Roofing in Sewickley, 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, Sewickley Borough in Allegheny County administers the code through its own Building & Zoning department: Section 156-2A of the Borough Code says "The Borough of Sewickley hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Building & Zoning page and staff directory list a Zoning & Building Code Officer (412-741-4015) at the Borough building, 601 Thorn Street, who takes the Borough's Residential UCC Building Permit Application. Section 156-2B says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 to 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Municipal Building Code of the Borough of Sewickley." The Borough's permit application guidelines say "All work must comply with the 2018 International Building Code as amended by Ordinance 1223," an older edition than the State's current 2021 adoption and a building code rather than the residential code, and Chapter 156 names no edition; this record has not read the 2018 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Borough applies.

Sewickley Borough's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 156 of the Borough Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference (Ord. No. 1223, 2004) and names no roof work either way. Its Article I keeps two amendments from the Borough's 1996 adoption of the BOCA National Building Code (a permit time limit and an exterior wall-finish rule), and Section 156-2F(1) keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code"; this record has not read the 1996 BOCA code's text. A search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing" found no permit provision naming roof work. The Borough's Building & Zoning page, its permit application guidelines and its Residential UCC Building Permit Application name no reroof or roof replacement as permit work or as exempt. The application's Plan Review Checklist, for plan submissions, asks for "Roof Construction" details including "sheathing thickness, roof covering, and underlayment"; the guidelines say "All Exterior Work in a designated Historic District must receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from Borough Council." 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 Borough requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Borough's Zoning & Building Code Officer (412-741-4015) before starting. Read for this answer: Chapter 156 of the Borough Code, Construction Codes (Sections 156-1 and 156-2), in full; every page of a search of the whole Borough Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Borough's Building & Zoning, Permits, Forms & Applications, Codes & Regulations and Fee Schedule pages; its permit application guidelines; and its Residential UCC Building Permit Application, read from its scanned pages. No building permit fee schedule was found published on the Borough's site. The Borough's Codes & Regulations page lists the Borough Manager's Office at 601 Thorn Street, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.