Roofing in Lower Swatara 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, Lower Swatara Township administers the code itself: Section 5-703 of the Township Code says "Lower Swatara Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act" and that administration and enforcement "shall be through the Code Enforcement Department," whose office is at the Township building, 1499 Spring Garden Drive, Middletown. Section 5-702 adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 , 403 , 405 , as amended from time to time," as the municipal Uniform Construction Code, and Part 7 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's Adopted 2021 Residential Codes sheet says "The 2021 International Residential Code became effective January 1, 2026," and lists the State's amendments and exclusions, none of which touches the roof covering or reroofing provisions.

Lower Swatara Township's code and permit pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Part 7 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Construction Code (Ord. 474, 2004), adopts the Uniform Construction Code and names no roof work either way. Part 1 of Chapter 5, the 1997 Code Enforcement Code, lists among the Code Enforcement Officer's duties "the receipt of applications and issuance of permits for the construction, erection, addition to, alteration, repair, removal, demolition" of buildings, but its own sections on applications for permits and permit issuance were repealed by Ord. No. 583 in 2018, and it names no roof work. Neither the Township's fee schedule chapter nor its January 23, 2026 residential fee schedule has a roofing line; the residential schedule prices "Alterations/Decks" at "$8 per $1000 contract price." The Codes Department's sheet "When do I need a building permit for residential work?" (read October 9, 2026) lists "Structural alterations to existing homes" and "Framing of new porch/deck roofs" among work needing a permit, and its list of "Work exempt from a residential building permit" does not mention roofing; neither list names reroofing or roof replacement. 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Codes Department (717-939-9377, extension 4) before starting, and expect a permit where the work includes structural alterations. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Read for this answer: Parts 1 and 7 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, in full; Chapter FS, Fee Schedule; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Code Enforcement and Code Enforcement Forms & Documents pages; the "When do I need a building permit for residential work?" sheet; the Adopted 2021 Residential Codes sheet; and the residential fee schedule revised January 23, 2026.