Roofing in Foster 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, Foster Township in Luzerne County administers the code itself: Section 78-1 of the Township Code says "Foster Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 78-3 allows "the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies," and the Township posts its own Building Permit Application ("New Construction, Addition, Repairs, Signs"), taken at the Township building, 1000 Wyoming Avenue, Freeland. The Township's home page lists a Code Inspector at (570) 401-2687, the number it also gives for East Mountain Inspections. Section 78-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code of Foster Township and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; Section 78-5 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the code." Neither the Township Code nor the Township's pages name a code edition.

Foster Township's pages do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit; ask the Township office at 570-636-3757 before starting. Chapter 60 of the Township Code, Building Permits (Ord. No. 2-1992), says "No person shall cause, undertake or permit any activities within the context of the term" development "without first obtaining a building permit from the Code Enforcement Officer," and defines development as "The construction, reconstruction, alteration, conversion, relocation, enlargement or demolition of any structure"; it names no roof work and does not use the word repair, and whether a reroof is a reconstruction or alteration in its terms is not something this record decides. The Township's pages (read October 9, 2026) name no roof work as permit work or as exempt. Its Building Permit Application has boxes for "Alteration" and "Repair" and names no roof work, and its Fee Schedule prices "Building Fees: (Residential and Nonresidential)" by estimated project cost with no roofing line and lists "WORKING WITHOUT PERMIT" at $150.00 plus the permit cost. Section 78-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code of Foster Township and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; Section 78-5 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the code." 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 78 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, and Chapter 60, Building Permits, in full; Chapter 82, Contractors, Registration of; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's home, Permits and Ordinances pages; the Building Permit Application, the Zoning Permit Application and the Fee Schedule. Chapter 60 sets a fine of "not more than $1,000 plus costs" for a violation, and "Each day that a violation of this chapter continues" is a separate offense.