The Roofing Book

Home / Roofing by City / Horsham Township, Pennsylvania

Roofing in Horsham Township, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Horsham Township, PA, issued by Horsham Township - Code Enforcement Department. Horsham Township's Code Enforcement Department treats re-roofing as permit work. The Code Enforcement Department's Permit Requirements page (read October 6, 2026) lists under "A Building Permit and/or Zoning Use Permit are required for:" the item "New or Re-roofing and/or Siding," and its list of work for which "Permits are NOT required" names "Non-structural minor repairs" but no roof work. The department's Residential Permit Requirements sheet (dated 01/2013) has a section headed "ROOFING, SIDING AND WINDOW ENLARGEMENTS" that asks for a completed permit application, "Fire rated plywood on townhouses, condos, etc. where required," an "Insurance Certificate showing workers compensation" and "All fees paid." Chapter 90 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 90-2) and names no roof work. Section 90-8.C says "Section 403.62(c)(1)(xvii) is deleted in its entirety"; the State's current Section 403.62(c) numbers its exceptions (1) to (9), with no item (1)(xvii), and this record has not read the earlier text of the regulation that the 2004 ordinance refers to. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "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, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof; its Permit Requirements page says "Fines can be issued for any work begun prior to the issuance of the required permits" and asks anyone unsure whether a permit is required to "contact the Code Enforcement Department at (215) 643-3131 for assistance before beginning work." Applications go to the department at the Township Building, with "two sets of construction details for review" where needed; inspections are requested at 215-643-3131. The department is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with evening hours by appointment on the second Tuesday of each month. Read for this answer: Chapter 90 of the Township Code, Construction Code, Uniform (Sections 90-1 to 90-10), in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the department's Permit Requirements, Code Enforcement and Building & Plumbing Codes pages; and its Residential Permit Requirements sheet. The Township's 2026 fee schedule is published only as scanned images and was not transcribed for this record. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Horsham Township, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Horsham Township

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Horsham Township are set locally by Horsham Township - Code Enforcement Department. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence, but its Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a contractor to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection before doing home improvement work, which the Act defines to include roofs on jobs over $500, unless the contractor’s home improvement work totalled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year — and the Uniform Construction Code applies to buildings throughout the Commonwealth as a minimum a municipality may exceed but not fall below, with ordinary repairs to a house outside it unless a local ordinance brings them in, so whether a reroof needs a permit is a municipal question — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
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, Horsham Township administers the code itself: Section 90-1 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Code Enforcement Department's page says it "is responsible for administering the local Building and Plumbing Code," and "All inspection requests must be made directly to Horsham Township's Code Department by calling 215-643-3131." The Township uses Code Inspections, Inc. for non-residential electrical plan review. Section 90-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code, and the department's Building & Plumbing Codes page says "Horsham Township has adopted the following Codes" and lists the "2021 ICC Residential Code" and the "2021 ICC Existing Building Code" among them. Section 90-5 keeps the Township's earlier code ordinances, including its 1994 adoption of the 1993 BOCA National Building Code and the CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1993 Edition, in force "to the extent the regulations set forth in any of the above-mentioned codes are stricter than the UCC Building Code"; those older codes were not read, and the provisions Section 90-5 singles out concern plastic pipe, fire-stopping and garage drywall. Section 90-8.D replaces the State's list of required residential inspections with its own list, which adds wall form, backfill, slab and insulation inspections and names no roof inspection. Chapter 90 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions.
Permit process
Horsham Township's Code Enforcement Department treats re-roofing as permit work. The Code Enforcement Department's Permit Requirements page (read October 6, 2026) lists under "A Building Permit and/or Zoning Use Permit are required for:" the item "New or Re-roofing and/or Siding," and its list of work for which "Permits are NOT required" names "Non-structural minor repairs" but no roof work. The department's Residential Permit Requirements sheet (dated 01/2013) has a section headed "ROOFING, SIDING AND WINDOW ENLARGEMENTS" that asks for a completed permit application, "Fire rated plywood on townhouses, condos, etc. where required," an "Insurance Certificate showing workers compensation" and "All fees paid." Chapter 90 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" (Section 90-2) and names no roof work. Section 90-8.C says "Section 403.62(c)(1)(xvii) is deleted in its entirety"; the State's current Section 403.62(c) numbers its exceptions (1) to (9), with no item (1)(xvii), and this record has not read the earlier text of the regulation that the 2004 ordinance refers to. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "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, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof; its Permit Requirements page says "Fines can be issued for any work begun prior to the issuance of the required permits" and asks anyone unsure whether a permit is required to "contact the Code Enforcement Department at (215) 643-3131 for assistance before beginning work." Applications go to the department at the Township Building, with "two sets of construction details for review" where needed; inspections are requested at 215-643-3131. The department is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, with evening hours by appointment on the second Tuesday of each month. Read for this answer: Chapter 90 of the Township Code, Construction Code, Uniform (Sections 90-1 to 90-10), in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the department's Permit Requirements, Code Enforcement and Building & Plumbing Codes pages; and its Residential Permit Requirements sheet. The Township's 2026 fee schedule is published only as scanned images and was not transcribed for this record.

View the full Horsham Township permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for Horsham Township

Compare roofing material families — service life, weight, cost band, and durability — for a Horsham Township reroof. Every material entry in the directory carries a cited, dated source.

Start with all roofing materials or the asphalt vs. metal vs. tile comparison.

Local permitting authority

Horsham Township - Code Enforcement Departmentcity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources