Roofing in Oxford Township (Adams 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, Oxford Township, in Adams County, "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the code" and adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as the municipal building code of Oxford Township" (Code of Ordinances, Chapter 5, Section 5-101); its Fees & Applications page takes permit applications at the Township office, 780 Hanover Street, New Oxford, and carries a UCC grace-period contract form, to be submitted with a permit application, that names Middle Department Inspection Agency. Section 5-101 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Section 5-101 adopts the code "as amended from time to time," and the Township's UCC grace-period form says "Pennsylvania adopted the 2021 ICC Building Codes – Effective January 1, 2026".

No Oxford Township text read for this record names roof work as needing or not needing a permit. The Township's FAQ page says "All projects related to construction, renovation, or replacement require at the minimum a Municipal Permit" and that "The scope of the project will determine if additional permits, plan reviews and inspections are necessary"; it names no roof work. The Municipal Permit Application is made "in compliance with the Oxford Township Zoning Ordinance" and asks the zoning officer whether "A Uniform Construction Code Building Permit is required." The 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 2026-9) has no roofing line; it prices residential "Alterations" at $110.00 and charges Chapter 13 building permits at $25 for work of $2,500 to $15,000 plus $1 per $1,000 above that. Section 5-101's only local change requires building permits "for all below-grade alterations to existing residential buildings" and names no roof work. Separately, Chapter 13, Part 5, Section 13-501, says "it shall be unlawful for any person to place, build or alter any building or structure in Oxford Township without having obtained a building permit and paying the appropriate fees" where the work costs $2,500 or more (a placard, at no cost, below that), and adds that "supplemental permits, such as, but not limited to, Zoning, UCC, County, State et al. and associated fees, may be required"; Section 5-101.5D says permits required by Township ordinances and not superseded by the code, including "zoning, driveway, sewage, highway, NPDES or floodplain/building permits, as applicable, shall continue to be required." Section 13-501 names no roof work, and this record does not decide whether it reaches a reroof. 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 Fees & Applications page says "All Contractors doing work in Oxford Township must provide the office with a Certificate of Insurance" and that, once an application is submitted, "Our Zoning Officer will be in touch shortly thereafter for follow up." The Township office is at 717-624-4544. Read for this answer: Chapter 5, Code Enforcement (Uniform Construction Code), of the Township's Code of Ordinances in full; Chapter 4, Buildings, which is reserved; Chapter 13, Part 5, Building Permit; the key to the disposition of ordinances; the Fees & Applications, FAQ, Ordinances and Contact pages; the Municipal Permit Application and the UCC grace-period contract form (scanned, read from the rendered page images); and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution 2026-9 (scanned, read from the rendered page images).