Roofing in Fleetwood, 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, Fleetwood Borough takes building and zoning permit applications at Borough Hall, 110 West Arch Street, Suite 104; its Forms & Permits page says "The Borough will call when permit is approved or declined," and the Building / Zoning Permit application it posts is LTL Consultants, Ltd.'s, whose terms name "employees of The Municipality and LTL Consultants, Ltd." as the reviewers and inspectors. Chapter 119 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 552, June 14, 2004) says "Fleetwood Borough hereby elects to and so shall administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and allows "The retention of one or more Construction Code Officials or Third-Party Agencies to act on behalf of Fleetwood Borough." Chapter 119, read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended," as "the official Municipal Building Code of Fleetwood Borough," to be "amended automatically by all amendments, supplements, additions and later editions," and names no roof work. Section 119-5A keeps in force "All Building Code Ordinances or portions thereof adopted by Fleetwood Borough before 11:59 p.m. prevailing time Thursday, July 1, 1999" that equal or exceed the code; those ordinances are not in the codified part the Borough publishes, so this record has not read them. Chapter 147, Floodplain Management, says "A Building Permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures"; it is a floodplain chapter and names no roof work. No Borough page names a code edition.

Fleetwood Borough's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 119, read in full, adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended," as "the official Municipal Building Code of Fleetwood Borough," to be "amended automatically by all amendments, supplements, additions and later editions," and names no roof work. Section 119-5A keeps in force "All Building Code Ordinances or portions thereof adopted by Fleetwood Borough before 11:59 p.m. prevailing time Thursday, July 1, 1999" that equal or exceed the code; those ordinances are not in the codified part the Borough publishes, so this record has not read them. Chapter 147, Floodplain Management, says "A Building Permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures"; it is a floodplain chapter and names no roof work. The Borough's Forms & Permits page says "A Building permit or Zoning permit is typically used for:" a list that includes "Any residential new construction in the borough such as residential additions, remodeling, dormers, structural porches, structural repairs, etc.", and its list headed "Exemptions. A permit is not required for:" names home security systems, furnace and air conditioning replacement, "Residential closing-in of existing porch with preexisting roof," driveway coating and plumbing repairs. Neither list names roof covering work, and the LTL application's type-of-work boxes ("New Building Addition Renovation Repair Demolition Sign") name no roofing. 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 Borough requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Borough office (610-944-8220) or LTL Consultants, Ltd. (610-987-9290) before starting. The Forms & Permits page says "Zoning permits / Residential building permits = $75 non-refundable application fee, credited against permit cost," and that "The fees below are deposits only." The LTL checklist asks for "workers compensation insurance for each contractor" and the application asks for the principal contractor's "PA Contractor Registration #". Read for this answer: Chapter 119, Construction Codes, Uniform, and Chapter 147, Floodplain Management, of the Borough Code in full, and the whole of the codified part the Borough posts (Chapters 1 to 197) searched for "roof"; the Zoning Ordinance (Issue 5) searched for "roof" and for its permit sections; the Borough's Forms & Permits, Ordinances and home pages; the LTL Building / Zoning Permit application; and the 2024 fee resolution the Borough posts, which sets subdivision, stormwater and zoning hearing fees only. The Borough posts no building permit fee schedule beyond the application deposit.