Roofing in Hegins Township, 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, Hegins Township takes zoning and building permit applications through its Township Zoning Officer at the Township Municipal Building, 413 Gap Street, Valley View (570-682-9133), and its Zoning & Building Permits page (read October 10, 2026) lists "UCC/Building Permits (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, Demolition)" with the same official it names as Zoning Permits/Code Enforcement Officer, and says "Mail completed UCC Building Permit Applications to (or drop off at)" that official's firm at 40 W. Main St., Bloomsburg. The Township's Building Codes page says "In addition to the codes on this page, the Township adopted the PA UCC and the 2009 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code." The Township's Township Ordinances page lists its zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, wind and solar regulations and fee resolution and no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code, so that ordinance was not read for this record. The Township's Building Codes page says "Hegins Township has adopted the 2018 International Residential Codes (IRC) and the 2018 International Building Code (IBC) as of February 14, 2022"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, the 2018 edition's text was not read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Hegins Township's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Township's Zoning Ordinance (signed December 2, 2020, read October 10, 2026 from the rendered page images of its scanned file) says in Section 106.B that it "does not apply to" "Ordinary repairs and maintenance to existing buildings or structures that do not involve an expansion or change of use of a building or structure such as the repair or replacement of doors, windows, siding, and roofing" and adds "a building permit under the Uniform Construction Code may be required"; that exemption is a clause of the zoning ordinance, in its Applicability section. The Township's Building Department page says "Apply for zoning and building permits through the Township Zoning Officer. Contact the office for guidance," and the UCC Permit Application it posts (version 6/21) lists "Addition ( ) Deck ( ) Roof ( ) Pool ( ) Sign ( ) Demolition ( )" among the boxes of one section of a form that also covers electrical, mechanical and plumbing work and demolition; this record does not treat that box as a statement that a reroof needs a permit. The Township's zoning application and the zoning fee schedule printed with it name roof only for decks and patios ("With roofs") and for additions such as a "roof over deck, patio, walkway", and name no reroofing line. 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Township office (570-682-9133) or its Zoning Permits/Code Enforcement Officer (570-387-0334, Tuesdays 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM and the first Wednesday of the month 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM) before starting. Read for this answer: the Township's Building Codes, Zoning & Building Permits, Township Ordinances, Forms & Permits Library, Building Department, Contact and Officials pages; every page of the Zoning Ordinance, searched for "building permit" and "Uniform Construction Code" and finding Section 106.B and design standards for solar, wind, pools and oil and gas operations and no section requiring a permit for roof work; the UCC Permit Application, the zoning application and the zoning fee schedule printed with it. The Township's separate zoning fee resolution is a scanned file that was not read.