Roofing in Sugarcreek, 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, Sugarcreek Borough, in Venango County, lists its Building Code Official on its Zoning Homepage as "PCI, Inc" (Pennsylvania Construction Inspection, Inc.), a third-party inspection agency, and posts a Residential Construction Permit Application there; the Borough office is at 212 Fox Street, Franklin. The Borough's Ordinances page lists no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code (it lists "Resolution 3 of 2016 – Uniform Construction Code Appeals Board"), so this record has not read the Borough's code adoption ordinance or any amendment to it, and no Borough fee schedule was found. No Borough page read for this record names an edition of the residential code.

Sugarcreek Borough's pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. The Borough's "Permits Not Required" page lists "All residential repairs – ordinary, emergency, or otherwise, unless the repair includes a structural change or affects means of egress" and "Residential alterations (remodeling, renovations, maintenance, etc.) that are not structural in nature" among "Projects that are excluded from Pennsylvania’s Uniform Construction Code and are exempt from the requirement to obtain a permit," and names no roof work; its "Permits Required" page names no roof work either, apart from "New decks with roofs or coverings." The Ordinances page also posts "Ordinance No. 94 of 1982 – Borough of Sugarcreek Building Permit Ordinance," enacted under the Borough Code, whose Section 5 requires a Building Permit for "the construction, alteration, enlargement, repair, movement and/or demolition of any structure" and whose Section 7(B) says no permit is needed for "the following work and/or similar type of work unless Structural Changes are involved and the total estimated cost of the work exceeds Ten Thousand dollars ($10,000)", listing "(2) Roofing, shingling and/or re-sheeting of roof"; Section 7(A) also exempts work whose total estimated cost is "Two Thousand dollars ($2,000), or less." This record has not seen whether that 1982 ordinance was amended or replaced when the Borough took up the Uniform Construction Code. The Borough's Ordinances page lists no ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code (it lists "Resolution 3 of 2016 – Uniform Construction Code Appeals Board"), so this record has not read the Borough's code adoption ordinance or any amendment to it, and no Borough fee schedule was found. 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 Building Code Official (724-714-8364) or the Borough office (814-432-4717) before starting. Ordinance No. 94 of 1982 says a violation is "punishable by a fine of not more than Three Hundred dollars ($300) and costs of the prosecution." Read for this answer: the Borough's Zoning Homepage, Permits Required, Permits Not Required, Ordinances and Forms/Apps pages, Ordinance No. 94 of 1982 in full, and the Residential Construction Permit Application.