Roofing in Southampton Township (Cumberland 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, Southampton Township (Cumberland County) administers the code under Chapter 138 of the Township Code, where Section 138-2 says "This Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act." The Township's own Zoning/Land Use Permit application, issued by its Zoning Officer at 200 Airport Road, Shippensburg, asks the applicant to "Select an Inpection Agency" and names two: "PA Municipal Code Alliance" and "Commonwealth Code." Section 138-3 adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time" as the municipal building code, and Chapter 138 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's pages name no code edition.

Southampton Township's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a building permit. Chapter 138 (effective July 1, 2004) adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference "for the construction, alteration, repair, and occupancy of buildings," names no roof work either way and adds no permit clause of its own for house repairs; Section 138-7 leaves fees to resolution, and the Township's 2026 fee schedule lists only zoning, land use, driveway and plan fees, with no building permit or roofing line. Separately, the Zoning chapter's own permit, the zoning/land use permit, is not required for roof repair: Section 350-1307D says "A zoning/land use permit shall not be required for repairs to existing building, structures, sheds or fences, except where required by the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code," and Section 350-1308A says "Zoning permits shall not be required for any maintenance operations, such as painting, roof repair, window replacement, installation of siding, replacement of defective structural member or similar maintenance measures." Those sections speak to the zoning permit only, not to a building permit. PA Municipal Code Alliance, one of the two agencies the Township's application names, publishes a letter addressed "Dear Municipal Official" that says "a residential Re-roof still requires compliance with the provisions of the UCC but does not require a building permit" and that "If structural work is required such as replacing studs, headers, rafters or trusses a permit would now be required"; the letter does not name Southampton Township and is not posted on the Township's pages. The same agency's re-roof application says "A Building Permit is required if there is a structural repair." The Township's pages say nothing on reroofing, and nothing read for this record shows the other agency's practice. 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 building permit is required for a house reroof in the Township; ask the Township office (717-532-9646) and the inspection agency before starting. PA Municipal Code Alliance's building permit applications ask for a "Land Use Permit (signed/approved by the Municipality)" where one is issued. The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 138 of the Township Code, Construction Code, Uniform, in full; Article XIII of the Zoning chapter (Sections 350-1301 to 350-1309); every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," and a search for "building permit"; the Township's Planning & Zoning and contact pages, its 2026 fee schedule and its Zoning/Land Use Permit application (both scanned documents, read from their page images); and PA Municipal Code Alliance's FAQ, re-roof letter and re-roof application.