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Roofing in South Hanover Township, Pennsylvania

No, South Hanover Township, PA does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (South Hanover Township - Building Department). South Hanover Township's permit sheet answers "YES (if replacing sheething)" for a building permit to replace roof shingles, and "NO" for a zoning permit. Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. The enacted exemption and the Township's sheet agree that a reroof without sheathing work needs no building permit. 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." Section 5-108 says a person who commences "any work for which a permit is required" without one shall, if later permitted to obtain a permit, "pay double the permit fee," except for emergency work and first-time offenders. The Building Department page says "Residents are encouraged to call or stop by the Township office if they have any questions about their proposed project." Building inspections are scheduled with Approved Code Services at 717-506-0464. The Township office is at 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, 717-566-0224, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, in full, including Article I (the Code Enforcement Ordinance) and Article VII (Uniform Construction Code); every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building Department page; the "When are permits required?" sheet; the Building/Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 3-2026, a scanned document read from its page images. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for South Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in South Hanover Township

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in South Hanover Township are set locally by South Hanover Township - Building Department. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence, but its Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a contractor to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection before doing home improvement work, which the Act defines to include roofs on jobs over $500, unless the contractor’s home improvement work totalled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year — and the Uniform Construction Code applies to buildings throughout the Commonwealth as a minimum a municipality may exceed but not fall below, with ordinary repairs to a house outside it unless a local ordinance brings them in, so whether a reroof needs a permit is a municipal question — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Not required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
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, South Hanover Township takes building and zoning permit applications at its municipal office, 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, and Article VII of Chapter 5 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 3-2004) elects to administer and enforce the Uniform Construction Code "through the code enforcement department." The Township's Building Department page says "Presently, the Township of South Hanover is enforcing Act 45, the Uniform Construction Code (UCC) adopted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" and "Building Inspections are done by Approved Code Services." Section 5-703 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" as the Uniform Construction Code of the Township, and Section 5-706 fills in Table 301.2(1), including "Ice Shield Underlayment Required = No"; Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article VII adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition of the International Residential Code, and the Township's Building Department page names none either. Article II of Chapter 5 still prints the Township's 1999 adoption of the "BOCA National Building Code, Thirteenth Edition, 1996," and Section 5-709 lists "Building Code Ordinance No. 3-1999, Sections 1, 2, 3 and 7" among the sections "hereby repealed".
Permit process
South Hanover Township's permit sheet answers "YES (if replacing sheething)" for a building permit to replace roof shingles, and "NO" for a zoning permit. Section 5-105 of the Township Code, part of the Township's Code Enforcement Ordinance (Ord. No. 2-1999, January 26, 1999), says that except as the article specifies no building "shall be erected, constructed, enlarged, altered, repaired, moved, improved, removed, converted, demolished or changed in use or occupancy unless a separate, appropriate permit" has first been obtained, and then says "A building permit shall not be required for the following," a list whose item (24) is "Reroofing." Section 5-704 adopts the Code Enforcement Ordinance with the Uniform Construction Code, and Section 5-705 says its applicable sections "shall continue in full force and effect until such time as these sections fail to equal or exceed the minimum requirements of the Uniform Construction Code." The Township's "WHEN ARE PERMITS REQUIRED?" sheet (updated 1/5/24, read October 9, 2026) gives, for "REPLACING ROOF SHINGLES," a building permit answer of "YES (if replacing sheething)" and a zoning permit answer of "NO." The Township's 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 3-2026) has no roofing line. The enacted exemption and the Township's sheet agree that a reroof without sheathing work needs no building permit. 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." Section 5-108 says a person who commences "any work for which a permit is required" without one shall, if later permitted to obtain a permit, "pay double the permit fee," except for emergency work and first-time offenders. The Building Department page says "Residents are encouraged to call or stop by the Township office if they have any questions about their proposed project." Building inspections are scheduled with Approved Code Services at 717-506-0464. The Township office is at 161 Patriot Way, Hershey, 717-566-0224, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, in full, including Article I (the Code Enforcement Ordinance) and Article VII (Uniform Construction Code); every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building Department page; the "When are permits required?" sheet; the Building/Zoning Permit Application; and the 2026 fee schedule, Resolution No. 3-2026, a scanned document read from its page images.

View the full South Hanover Township permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for South Hanover Township

Compare roofing material families — service life, weight, cost band, and durability — for a South Hanover Township reroof. Every material entry in the directory carries a cited, dated source.

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Local permitting authority

South Hanover Township - Building Departmentcity

Roofing guides

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Sources