Roofing in Springfield Township (York 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, Springfield Township, in York County, administers the code through a third-party agency: Section 190-2 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 190-4 lets the Board of Supervisors retain "third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township," and the Township's own Permits page lists the building permit applications of Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance, Inc. (PMCA), whose Land Use Permit Checklist must be completed "prior to your submission of an application for a building permit." The Township office is at 9211 Susquehanna Trail South, Seven Valleys, 717-428-1413. Section 190-3 says "The UCC is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as the Building Code of the Township," Section 190-6A repeals the Township's 1975 Building Permit Ordinance "for all buildings for which permits are issued after the effective date of this article," and Section 190-6D says that as the UCC adopts new or updated codes "such codes automatically shall be updated as part of this article"; Chapter 190 names no roof work. The Township pages read for this record name no code edition.

No Springfield Township text read says in terms whether a house reroof with no structural repair needs a permit. The Township's Permits page lists a "PMCA Residential Re-Roof Permit Application," and that packet opens: "RESIDENTIAL RE-ROOF" and "A Building Permit is required if there is a structural repair." PMCA's 2026 Supplemental Fee Schedule, posted on the Township's Fees page, lists "Residential Re-Roof" at "$160 (with structural repairs, framing & final)." Neither says whether a reroof with no structural repair needs a permit. The Township's own 2026 fee schedule has no roofing line and, for building code fees, says "SEE RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING BUILDING CODE FEES ENACTED IN 2026." Section 190-3 says "The UCC is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference as the Building Code of the Township," Section 190-6A repeals the Township's 1975 Building Permit Ordinance "for all buildings for which permits are issued after the effective date of this article," and Section 190-6D says that as the UCC adopts new or updated codes "such codes automatically shall be updated as part of this article"; Chapter 190 names no roof work. 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." Springfield Township's only building permit clause read is the Uniform Construction Code's own, adopted by reference, and no text read says in terms whether a reroof with no structural repair needs a permit, so this record does not decide that question. Ask the Township office (717-428-1413) or PMCA before work starts. The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Chapter 190 of the Township Code (Construction Codes, Uniform, Sections 190-1 to 190-12) 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 Township's Permits, Fees and Contact pages; the PMCA re-roof packet and Land Use Permit Checklist; PMCA's 2026 Residential and Supplemental Fee Schedules; and the Township's 2026 fee schedule.