Roofing in North Middleton Township (Cumberland 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, North Middleton Township elects to administer the code: Section 95-1 of the Township Code says "North Middleton Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Codes and Zoning page, which lists building permits among the department's work, says "Approved Code Services will be the primary Building Code Official for North Middleton Township" and that building permit applications are available at the Municipal Building, 2051 Spring Road, Carlisle. Chapter 95 adopts the code "as amended from time to time" and changes nothing in its roofing provisions. Neither the Township's pages nor its residential permit application names a code edition.

North Middleton Township's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 95 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as the municipal building code of North Middleton Township," names no roof work and adds no permit clause of its own; Section 95-5A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code. Chapter 80, Building Construction, keeps the Township's remaining changes to the 1993 BOCA National Building Code, whose adoption was superseded in 2004; those changes concern other permits, prosecution, penalties and appeals and name no roof work. The 2026 fee schedule has no roofing line; it prices residential building permits by plan review and inspection hours. The Township's Permits and Fees page (read October 9, 2026) says "permits are required for certain interior and exterior work being done on your home, accessory structure or property improvements. Before starting any construction please check with the Codes Department to make sure that a permit is or is not required." It names no roof work either way, and the residential permit application's type-of-work list (New Building, Addition, Alteration, Repair, Demolition and others) has no roofing entry. 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 and Zoning Department (717-243-5639) before starting. The Codes and Zoning page says that if a question cannot be answered by staff, "you will be directed to contact Approved Code Services," at 717.506.0464, and gives the department's hours as Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4 pm. Read for this answer: Chapter 95 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, and Chapter 80, Building Construction, both in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Codes and Zoning, Permits and Fees, and Permit Applications pages; the residential building permit application; and the 2026 fee schedule, in full.