Roofing in Huntingdon, 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, The Borough of Huntingdon administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Borough Code says "This Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Borough Secretary page lists among the Secretary's duties to "Issue building permits and to give advice and direction regarding zoning and sub-division actions." The Borough office is at 530 Washington Street, Huntingdon. Section 5-102 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code of the Borough, and Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither the Borough Code nor the Borough's pages name a code edition.

No Borough of Huntingdon text read names reroofing as building permit work or as exempt from a building permit. Section 27-104(2) of the Zoning chapter says "Ordinary repairs and maintenance to existing structures that do not involve an expansion or change of a use or structure shall not by itself be regulated by this chapter. Examples of such work include replacement of a roof or porch that does not involve enclosure of space," and adds that "a construction permit under any Borough Building Code" (Chapter 5, Part 1) "may be needed for such work." That sentence speaks to the zoning permit only, and says a construction permit "may be needed" without saying when. Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Ord. 818, 2004), adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and adds no permit clause and no roof words of its own; Section 5-105(1) keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code." Part 2 of Chapter 5, Building Official (Ord. 329, 1965), creates the office of Building Inspector and refers to a "permit as required by the Building Code" (Chapter 5, Part 1) but sets no permit clause or roof rule of its own. The Borough's 2026 fee resolution (Resolution No. 2025-12) lists permit fees under "Appendix D – Permits," beginning with "Building Demolition Permit," and zoning checklist fees under "Appendix H – Zoning"; it has no roofing line and no building permit 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 Borough's only general building permit clause is the state code's own, adopted by reference, and the Borough has published no statement on reroofs beyond the zoning sentence quoted above, this record does not decide whether the Borough requires a building permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Borough office at 814-643-3966 before work starts. Read for this answer: Parts 1 and 2 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-107 and 5-201 to 5-211) in full; Chapter 4, Buildings; Part 1 of Chapter 27, Zoning, and Section 27-312, the Historic Overlay District; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no building permit provision naming roof work; the Applications & Permits, Borough Secretary, Administrative Offices, 2026 Fees and Contact pages; the zoning permit application the Borough posts; and the 2026 fee resolution, a scanned document read from its page images. The Borough Secretary's office hours are Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.