Roofing in Norwood, 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, Norwood Borough elects to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as the municipal building code of this municipality" (Code, Chapter 126, Sections 126-1 and 126-2); the Borough's Building Construction page carries its own Building Construction Permit Application, filed with the Borough at 10 W. Cleveland Avenue and approved by a Building Code Official, and the Borough's pages do not name who serves as that official. Chapter 126 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition, Chapter 105 names the 1996 BOCA National Building Code and the National Building Code of 1967, and the Borough's pages name no edition; this record has not read those older codes' text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies. Chapter 126 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions.

No Norwood Borough text read for this record says whether a residential reroof needs a building permit. The Borough's Building Construction Permit Application lists "Roof" among boxes under "TYPE OF WORK OR IMPROVEMENT (Check One)," beside new building, addition, alteration, deck, fence, pool and siding; it is a general building permit form, not a roofing form. The Borough's pages publish no building permit fee schedule, and Chapter 25 of the Code prices only subdivision, land development and zoning applications. The zoning chapter, Section 300-161A, says "A zoning permit shall be required prior to the erection or alteration of any building, structure, or portion thereof"; that is a zoning permit, it names no roof work, and this record does not decide whether it reaches a reroof. Section 126-5A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code," and the Borough's Chapter 105, Building Codes, still carries three: the Norwood Building Code of 1955 (Part 1), the National Building Code of 1967 (Part 2), and Part 3 (1997), which adopts "the 1996 BOCA National Building Code" by reference. Part 1, Section 105-6D(2), says "Not more than 25% of the roof covering of any building or structure shall be replaced in any twelve-month period unless the entire roof covering is made to comply with the requirements of this code for new buildings"; that line speaks to how a roof is built, not to whether a permit is needed, and Part 1 names no roof work as permit work. This record has not read the 1967 or 1996 model codes' text and does not decide which of these older provisions Section 126-5A keeps in force. 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." The Borough's contractor's license application says "each contractor intending to perform work within the Borough of Norwood must secure a license and pay a fee of $75.00" and must name the Borough as certificate holder on a current certificate of insurance. The Borough office is open Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and Friday, 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at (610) 586-5800. Read for this answer: Chapter 126, Construction Codes, Uniform, of the Borough Code in full; Chapter 105, Building Codes, Part 1 Articles I, II, VI and XV and Parts 2 and 3; Chapter 25, the fee schedule chapter; Section 300-161 of the zoning chapter; every page of a code-wide search for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Building Construction page; and the Borough's building permit, zoning permit and contractor's license applications.