Roofing in Sellersville, Pennsylvania

Required

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, Sellersville Borough in Bucks County takes Uniform Construction Code permit applications at the Borough office, 140 East Church Street, and its 2026 fee schedule says "All Plan Review and Inspections are performed by the Borough Engineers at Cowan Associates," of Quakertown, to which permit fee checks are made payable. Chapter 63 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 638, June 15, 2004) elects to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of this Municipality," and Section 63-5 keeps in force "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the code." Chapter 58 of the Borough Code still carries Article II (Ord. No. 604, 1997), adopting the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, Second Edition, 1975, and Article III (Ord. No. 615, September 13, 1999), adopting the BOCA National Building Code, Fourteenth Edition, 1999; the editor's note to each says it "is superseded by Ord. No. 638, adopted 6-15-2004, by which the Borough elected to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, except to the extent that this article's provisions are more restrictive." Neither model code's text, nor the Article II amendments the code says are on file in the Borough offices, was read for this record, and this record does not decide what either article still adds. The Borough's pages name no code edition.

Sellersville Borough's enacted fee schedule prices a residential roofing replacement permit. The Borough's fee schedule, Resolution No. 2026-14 (adopted August 10, 2026, read from the rendered page images of the scanned copy October 9, 2026), lists under "BUILDING PERMITS AND INSPECTIONS," Residential Construction, "Roofing Replacement $157.00", and the Borough's Uniform Construction Code Permit Application lists "Roofing/Reroofing" among its building permit types. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require a permit for a roof replacement. The same fee schedule lists "Work Without Permits 2X Double Fee" and says this "Includes permits issued AFTER work has started." Chapter 63 of the Borough Code (Ord. No. 638, June 15, 2004) elects to administer and enforce the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act and says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of this Municipality," and Section 63-5 keeps in force "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by this municipality on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the code." The application must be signed by the record owner and comes with a deposit of $250.00 or the full permit fee; its instructions ask for a "Copy of Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Registration" and a worker's compensation form or waiver, and checks are made payable to Cowan Associates, Inc. The fee schedule adds "PA State Fees of $4.50 are due for EACH PERMIT issued." The Borough office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:00pm, at 215-257-5075. Read for this record: Chapter 63 of the Borough Code, Construction Codes, Uniform, in full; Chapter 58, Building Construction, Articles II and III, in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Borough's Forms and Documents and General Information pages; the 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-14); and the Uniform Construction Code Permit Application with its instructions.