Roofing in Haverford Township, 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, Haverford Township's Building & Codes Department administers the code; its page says the Department is responsible for "reviewing and issuing construction permits" and for "the inspection of work for compliance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code and the Code of Haverford Township." Chapter 58, Building Construction, of the Code of Haverford Township was read (its table of contents and the captured text of Articles I and IV). Section 58-1 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 58-2's additions concern certificates of occupancy on sale, sidewalks and curbs; section 58-11 says "The Township of Haverford hereby elects to administer and enforce" the Act; and section 58-14 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code," which were not identified. None of it names roof work, and a code-wide search for "roof" found no section naming roofing as permit work or as exempt other than the Township's fee schedule, published in the Code's appendix with its line for "Roofing, siding, windows and doors." No ordinance reaching residential reroofing in terms was found in those reads. The Township treats roofing as permit work through its Roof Permit Application Addendum and a roofing line in its 2026 fee schedule.

Haverford Township treats roofing as permit work. Its Roof Permit Application Addendum (https://www.havtwp.org/Document_Library/Building_and_Codes/Roof_Permit_Addedum_and_Building_Permit_App.pdf, version V-02-2025, read October 5, 2026) says "This questionnaire must be filled out for all roofing permit applications to provide us with a complete description of the existing and proposed roofing materials." Its 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2477-2026) charges a residential permit fee for "Roofing, siding, windows and doors" of $20 per $1,000 of cost, and the Building & Codes page lists "Roofing & Siding" among the permit applications it accepts online. Pennsylvania's Construction Code Act says it "shall not apply to" "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 in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (Act 45 section 104(b)(5) and (6)). Section 503(c) adds: "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, a roofer should expect the Department to require a permit for a reroof, as its forms state. Working without one costs more: the fee schedule says "SURCHARGE FOR PROJECTS WITHOUT A REQUIRED PERMIT IS 2X PERMIT FEE." The addendum is filed with the Township's building permit application and asks for the existing layers, the layers to be removed, the roofing to be installed, any decking replaced, roof slope, squares, flashing, attic venting, ice shield and drip edge, torch-down methods, subcontractors and whether the house is in a historic district; it says "All Permits Must Be Obtained Prior To the Start of Work." The Building & Codes page says "Construction permits are required for most types of work and contractors must be licensed with Haverford Township," and no permit application is accepted without, among other things, a "Signed contract between property owner and contractor" and insurance including workers compensation. Applications can be filed through the Township's online permit portal or at the Township Building, 1014 Darby Road, Havertown, phone 610-446-1000, open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.