Roofing in Lititz, 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, The Borough of Lititz administers the code, with Code Administrators, Inc. doing plan review and inspections: Section 36-4 of the Borough Code has Borough Council appoint a Building Code Official, who receives "uniform construction code permit applications," and a Construction Code Official, who "may be a third party agency"; the Borough's Code Inspections page names Code Administrators, Inc., and the Borough's residential building permit application is headed by both "CODE ADMINISTRATORS, INC." and "BOROUGH OF LITITZ," with the Borough's 7 S Broad Street address. Section 36-3 adopts the standards the Department of Labor and Industry has made part of the Uniform Construction Code as the Borough of Lititz Construction Code, and Section 36-4B fills in Table R301.2(1), including "Ice shield underlayment required: yes"; Chapter 36 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. It also incorporates "the provisions of the Borough Building Code in existence as of May 11, 1998," which is not published with the Code and was not read. Section 36-3C adopts the "2006 International Residential Code" among the Borough's official codes and says "To the extent that these Code(s) are updated or amended in the future, the Borough hereby automatically adopts the updated version(s)," and the Borough's pages name no code edition; this record has not read the 2006 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

No Borough of Lititz text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. Chapter 36 of the Borough Code, the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Ord. No. C-481, December 27, 2006, as amended), names no roof work either way. For permits it "adopts and incorporates Sections 403.41, 403.42, 403.42a, 403.43, 403.44, 403.47, 403.48, 403.61, 403.62, 403.62a, 403.63 and 403.66 of the Labor and Industry Regulations," which are the State's own permit rules, with added text on responsibility for obtaining permits and posting them. Section 36-3 also amends 34 Pa. Code 403.21(c) "to incorporate the provisions of the Borough Building Code in existence as of May 11, 1998"; that older Borough Building Code is not published with the Code and was not read. Separately, Section 701 of the Borough's Zoning Ordinance has applications go to the Zoning Officer to "Construct or alter a structure" and says "A permit is not required for ordinary repair of structures," with exceptions that do not name roof work. The Borough's 2025 residential UCC fee schedule from Code Administrators, Inc. and its Building/Zoning Fee Schedule price "Additions/Alterations" generally and have no roofing line, and the residential building permit application's work-type boxes are "New Building Addition Alteration Repair Demolition Relocation" with no roofing box. No Borough page read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. 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 Borough's permit rules are the State's own, and the older Borough Building Code it keeps was not read, so this record does not decide whether the Borough requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement office at 717-626-2044 before work starts. Read for this answer: Chapter 36 of the Borough Code, Construction Code, Uniform; Property Maintenance, in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the permit sections and every "roof" passage of the Borough's Zoning Ordinance; the Borough's Zoning and Code Enforcement, Code Inspections and Fee Schedules pages; the residential building permit and zoning permit applications; and the residential UCC and Building/Zoning fee schedules. Section 108.4 of the Borough's construction code says anyone who starts work "before obtaining the necessary construction code permits shall be subject to an additional fee for expedited processing which shall be equal to the fee which should have been paid at permit application." The Borough's Building/Zoning Fee Schedule says zoning permits are "Required for all UCC related permits." The Borough Office is at 7 South Broad Street, Lititz, telephone 717-626-2044.