Roofing in Richland Township (Bucks 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, Richland Township administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Township Code says the Township "hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 5-112 refers to "the Township's Municipal Code Official," and the Township's Application for Building and Zoning Permits sends applicants to the Richland Township Municipal Administration Building, 1328 California Road, Quakertown. Electrical inspections and plan reviews go to a third-party agency the owner or builder selects from the Township's approved list (Section 5-111). Section 5-102 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither Chapter 5 nor the Township's permit pages name a code edition.

Richland Township's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code (Ord. 212, June 28, 2004, read October 7, 2026) adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" by reference as the municipal building code (Section 5-102) and keeps in force two pre-1999 fire suppression rules (Section 5-105); it adds no permit clause of its own and names no roof work. The Township's fee schedule, codified as Chapter FEE and last amended by Res. No. 2026-10 of January 5, 2026, has no roofing line; its residential building permit fees are for new construction, additions and "Structural alterations." The Township's Permits page (read October 7, 2026) says "Permits are required for:" and lists, among other work, "Structural alterations or repairs"; it names no roof work either way, and the Township's Application for Building and Zoning Permits prints the same list under "PERMITS ARE REQUIRED WHEN:". 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 the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Township (215-536-4066) before starting. The application says "The Zoning/Code Enforcement department does not have scheduled office hours. Appointments can be made by calling 215-536-4066." Read for this answer: Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-115), in full; Chapter 4, Buildings; the fee schedule codified as Chapter FEE, in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing", which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Permits and Forms & Documents pages; and the Application for Building and Zoning Permits, a scanned document whose permit list was read from the page image.