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Roofing in New Britain Township, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in New Britain Township, PA, issued by New Britain Township - Building & Zoning Department. New Britain Township's fee schedule lists a permit fee for residential roof replacement. The Township's current fee schedule (Resolution 2024-02, adopted January 2, 2024, read October 9, 2026) lists, under "Chimneys, Fireplaces & Roofs," a residential "Roof Replacement" permit fee of $50.00. Section 5-111 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-11-01, November 8, 2004, read October 9, 2026) requires building permits for "All residential roof repairs requiring structural changes," and says "structural changes include all roof repairs which require replacement of plywood. Replacement of only shingles and roofing paper does not constitute a structural change." The Township's own answer to "Is a permit required for roofing?" (read October 9, 2026) is: "A construction permit is required only if replacing the plywood or rafters. For shingles only, no permit is required." Its "Does My Project Need a Permit?" sheet (revised July 29, 2021) lists "Roofs – only structural/plywood" under work needing a building permit, and also lists "Repairs (i.e. water/sewer lateral, roof repairs)." Section 5-105 also keeps in force, where stricter than the Uniform Construction Code, Ordinance 99-06-01 of June 28, 1999, which adopted the BOCA National Building Code; this record has not read that ordinance's permit text. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a New Britain Township filing that requires a building permit for "all residential roof replacements that involve replacement of sheathing," found in compliance with an approval letter mailed October 7, 2004, "Enacted 11 / 8 / 04." In practice, expect the Township to charge its residential roof replacement permit fee on a reroof, and check with the Township before starting even where no plywood will be replaced. The fee schedule charges "Double the standard permit fee" for "Work Without Permit - Applies to permits issued after work has started," and the Township's answer to "Can you start work before a permit is issued?" is "No." Permits are applied for on the Township's Construction Permit Application, and contractors submit a certificate of liability insurance naming New Britain Township as additional insured with each application. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 215-822-1391. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Sections 5-101 to 5-111), in full, which is the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance with its amendments and its permit provisions; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's current fee schedule (Resolution 2024-02); its "Does My Project Need a Permit?" sheet; and its Construction Permit Application. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for New Britain Township, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in New Britain Township

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in New Britain Township are set locally by New Britain Township - Building & Zoning Department. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence, but its Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a contractor to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection before doing home improvement work, which the Act defines to include roofs on jobs over $500, unless the contractor’s home improvement work totalled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year — and the Uniform Construction Code applies to buildings throughout the Commonwealth as a minimum a municipality may exceed but not fall below, with ordinary repairs to a house outside it unless a local ordinance brings them in, so whether a reroof needs a permit is a municipal question — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
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, New Britain Township administers the Uniform Construction Code itself: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administrator and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Building & Zoning Department, at 207 Park Avenue, Chalfont, says it is responsible for enforcing "the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code for Residential and Commercial construction" and lists its own residential building code inspector. Section 5-102 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's municipal building code, and Section 5-106 fills in Table R301.2, including "Ice shield underlayment: yes" and a roof snow load of 30 pounds per square foot; Part 1 of Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Section 5-106 of the Township Code makes its insertions into the International Residential Code 2003, while the Township's own answer to "Which version of the residential/commercial building codes should I use?" names the "2021 International Residential Code (IRC)" and the "2021 International Existing Building Code (IEBC)". Section 5-105 keeps in force, where stricter, Ordinance 99-06-01, which adopted the BOCA National Building Code in 1999; this record has not read that ordinance.
Permit process
New Britain Township's fee schedule lists a permit fee for residential roof replacement. The Township's current fee schedule (Resolution 2024-02, adopted January 2, 2024, read October 9, 2026) lists, under "Chimneys, Fireplaces & Roofs," a residential "Roof Replacement" permit fee of $50.00. Section 5-111 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-11-01, November 8, 2004, read October 9, 2026) requires building permits for "All residential roof repairs requiring structural changes," and says "structural changes include all roof repairs which require replacement of plywood. Replacement of only shingles and roofing paper does not constitute a structural change." The Township's own answer to "Is a permit required for roofing?" (read October 9, 2026) is: "A construction permit is required only if replacing the plywood or rafters. For shingles only, no permit is required." Its "Does My Project Need a Permit?" sheet (revised July 29, 2021) lists "Roofs – only structural/plywood" under work needing a building permit, and also lists "Repairs (i.e. water/sewer lateral, roof repairs)." Section 5-105 also keeps in force, where stricter than the Uniform Construction Code, Ordinance 99-06-01 of June 28, 1999, which adopted the BOCA National Building Code; this record has not read that ordinance's permit text. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists a New Britain Township filing that requires a building permit for "all residential roof replacements that involve replacement of sheathing," found in compliance with an approval letter mailed October 7, 2004, "Enacted 11 / 8 / 04." In practice, expect the Township to charge its residential roof replacement permit fee on a reroof, and check with the Township before starting even where no plywood will be replaced. The fee schedule charges "Double the standard permit fee" for "Work Without Permit - Applies to permits issued after work has started," and the Township's answer to "Can you start work before a permit is issued?" is "No." Permits are applied for on the Township's Construction Permit Application, and contractors submit a certificate of liability insurance naming New Britain Township as additional insured with each application. The office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at 215-822-1391. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Pennsylvania Construction Code Act (Sections 5-101 to 5-111), in full, which is the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance with its amendments and its permit provisions; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's current fee schedule (Resolution 2024-02); its "Does My Project Need a Permit?" sheet; and its Construction Permit Application.

View the full New Britain Township permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for New Britain Township

Compare roofing material families — service life, weight, cost band, and durability — for a New Britain Township reroof. Every material entry in the directory carries a cited, dated source.

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Local permitting authority

New Britain Township - Building & Zoning Departmentcity

Roofing guides

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