Roofing in Jenks Township, 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, Jenks Township's 2026 reorganization meeting minutes record the Board's motion "To appoint Bureau Veritas State Building Code Enforcement Officers and to pay the contracted fee," and the Township's Contacts and Permits page lists Bureau Veritas at 814-849-2448 under "Building Permits." The Township municipal building is at 135 Pine Street, Marienville. The Township posts no codified code, no building permit ordinance and no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code on its site, so those were not read for this record. The Township's pages name no edition of the residential code, and no ordinance reaching residential reroofing was found in the pages read.

No Jenks Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The Township's permit application directions say "Building Permit Fee- Jenks Township - $30.00, (Fines will be applied if building before permit obtained)" and ask for a "Description of Project. (New porch, new addition, etc.)"; the joint Forest County stormwater and Township permit form has a "ROOFING" blank under "TYPE OF" construction materials and asks for project type (residential, new construction, remodel, commercial, seasonal, demolition). The Township's posted meeting minutes record building permits "reviewed and approved" by the Board, without saying what work they covered. 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." The Township's building permit instrument was not read, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Township at 814-927-2233, or Bureau Veritas at 814-849-2448, before work starts. Read for this answer: the Contacts and Permits page; the permit application directions; the Forest County stormwater and Township permit form; the 2026 reorganization minutes; and the Township's posted 2024 to 2026 meeting minutes, searched for permit, code and roof entries. The Township posts no codified code, no building permit ordinance and no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code on its site, so those were not read for this record.