Roofing in Hellam 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, Hellam Township takes building permit applications at its Township building, 35 Walnut Springs Road, York, and forwards them for UCC review: Section 175-1 of the Township Code says "The Township of Hellam hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act of 1999," and the Township's Permits page says "Our primary, third-party, inspection service is Commonwealth Code Inspection Service, Inc. (CCIS). We do offer a secondary inspection service for the convenience of our residents; Building Inspection Underwriters, Inc. (BIU)." Section 175-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as may be amended from time to time," as the municipal building code, Section 175-7C says that as the UCC adopts new or updated codes "such codes automatically shall be updated as part of this chapter," and Chapter 175 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither the Township Code nor the Township's pages name a code edition.

No Hellam Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt from a building permit. The Township's 2026 zoning permit application (a scanned form read from its page images on October 9, 2026) says "A Building Permit is required to ensure that all newly proposed structures and proposed structural alterations are performed in compliance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code," and its lists of work needing a zoning permit, or a zoning and a building permit, name no roof work. The Permits page says "If a building permit is required, we will forward it to the inspection servicer selected by the applicant." The Building Inspection Underwriters application the Township posts, a general form that names no municipality, has a "( ) Roofing - Total square feet" line under "Type of work: Alterations/Additions of"; it states no rule on when a roof needs a permit. Chapter 175 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Ord. No. 2004-4), adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as may be amended from time to time" and adds no permit clause and no roof words of its own. Section 490-149 of the Zoning chapter requires a zoning permit for "the erection, construction, improvement or alteration of any structure or portion thereof" but says "No zoning permit shall be required for repairs or maintenance of any structure or land, provided such repairs do not change the use or the exterior dimensions of the structure or otherwise violate the provisions of this chapter." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-01) prices building permits "Per Building Code Official Fee Schedule" and has no roofing 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." Because the Township's only building permit clause is the Uniform Construction Code it adopts, and neither the Township nor its inspection agencies say whether an ordinary reroof needs a building permit, this record does not decide whether the Township requires one. Ask the Township office at 717-434-1300 before work starts; it is open Monday to Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The Permits page says "For all Building & Zoning permits, there is a $50 non-refundable application fee" and that "no work may begin until the appropriate permits are acquired," and the 2026 fee schedule says "If a project is started without a permit, the fee will be doubled." Read for this answer: Chapter 175 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 175-1 to 175-9), in full, and Section 490-149, Permits, of the Zoning chapter; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no permit provision naming roof work, and for "reroofing," which found none; the Permits, Zoning Permit Applications and Contact pages; and the 2026 fee schedule, the 2026 zoning permit application and the two inspection agencies' building permit applications, all scanned forms read from their page images.