Roofing in Jackson Township (Cambria County), 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, Jackson Township in Cambria County takes zoning permit applications at its Municipal Building, 513 Pike Road, Johnstown (Mundys Corner), and the third-party agency Allsafe BCS issues its building permits: the agency's Building Permits page, under Cambria County, says "Applicable permits for the following municipalities will be issued by Allsafe BCS" and lists Jackson Township, and the Township's Forms & Permits page lists ALLSAFE at (814) 341-1330. Ordinance No. 129 (effective July 1, 2004) says "This Municipality hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as "the municipal building code of this Municipality." Other Township pages name earlier arrangements: its FAQ names "MDIA (Middle Department Inspection Agency) who enforces the State Building Code for Jackson Township," Ordinance No. 163 (October 29, 2009) joined the Township to the Central Cambria Codes Enforcement Agency, and Resolution 01-20 adopted the Cambria-Somerset COG Regional Code Agency's permit fee schedule. Ordinance No. 129 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions, and the Township's pages name no code edition.

Jackson Township's pages read for this record do not settle whether a house reroof needs a building permit. The Township's Building Code page links a sheet titled "What's Exempt from the Pennsylvania State Building Code," which is a Middle Department Inspection Agency list headed "Residential Construction Projects NOT Requiring a Permit" dated May 2007 in its footer, and it lists "Replacement of existing roofing material." That agency is not the one the Township's Forms & Permits page and Allsafe BCS's page now name for the Township's building permits, and Allsafe BCS's page publishes no roofing permit type or statement on reroofing. The Township's FAQ says "If your project does not involve building a new structure (i.e. - remodeling) you should check with the Cambria County Building Codes Agency," and its Ordinances page says "You should call the Township before you plan to build, alter, repair, or occupy any building or structure." Separately, the Township's Application for Zoning Permit lists a $75.00 zoning permit fee for "Decks, Fences, Pavilions, Porches, Roofs, & Sheds"; Section 202 of the Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning permit before a building or structure is erected, constructed, moved, added to or structurally altered, and neither says whether replacing an existing roof covering needs a zoning permit. Ordinance No. 129 adds no permit requirement of its own and keeps in force earlier building code ordinances that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code"; the Township's pre-1999 building permit ordinance, Ordinance No. 66, requires a permit to "erect, construct, enlarge, move or demolish any building, or structure" and names no repair or roof work. Its amendment, Ordinance No. 69, is listed on the Township's Ordinances page but its file was not found published and was not read for this record. 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. The Township office is at 814-749-0725, Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm, and Allsafe BCS at 814-341-1330. Read for this record: Ordinance Nos. 129, 163, 66 and 88; the Township's Building Code, Forms & Permits, FAQ, Ordinances, Fees and Zoning pages; the Middle Department Inspection Agency sheet the Township links; Resolution 01-20; the Application for Zoning Permit and the Zoning Ordinance; and Allsafe BCS's Building Permits page.