Roofing in Penn Township (Butler 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, Penn Township in Butler County takes zoning permit applications at its Land Use Department in the Township Municipal Building, 157 East Airport Road, Butler, and its building permits are processed by a third-party agency, Code.Sys: the Land Use Department page says a structure of 1,000 square feet or more "will require a building permit which is processed through Code.sys" and "Before a building permit is issued by codesys, you will need to apply for a zoning permit from the township building," and the Township's 2026 fee resolution (Resolution No. 594, January 5, 2026) lists "Code.Sys Building Permit Fees Assessed." The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not among the ordinances it publishes. The Township's pages name no code edition.

Penn Township's Land Use Department lists "structural changes to the roof" and "commercial roofing" among work that needs a building permit, and lists "roofs" among construction that needs a Township zoning permit. The Township's Land Use Department page says "Building permits are needed for all residential and commercial additions, residential houses/mobile homes, commercial construction, decks/porches over 30 inches above grade, deck/porch roofs, structural changes to the roof, commercial roofing, pools, and accessory structures over 1,000 square feet." It does not say in terms whether a residential reroof that makes no structural change needs a building permit. The same page requires a Township zoning permit, a separate permit from the building permit: "When construction of 100 square feet or larger happens on your property. This includes but is not limited to sheds, gazebos, garges, greenhouses, spa/hot tubs, decks, porches, pools, roofs, residential additions, commercial buildings, mobile homes, residential houses, and any other type of structure that has a roof a zoning permit is required and needs to be submitted to the township building." The 2026 fee resolution prices a "Residential Zoning Permit" at $150.00. The 2026 fee resolution prices a Code.Sys "Residential Building Permit" at "$50.00 for 1st $1,000.00 of estimated cost of construction" plus $5.00 for each additional $1,000.00, and has no roofing line. 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 Land Use Department is reached at (724) 586-1165 option 2, Monday to Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the Zoning Permit application asks for "a Narrative, Manufacturer's detail, or cut sheet describing the work to be completed and the types of construction material to be used." Read for this record: the Township's Land Use Department, Ordinances and Zoning Permits/Applications pages; its 2026 fee resolution, read from the page images; and its Zoning Permit application. The Township's zoning ordinance, posted as a scanned image, and its code adoption ordinance were not read.