Roofing in Jackson Township (York 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 administers the code itself: Section 47-8 of the Township Code says "Jackson Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 47-10 lets the Board of Supervisors do so through township employees or retained "construction code officials or third-party agencies," and the Township's permit pages say building permit applications are obtained at the Township Building, 439 Roth's Church Road, Spring Grove, where the Township says "You may obtain that permit at the Township Office also." The Township's 2020 fee resolution lists building permits and inspections as "By BCO." Chapter 47 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's residential building permit application is headed "2018 INTERNATIONAL BUILDING CODE SERIES IS ENFORCED", and the Township's pages name no other edition; this record has not read the 2018 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Jackson Township's Permits page lists replacement of shingles among normal maintenance and repairs that need no permit, while its 1995 ordinance requires a building permit for any work on a structure. The Township's Permits page (read October 9, 2026) says "Normal maintenance and repairs such as replacement of shingles, windows and doors that do not require enlargement of the header; siding, spouting, shutters, storm doors, patio replacement and repaving of your driveway do not require a permit." Its FAQ page has a chart with columns for "PROPOSED USE PERMIT NEEDED" and "BUILDING PERMIT NEEDED" in which the row "Repairs such as roof, shingles, spouting, doors, replacement windows" is marked in neither column, and it says "before you start a project, call the Township office to find out what details you need to provide to apply for a permit." Separately, Section 133-130A of the Zoning chapter says no proposed use permit is required for nonstructural repairs or routine maintenance, including the replacement of "roof shingles or metal"; that section speaks to the zoning permit. Section 47-1A of the Township Code (Ord. No. 82-95, September 5, 1995) says the Township "does hereby require that all persons within Jackson Township must apply for a building permit before commencing any work on a structure," and Section 47-4 says "There shall be no permit required to repair structures damaged, provided that they were erected by a permit." Section 47-12A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code. Article II of Chapter 47 (Ord. No. 148-04) adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code, and the code's exceptions include "An ordinary repair does not require a permit" (34 Pa. Code 403.62). None of these names roof work. The Township's fee resolution (Resolution 03-20, effective July 7, 2020) prices building permits and inspections only as "Refer to Attachment A," and no Attachment A is included in the published copy; the residential building permit application has no list of permit types. So the building permit fee schedule was not read, and this record does not decide whether the Township requires a building permit for an ordinary reroof. 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"; 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"; 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 decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). Call the Township office at 717-225-5661 before work starts. Section 47-6 says "Failure to obtain a permit before commencing work shall result in court action to remove the structure as well as reimbursement for the Township's expense in court costs and attorney's fees," and Section 47-7 sets a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs. Section 47-5 requires contractors applying for a building permit to show proof of workers' compensation insurance or a notarized affidavit of exemption. The Township says building permits can take up to 15 business days for approval. The office is open Monday to Thursday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, and Friday, 8:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Read for this answer: Chapter 47 of the Township Code, Building Construction (Article I, Building Permits, and Article II, Uniform Construction Codes, Sections 47-1 to 47-13), in full; Section 133-130 of the Zoning chapter; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof," "reroofing" and "shingles"; the Township's Permits, FAQs, Zoning & Permit Applications and Contact pages; the residential building permit application and the proposed use permit application (scanned pages, transcribed from the rendered page images); and Resolution 03-20.