Roofing in Stroud Township, 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, Stroud Township has elected to administer the code: Section 5-102 of the Township Code says "The Township of Stroud hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and Section 5-104 lets the Board of Supervisors carry that out by resolution through a Township employee or "By the retention of one or more construction code officials or third-party agencies to act on behalf of the Township"; this record has not read which the Board chose. The Township's Building, Zoning & Code Enforcement page lists a Building & Code Enforcement Department telephone and a Building Code Official, and building permit applications go to the Township office at 1211 North 5th Street, Stroudsburg. Section 5-103 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the municipal building code of the Township, names no code edition and changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; the Township's pages name no edition.

The Stroud Township code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code, the Stroud Township Building Code Ordinance, adopts the Uniform Construction Code by reference (Section 5-103) and adds no permit rule of its own; it names no roof work. Section 5-106 keeps in effect "All building code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by the Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code"; it names none, none is printed in the current Township Code, and none was read for this record. The Township's Building, Zoning & Code Enforcement page and its Permit Forms page (read October 7, 2026) do not name roofing either way. Its building permit application, revised January 1, 2025, lists types of improvement including "REPAIR/REPLACEMENT" without naming roofing, and the Township's 2025 fee schedule (Resolution 2025-19) has no roofing line and no building permit fee table. 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." Before starting a reroof, ask the Building & Code Enforcement Department at 570-424-6473 whether it requires a permit for the job. The 2025 fee schedule says "any owner, contractor, or agent who commences construction activities regulated by the UCC without first obtaining a Building permit from the Building Code Official will be subject to an increase in permit fees of 100% of the required fee." The building permit application carries a $100.00 residential application fee and asks for a copy of the contract and a contractor's certificate of insurance. Read for this record: Chapter 5, Part 1 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-107), in full; Chapter 4, Buildings (street and address markers only); the contents of Chapter 13, Licenses, Permits and General Business Regulations, which has no building permit part; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Township's Building, Zoning & Code Enforcement and Permit Forms pages; its building permit application; and all nine pages of its 2025 fee schedule. The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.