Zoning Permits page (read October 10, 2026) says "The following projects require a permit in Fawn Township:" and lists "New Dwellings, Decks, Swimming Pools, Fences, Sheds, Pole Barns, Garages, Additions/Remodeling, Solar Panels, Patios, Generators, Home Occupations and Demolition of Existing Structures," names no roof work, and adds "If you do not see your project listed above and are unsure if a permit is required, please call South Penn Code Consultants, LLC at 717-942-2248 to verify and address any questions." The Township's Zoning Permit Application says "This application is for ALL proposed projects in Fawn Township," and its 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) lists "Zoning permits for all new residential or commercial accessory structures and uses" and says Uniform Construction Code fees are "As established and published on the Township website by PA Municipal Code Alliance, Inc." with no roofing line. The building permit application is on the inspector's own website ("Go directly to PMCA website"). That agency's website posts a re-roof letter saying "a residential Re-roof still requires compliance with the provisions of the UCC but does not require a building permit"; the letter names no municipality and is not posted on the Township's pages. 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask South Penn Code Consultants, LLC (717-942-2248) or the Township office (717-382-4834) before starting. The Township office is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 7:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., and the Township says "All Building and Zoning permits require a non-refundable deposit of $200.00 to be paid at the time of application." Read for this answer: Ordinance No. 2-2004 (posted as scanned page images, transcribed from them); the Zoning Ordinance (posted as scanned page images; Section 904 transcribed from the page image and the whole ordinance searched for "roof" with no permit provision found) and its posted amendments, Ordinances No. 1-2019, 1-2020, 3-2022, 2-2023 and 5-2023; the Township's Home, Building & Zoning Permits, Fee Schedules, Frequently Asked Questions and Ordinances pages; the Zoning Permit Application (pages 1 and 2); the 2026 fee schedule (pages 1 to 5); and the permit application, FAQ and Re-Roof Letter pages of the inspector's website.