Roofing in Nesquehoning, 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, Nesquehoning Borough takes permit applications at the Borough office, 114 West Catawissa Street (570-669-9588), and its Forms & Permits page (read October 10, 2026) says "the Borough of Nesquehoning has adopted the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code" and posts UCC permit application guides from two code agencies, ARRO Consulting, Inc. and Hometown Municipal Services, LLC, the second addressed to "Nesquehoning Borough UCC Construction Permit Applicant(s)." Section 5-103 of the Borough Code (Ord. 2004-2, May 26, 2004) lets the Borough retain "one or more construction code officials or third party agencies to act on behalf of the Borough." Section 5-102 of the Borough Code says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa.Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Borough building code of this Borough," and Part 1 of Chapter 5 adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 5-105 keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." The Borough Code names no edition, and the Borough's pages name none for house work except that the UCC Permit Fees schedule it posts refers to "the 2018 IRC definition of a residential building"; the text above is the 2021 edition's, no older edition's text was read for this record, and this record does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

Nesquehoning Borough's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Section 5-102 of the Borough Code says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa.Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Borough building code of this Borough," and Part 1 of Chapter 5 adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 5-105 keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that "equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." The Forms & Permits page says "Persons who are planning any home improvement projects should contact the Zoning Officer/Building Inspector to find out whether or not a Building and/or Zoning permit is required" and "For a Shed permit or a Stove permit, only a Building permit application is required"; it names no roof work. The Borough's own Building Permit Application says "hereby applies for a building permit to construct a" and asks for a brief description of the proposed work, and the UCC Permit Fees schedule it posts, read from the rendered page images of its scanned file, prices "Alterations and Renovations 1.5% of total cost of construction (materials and labor)" with no roofing line. Chapter 8 of the Borough Code, Floodplains, says in Section 8-102 "It shall be unlawful for any person, partnership, business, or corporation to undertake, or cause to be undertaken, any construction or development anywhere within the Borough unless a building permit has been obtained from the Building Permit Officer" and "A building permit shall not be required for minor repairs to existing buildings or structures"; that permit sits in the floodplain chapter and names no roof work. Section 27-802 of the Zoning Ordinance says "No building or structure shall be erected, added to, until a permit therefore has been issued by the Zoning Officer" and names no roof work. 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 Borough requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Borough office (570-669-9588) or its Zoning Officer/Building Inspector before starting. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-106), in full; the rest of Chapter 5 and Chapters 4, 11 and 13 searched for roof and permit provisions, with none naming roof work; Chapter 8, Floodplains, and Chapter 27, Zoning, including Section 27-802, where a search of Chapter 27 for "roof" finds only definitions and design standards; the Borough's Forms & Permits and Ordinances pages; the Building Permit Application, Zoning Permit Application and UCC Permit Fees schedule; and both agencies' UCC application guides.