Roofing in Frackville, Pennsylvania

Required

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, Frackville Borough's Departments page lists, under "Code Enforcement," "Construction Code" with Barry Isett & Associates at (570) 455-2999, and Borough Hall at 42 South Center Street, (570) 874-3860. The Borough's 2004 Uniform Construction Code ordinance says "This municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as "the municipal building code of this Municipality." Neither that ordinance nor the Borough's pages name an edition of the residential code. Ordinance No. 1-2009, enacted March 11, 2009 (a scanned document on the Borough's Ordinances page, read October 9, 2026 from its rendered pages), amends the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance to require permits for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," and the second of the nine listed kinds of work is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof is above that line.

Frackville Borough's code exempts from its permit requirement only re-roofing of less than 25% of the roof. Ordinance No. 1-2009, enacted March 11, 2009 (a scanned document on the Borough's Ordinances page, read October 9, 2026 from its rendered pages), amends the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance to require permits for "All alterations or repairs to residential buildings which are exempt from the UCC by Act 92 of 2004; provided, however, that the following types of alterations and repairs shall continue to be exempt and no permit will be required," and the second of the nine listed kinds of work is "Re-roofing of less than 25% of the total existing roof square footage." A full reroof is above that line. 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). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for a reroof of 25% or more of the roof. Ordinance No. 1-2009 states no penalty of its own. Chapter 4, Part 1 of the Borough's code, a 1975 building permit ordinance amended in 1998, also makes it unlawful to undertake "the construction, reconstruction, enlargement, alteration or relocation of any building or structure unless an approved building permit has been obtained from the Borough Building Permit Officer"; it names no roof work. For a permit, the Borough's Departments page lists Barry Isett & Associates at (570) 455-2999 for the construction code, and Borough Hall at (570) 874-3860. Read for this answer: the Departments page; the Ordinances page; the 2004 Uniform Construction Code ordinance in full; Ordinance No. 1-2009 in full; Chapter 4, Buildings, in full; and Chapter 13, Licenses, Permits and General Business Regulations, with its 2005 contractor licensing ordinance. No Borough permit page, permit application or fee schedule is posted on the Borough's site.