Roofing in Fountain Hill, 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, The Borough of Fountain Hill takes building permit applications at its Office of Zoning and Code Enforcement, 941 Long Street, Fountain Hill. The Borough's 2026 fee schedule asks for "2 copies for Third Party Code Official Review, 2 Copies for In-House Review" and says "Base Engineering reserves the right to alter the above quoted rates", so Base Engineering, Inc. reviews and inspects Uniform Construction Code work for the Borough. Section 5-102 of the Borough Code (Ord. 692, July 6, 2004) adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code. Section 5-107 of the Borough Code (Ord. 792, August 5, 2013) says "permits are required for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code of 2009, Chapter 1 , Section R105, or any subsequent edition thereof or amendment thereto, unless otherwise exempted by this Section," and that occupancy of a structure altered without the required permits is unlawful "unless the alteration or erection would otherwise have been exempt from permit requirements pursuant to the International Residential Code of 2009, Section R105.2." It names no roof work, and this record has not read the 2009 edition's Section R105. No Borough page names a code edition.

Fountain Hill requires permits for residential repairs and alterations in general terms, and its pages do not say whether a house reroof is one of the repairs that needs no permit. Section 5-107 of the Borough Code (Ord. 792, August 5, 2013) says "permits are required for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code of 2009, Chapter 1 , Section R105, or any subsequent edition thereof or amendment thereto, unless otherwise exempted by this Section," and that occupancy of a structure altered without the required permits is unlawful "unless the alteration or erection would otherwise have been exempt from permit requirements pursuant to the International Residential Code of 2009, Section R105.2." It names no roof work, and this record has not read the 2009 edition's Section R105. The Borough's permit page says "The UCC determines what type of work requires a PERMIT" and lists under "When do I need a permit" structural or use changes, adding or removing walls, window installation "(unless no change in size)", plumbing, electric, HVAC and additions, with no roof work. Under "Can I bypass the building permit" it answers "only when work is a repair to an existing non-structural item." It does not say whether a reroof is such a repair. The Borough's 2026 fee schedule has no residential reroofing line; it lists "Roof-only structures" at $200.00 among residential construction and a "Commercial Roof" fee for non-residential work, and the building permit form has no roofing box. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a Fountain Hill Borough filing that "Requires a building permit for all residential alterations and repairs pursuant to the International Residential Code 2009 Chapter 1 Section 105," with the note "Change found to be in compliance with 35 P.S. § 7210.503 (b); approval letter mailed 6 / 19 / 2013." 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 Office of Zoning and Code Enforcement (610-867-5124) before starting. The Borough's permit page says "Failure to complete an Application before starting the work could result in work stoppage, doubling the cost of the permit and possible fines and additional penalties". Applications go to the Office of Zoning and Code Enforcement with the application fee, and permits are picked up at Borough Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Read for this answer: Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-107), in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and a search for "reroofing" (none); Section 27-308, Historic Buildings in Overlay Districts, which names the roof only among exterior features in its demolition rules; the Borough's permit, Zoning and Code Enforcement pages; its building permit form; and its 2026 fee schedule, all 15 pages.