Roofing in Summit Township (Erie 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, Summit Township in Erie County administers the Uniform Construction Code through a third-party agency: its Ordinance 2018-04 says Building Inspection Underwriters of PA, Inc. "is hereby designated as the Building Code and Construction Code official for the Township" and that "The Township shall not perform any administration services itself or through its employees." Before a construction permit application, the ordinance has the owner submit a Zoning Permit application to the Township's Zoning Administrator, at the Township building, 1230 Townhall Road West, Suite 100, Erie. Section 3 of Ordinance 2018-04 adopts the Act and "the Regulations, at 34 Pa.Code §403.21, as may be amended from time-to-time, as the Construction Code of the Township," and Section 4 adds design values including a ground snow load of 40 psf and a 48-inch frost depth; the ordinance changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions and names no code edition.

Summit Township's ordinances and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Ordinance 2018-04 (enacted May 21, 2018, read October 9, 2026 from the scanned copy on the Township's Ordinances page) names no roof work either way. Its Section 5 says "Exceptions to application of the UCC and IFGC as set forth in the Act and/or the Regulations shall apply and are incorporated herein by reference," and its permit clause says "Except as expressly authorized in the UCC, IFGC, or in the Regulations, no construction or other activity regulated by this Ordinance shall be conducted or commenced without a permit therefore first being issued." Its recitals say the Township chose to "opt-out" of the code in 2004 and adopted it again in 2018. Separately, Section 1007.01 of the Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning permit for "Exterior remodeling or improvement of existing buildings that does not alter the basic structure, create additional lot area coverage or change the use of the parcel or building"; it names no roof work, and this record does not decide whether it reaches a reroof. The Township's 2026 fee schedule has no roofing line. The Township's pages say nothing on roofing permits. Its Applications & Forms page lists permits filed through its online portal, including a zoning permit and a demolition permit, and lists no building or roofing 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." This record does not state whether a permit is required for a house reroof in Summit Township; ask the Township (814-868-9686) before starting. Ordinance 2018-04 prescribes "A fine in an amount not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) per violation" of the ordinance, and the fee schedule lists a late permit application fee of "$100 or double the fee". The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Read for this answer: Ordinance 2018-04 in full (21 scanned pages, read from their page images); the Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 2021-02 as amended), searched in full for "roof" and read at its permit sections; the Unsafe Buildings Ordinance (1983-03); the 2026 fee schedule; and the Township's Ordinances, Applications & Forms, Code Enforcement and Land Development and Zoning pages. The Township's code is not on a code-hosting site; its ordinances are published as separate documents.