Roofing in Manchester, 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, Manchester Borough takes permit payments and issues approved permits at its Borough office, 225 S. Main Street, and its Permitting & Fees page says the Borough "contracts Commonwealth Code Inspection Services, a Third-Party for plan review and inspection services that are required for both Commercial and Residential Building Permits." Section 73-1 of the Borough Code says the Borough "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 73-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of Manchester Borough," and Section 73-3 lets the governing body choose by resolution among a Borough employee, "third-party agencies" and other arrangements. The Borough's Building Permit Application, posted on its Permitting & Fees page (a revision marked 5/27/14), says "Applicable Codes: 2009 IBC/IRC, 2012 IBC Chapter 11, 2009 ICC All 7.1," and Chapter 73 names no edition, so this record has not read the 2009 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

The Borough's zoning chapter says in Section 149-49 that no building or structure "shall be erected, added on to, reconstructed (exterior) or structurally altered without a zoning permit, duly issued upon application to the Borough, except routine maintenance," and defines "MAINTENANCE, ROUTINE" as "Activities which do not alter a building or structure, including but not limited to painting, replacements such as roofs, windows, doors and spouting and related improvements"; that is a zoning permit, and this record does not decide whether a house reroof is a "replacement" within it. The Borough's Application for Zoning Permit says "Use this form ONLY for Municipal Zoning Ordinance Compliance," lists "Roof Replacement" among the boxes to "Check all that apply" with the note "Must meet the exemption requirements of PA Act 45 UCC, or a building permit application is required," and says "any work requiring inspections or fall under UCC requirements will not be performed under this application"; this record does not decide whether a house reroof meets the exemption that note refers to. The Borough's fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-11, adopted June 8, 2026, scanned and read from its rendered page images) lists "New construction and Improvements $25.00/$1,000 of construction/improvement value," and that schedule and the agency's residential inspection prices posted beside it have no roofing line. No page read says in terms that a house reroof does or does not need a Uniform Construction Code building permit. 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." Ask the Borough office (717-266-1022), open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., before starting. Read for this answer: the Borough's Permitting & Fees, Borough Code of Ordinances, Code Enforcement and Contact pages; its Building Permit Application, Application for Zoning Permit and fee schedule (scanned documents, read from rendered page images); Chapter 73 (Construction Codes, Uniform) in full; Article II (definitions) and Article IX (administration and enforcement) of the zoning chapter; Chapter 113 (Property Maintenance); and every page of searches of the Borough Code for "roof" (12 results: stormwater, signs, height, impervious surface, floodplain and zoning definitions, none of them a permit provision for roof work), "reroofing" and "re-roofing" (no results).