Home / Roofing by City / Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Lancaster, PA, issued by City of Lancaster - Bureau of Building Code Administration. The City of Lancaster's Bureau of Building Code Administration treats a reroof as permit work. Read October 5, 2026: the Bureau of Building Code Administration's fee schedule (Administrative Resolution No. 77-2022, effective January 1, 2023) prices "Single Trade Permits" for work involving only windows and doors, or "(2) spouting & downspouts or (3) re-roofing" at $50.00 for a job of $300.00 to $4,999, $100.00 for $5,000 to $9,999, and $150.00 plus $10.00 for each additional thousand from $10,000; the City's Residential Building Permit Application (revised October 2025) lists "Roofing" among the types of work; and the City's online Permit & License Finder, for a "Roof Replacement", lists a Building Permit under "Your project will likely require the following permits or licenses." In the City's historic districts, Section 155-4 B of the City Code lists among "activities visible from a public right-of-way" that "shall require administrative review and approval prior to the issuance of a building permit" the "Repair or replacement of slate roofing shingles, provided that the replacement shingles are asphalt, fiberglass or other approved material that closely matches the slate shingles in color, profile and design" and the "Repair or replacement of asphalt or fiberglass shingles, provided that the replacement shingles are asphalt, fiberglass or other approved material that closely matches a color preapproved by the HARB." Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, 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." 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists City of Lancaster filings, including one under which "A building permit shall be required for residential alterations or repairs as set forth in Section 403.62 of the Uniform Construction Code," found in compliance by an approval letter mailed September 23, 2011, with a council vote scheduled for October 25, 2011; the register gives no enactment date for it. Chapter 116 of the City Code, as codified and read for this record, contains no such residential provision. In practice, expect the Bureau to require a permit for a reroof, as its fee schedule and forms state. The application says "No work or installation shall commence prior to the approval and issuance of a permit," and the fee schedule says "Work initiated without a permit is subject to an additional fee equal to three times the actual permit fee. In addition, work initiated without a permit is also subject to appropriate legal action as provided by law." A permit that combines re-roofing with another single-trade category falls under the alteration fee, and every permit carries the $4.50 state fee. The application asks for a signed copy of the contract, proposal or estimate, the contractor's Home Improvement Contractor registration number where applicable, and a workers' compensation certificate of insurance listing the City as certificate holder or a notarized exemption form; it says "It may take up to 15 business days for a residential building permit application to be reviewed." Other exterior work visible from a public right-of-way in a historic district that needs a building permit goes to the Historical Architectural Review Board and City Council for a certificate of appropriateness (Section 155-4 A). The Bureau is at 120 North Duke Street, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., phone 717-291-4724. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Lancaster, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.