Roofing in Pine Township (Allegheny 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, Pine Township administers the code through its Building, Planning & Zoning Department with a third-party agency for review and inspection: Section 46-1 of the Township Code says "The Township of Pine hereby elects to administer and to enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the department's page says it is "responsible for the review of applications, issuance of permits and inspection of properties for compliance with Township Building, Zoning and Fire Codes," and its Permits page says "The Township of Pine outsources all inspections and Building Code reviews and approvals to Professional Code Services, Inc. (PCS)." The department is at 230 Pearce Mill Road, Wexford. Section 46-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code, and Chapter 46 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The department's page says that from January 1, 2026, "If there is no contract in place, then the project must meet 2021 ICC Code adoption," while its Permits page still carries a 2022 notice on the 2018 codes, and Chapter 44 of the Township Code adopts the International One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1998 Edition, and the BOCA National Building Code, 1999; this record has not read the 1998 or 1999 model code text and does not decide which text the Township applies to roof work.

Pine Township's code and pages do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 44 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 268, July 6, 1999) adopts the "International One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code/1998 Edition," including its provisions "for the issuance of permits therefor," and the "BOCA National Building Code/1999, Fourteenth Edition"; Section 46-5 A keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code" in force, and Section 46-5 C names Chapter 44 among existing provisions that "shall remain in full force and effect." Neither chapter names roof work in its own text; the 1998 and 1999 model codes Chapter 44 adopts, whose permit sections would bear on repairs, are not published with the Township Code and were not read; and this record does not decide how Section 46-5 bears on Chapter 44. The department's pages name no roof work, its Construction/Building Permit Application offers "Alteration" with no roofing line, and its fee schedule (Resolution No. 1131, effective August 21, 2023) prices building permits by valuation with no roofing line. A transportation impact fee study adopted by Resolution No. 1211 says its review of building permits issued in the Township between 2016 and August 2025 counted new dwelling units only and that "Permits for decks, roofs, sheds, accessory structures, and interior renovations were excluded." 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 a permit is required for a house reroof in Pine Township; ask the Building, Planning & Zoning Department at 724-625-1591 before starting, or PCS at 724-449-2633 on Building Code questions. Applications can be made through the Township's online permitting portal. The department is open 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Friday. Read for this answer: Chapter 46 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 46-1 to 46-8), and Chapter 44, Building Construction, in full; Chapter A144, Fees; every page of searches of the whole Township Code and its new laws for "roof" and "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Building, Planning & Zoning and Permits pages; the residential Construction/Building Permit Application; and the fee schedule and Resolution No. 1131.