Roofing in Potter Township, 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, Potter Township in Centre County names three agencies on its Building Code Officials (UCC) page and says "Potter township offers three (3) options for Building Code Administration. Applicants may choose which agency to work with. Each agency has their own Fee Schedule and should be contacted for permit fees." The three are Bureau Veritas (75 Reserve Lane, Lewistown, 717-242-0992), Keystone Inspection Agency (248 N. Main Street, Pleasant Gap, 814-359-3333) and Penns Valley Code Enforcement Agency (225 East Main Street, Millheim, 814-349-8177), and the page says "Specific questions relating to Building Permits should be directed to the agency of choice." Chapter 83 of the Township's code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Ord. No. 1-2004), adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of Potter Township" and makes no change to it; its section 83-5A keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code, and the code's derivation table shows the Township's 1998 Code of Ordinances held no building code chapter ("Ch. 5, Code Enforcement (Reserved)"). A search of the whole code for "roof" returns no permit provision, and a search for "reroofing" returns nothing. The Township's pages name no code edition.

No Township or agency text read for this record names roof work as building permit work or as exempt from a building permit. The Township's 2026 Master Fee Schedule has no building permit fee lines, since each agency sets its own, and names no roof work. Penns Valley Code Enforcement Agency's Potter Township page and its Building Permit Application list permit types for a residence or addition, solar panels, pools, accessory structures, demolition and "Other" and name no roof replacement. Chapter 83 of the Township's code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Ord. No. 1-2004), adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference "as the municipal building code of Potter Township" and makes no change to it; its section 83-5A keeps building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code, and the code's derivation table shows the Township's 1998 Code of Ordinances held no building code chapter ("Ch. 5, Code Enforcement (Reserved)"). A search of the whole code for "roof" returns no permit provision, and a search for "reroofing" returns nothing. 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 house reroof needs a building permit in Potter Township; the Township's page sends building permit questions to "the agency of choice." Read for this answer: the Township's Building Code Officials (UCC), Township Forms and Contact pages, its 2026 Master Fee Schedule, Chapter 83 of its code with code-wide searches for "roof" and "reroofing", and Penns Valley Code Enforcement Agency's Potter Township page and Building Permit Application. The fee schedules and permit pages of Bureau Veritas and Keystone Inspection Agency were not read.