Roofing in Franklin Township (Fayette 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, Franklin Township administers the code through a contracted firm: its UCC/Zoning page lists "Uniform Construction Code Administration" under K2 Engineering, Inc., 234 Pittsburgh Street, Uniontown, beside a "Building Permits" contact, lists zoning permits separately under the Fayette County Planning, Zoning & Community Development office at the County Courthouse, and lists K2 Engineering, Inc. again as the Township's engineer on its Township Office page. The Township's pages and the firm's forms read for this record name no edition of the International Residential Code.

Franklin Township's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Township's Ordinances page lists an ATV and recreational vehicle ordinance, burning, garbage, LERTA, soliciting and peddling, water tap-in and a weight limit for vehicles, and says "Not a complete listing of all ordinances"; its Downloads page lists only a LERTA application and a solicitation permit under Applications & Permits. Neither page, read October 12, 2026, shows the Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code or any ordinance on building permits, and this record does not decide whether the Township has one. The Township's pages say nothing on roofing, and its UCC/Zoning page posts no permit list. The contracted firm's residential building permit application lists "NEW ROOF" among types of improvement beside porch and deck roofs, and its Application for a Zoning Permit lists "ROOF" among types of improvement beside "NEW CONTRUCTION," "ADDITION," "ALTERATION," "REPAIR" and "SIDING"; neither form says whether a reroof needs a permit, and neither names Franklin Township. 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." Ask the Township office (724-677-2172) or the contracted firm before starting. Read for this answer: the Township's UCC/Zoning, Township Office, Code Enforcement, Ordinances and Downloads pages, and the contracted firm's municipal services page, residential permit application and zoning permit application. No fee schedule was found on the Township's site.