Roofing in Luzerne Township (Fayette 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, Luzerne Township uses McMillen Engineering, Inc. for building permits: the Township's Phone Directory lists "McMillen: Building Permit" at 724-439-8110, and McMillen's own Building Code page says that "As a Pennsylvania certified third-party agency, we perform Uniform Construction Code (UCC) service for municipalities in Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Somerset, Washington, and Westmoreland counties." The same directory lists the Fayette County Zoning Office for zoning. The Township has not published the ordinance by which it adopted the Uniform Construction Code, and this record has not read it. McMillen's residential building permit application refers to the "2021 series I-codes" for insulation and blower door tests, and the Township's pages name no code edition.

No Luzerne Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. Neither the Township's pages (read October 9, 2026) nor McMillen's Permit Applications page names roof work either way. McMillen's page says "If you don't see what you are looking for or are unsure about what type of permit you may need, contact our office at 724.439.8110," and its residential building permit application lists types of improvement from new homes and additions to porch roofs, decks and interior renovations, with no reroofing or roof replacement type; neither page names Luzerne Township. The Township has not published the ordinance by which it adopted the Uniform Construction Code, and this record has not read it. 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." Because the Township's adoption ordinance is unpublished and neither the Township nor its agency has published a statement on reroofs, this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. McMillen Engineering is at 115 Wayland Smith Drive, Uniontown, 724-439-8110; the Township office is at 415 Hopewell Road, Brownsville, 724-785-5021. Read for this answer: the Township's Home, Contact and Phone Directory pages, which publish no ordinances, permit page or fee schedule; and McMillen Engineering's Building Code, Permit Applications and Contact pages and its Residential Building Permit Application.