Roofing in Jefferson Township (Mercer 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, Jefferson Township's "How To Get A Zoning Permit" sheet, posted on its Zoning page, tells an approved applicant to "Take the approved Zoning Permit to one of the two Inspectors listed below to obtain a Building Permit" and lists two inspection firms with their phone numbers; the Township office is at 7407 Lamor Road, Mercer (724-662-3310). The Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance was not found published and was not read for this record, and the Township's pages read name no code edition.

No Jefferson Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The sheet (read October 12, 2026) says "Do not begin any construction until: Your Zoning Permit is approved, and Your Building Permit is issued by an approved inspector" (page 2, transcribed from the rendered page image) and sets zoning permit fees of "$25 for projects up to $20,000" with "+$5 for each additional $5,000 in project value." It names no roof work. The Township's 2012 Zoning Ordinance, Section 1002.01, says "A zoning permit shall be required for any of the following" including "Construction, erection, enlargement, reconstruction, demolition, or structural alteration of any building, structure, and/or sign," and names no reroofing; this record does not decide whether a house reroof is a "reconstruction" or a "structural alteration" under that section. The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2 of 2026, scanned, read from the rendered page image) lists a "Zoning Permit" by project cost and no building permit or roofing fee. The Township's Documents & Ordinances page lists only an ATV ordinance, a stormwater management ordinance and a solar ordinance, so its ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code was not found published there 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." Neither the sheet nor the ordinance section names a reroof, and the Township's building permit ordinance was not read, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Township office at 724-662-3310 or one of the two inspectors listed on the sheet before starting. Read for this answer: the Township's home, Zoning, Documents & Ordinances and Contact pages, its "How To Get A Zoning Permit" sheet, its Zoning Permit Application, its 2012 Zoning Ordinance (searched for roof and permit provisions) and its 2026 fee schedule.