Roofing in Franklin Township (Snyder 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's own Building Permit application says "A Building Permit MAY be required from both the Township and Central Keystone COG" and "1,000 square feet and upward, application will go through Central Keystone COG," its Building Permit Ordinance page says "Any new construction, renovations or conversions of buildings may require construction code approval and inspections by the Central Keystone Council of Governments (CKCOG)," and the Council of Governments' Snyder County members page lists the Township; the Township office is at 384 Greenhouse Road, Middleburg (570-837-1725), open 8 am to 1 pm Monday through Thursday. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not among the documents its website posts (its Building Permit Ordinance page is a scanned excerpt of a floodplain ordinance, a 2016 amendment on building set-backs and a list of other approvals) and was not read for this record. The Council of Governments' 2021 Code Update page says "Please check back often for new links, videos, and helpful worksheets as we transition to the 2021 Codes," and neither the Township's nor the Council's pages read name the residential code edition in force.

No Franklin Township or Council of Governments text read names a house reroof as building permit work or as exempt. The Council of Governments' Residential Building Permits page, which the Township's Building Permit Guidelines repeat, says "UCC Building Permits are required for" a list that includes "Any roof repair/replacement of framing when attached to the house" and "Any roof addition when attached to the house," and it lists no reroofing of the covering alone either as permit work or as exempt; the Township's pages and the Council's pages say nothing else on reroofs. The Township also issues its own "Franklin Township Building Non-UCC Permit Application" (a $25 flat fee, "Per Ordinance #2016-01 and Ordinance #2007-02") whose "Type of Improvement" list includes "Repair/Replace" and names no roof work; this record does not decide whether a house reroof is "Repair/Replace" on that form or needs that permit. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not among the documents its website posts (its Building Permit Ordinance page is a scanned excerpt of a floodplain ordinance, a 2016 amendment on building set-backs and a list of other approvals) and was not read for this record. The Council of Governments' 2021 Code Update page says "Please check back often for new links, videos, and helpful worksheets as we transition to the 2021 Codes," and neither the Township's nor the Council's pages read name the residential code edition in force. 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 (570-837-1725) and the Council of Governments (570-522-1326) before starting; the Township's Building Permit application says "Penalties for Builds without the required permit will be charged at double the cost." Read for this answer: the Township's website pages and its Building Permit application, Building Permit Ordinance and Building Permit Guidelines; the Snyder County page for the Township; and the Council of Governments' Building Permits, Residential Building Permits, Residential Building Permit Fees, FAQs, Download Forms, Helpful Code Hints, 2021 Code Update, Additions or Alterations and Snyder County members pages.