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Roofing in Swissvale, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Swissvale, PA, issued by Swissvale Borough - Fire Department, Building Code Official. Swissvale Borough requires its own re-roof permit for a house reroof. The Borough publishes a Re-Roof Permit Application (updated 2025, read October 9, 2026) with the box "RESIDENTIAL" and the fee line "PERMIT FEES: RESIDENTIAL RE-ROOF $40.00 COMMERCIAL RE-ROOF $60.00", and its Required Permits and Application Types sheet says "RE-ROOF PERMIT- This application is to be used when a re-roof project is being done when there is no more than 32 square feet of decking replacement. This will primarily be used for shingle replacement projects." The Borough's 2025 comprehensive fee schedule lists "Re-Roofing" at "$40.00" among residential building and other permits. Where more decking is replaced, the same sheet says "If more than 32 square feet of decking is going to be replaced, a Commercial or Residential Building Permit Application must be used and “alteration” box checked," and the re-roof application says "If more than minor decking repair is needed, a Building Permit must be filed. Minor decking repair is defined as less than 32 square feet." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Ord. 04-03, June 2, 2004, read October 9, 2026), names no roof work; Section 5-106 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code, none of which is published with the chapter. The re-roof application's office-use block shows its PA UCC fee as "-0-", where the residential building permit application shows "4.50". Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require its re-roof permit before a house reroof. The Borough's page says "Failure to obtain a required Building Permit may result in fines of up to $1,000 per day and 30 days in jail," and the 2025 fee schedule says "Should the owner or contractor fail to obtain the required building, zoning or other permits, fees are doubled at the discretion of the Code Official." The re-roof application asks for the contractor's PA Home Improvement Contractor Registration Number and says "Applicant shall provide and attach hereto a copy of the construction contract with the licensed contractor," proof of current general liability insurance and a signed Workers' Compensation Addendum. The Borough's page says "When in doubt if you require a permit for your project, simply call us"; the Borough office is at 7600 Evans Street, 412-271-7101. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement (Parts 1 to 3), Chapter 4, Buildings, and Chapter 13, Licenses, Permits and General Business Regulations, in full; the Codes & Ordinances, Forms & Permits and Code Enforcement, Permits & Inspections pages; the Re-Roof Permit Application; the Required Permits and Application Types sheet; the Residential Building Permit Application; and the 2025 comprehensive fee schedule, read from its scanned pages. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Swissvale, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Swissvale

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Swissvale are set locally by Swissvale Borough - Fire Department, Building Code Official. Pennsylvania issues no state roofing licence, but its Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act requires a contractor to register with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection before doing home improvement work, which the Act defines to include roofs on jobs over $500, unless the contractor’s home improvement work totalled less than $5,000 in the previous tax year — and the Uniform Construction Code applies to buildings throughout the Commonwealth as a minimum a municipality may exceed but not fall below, with ordinary repairs to a house outside it unless a local ordinance brings them in, so whether a reroof needs a permit is a municipal question — always confirm the current requirements with the authority before starting work.

Roofing permit
Required
Contractor registration
Required
Adopted building code
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, Swissvale Borough administers the code itself: Section 5-101 of the Borough Code says "This Borough hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Borough's Code Enforcement, Permits & Inspections page says "All Building Permits are issued by the Fire Chief, who also serves as the borough's “Building Code Official.”" Commercial and electrical inspections go to the Borough's contracted agency, CEA Code Enforcement Associates, and plumbing to the Allegheny County Health Department. Section 5-102 says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa.Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the municipal building code of this Borough," naming no edition, and Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions; the Borough's permit pages and applications name no edition.
Permit process
Swissvale Borough requires its own re-roof permit for a house reroof. The Borough publishes a Re-Roof Permit Application (updated 2025, read October 9, 2026) with the box "RESIDENTIAL" and the fee line "PERMIT FEES: RESIDENTIAL RE-ROOF $40.00 COMMERCIAL RE-ROOF $60.00", and its Required Permits and Application Types sheet says "RE-ROOF PERMIT- This application is to be used when a re-roof project is being done when there is no more than 32 square feet of decking replacement. This will primarily be used for shingle replacement projects." The Borough's 2025 comprehensive fee schedule lists "Re-Roofing" at "$40.00" among residential building and other permits. Where more decking is replaced, the same sheet says "If more than 32 square feet of decking is going to be replaced, a Commercial or Residential Building Permit Application must be used and “alteration” box checked," and the re-roof application says "If more than minor decking repair is needed, a Building Permit must be filed. Minor decking repair is defined as less than 32 square feet." Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, the Borough's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Ord. 04-03, June 2, 2004, read October 9, 2026), names no roof work; Section 5-106 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code, none of which is published with the chapter. The re-roof application's office-use block shows its PA UCC fee as "-0-", where the residential building permit application shows "4.50". Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Borough to require its re-roof permit before a house reroof. The Borough's page says "Failure to obtain a required Building Permit may result in fines of up to $1,000 per day and 30 days in jail," and the 2025 fee schedule says "Should the owner or contractor fail to obtain the required building, zoning or other permits, fees are doubled at the discretion of the Code Official." The re-roof application asks for the contractor's PA Home Improvement Contractor Registration Number and says "Applicant shall provide and attach hereto a copy of the construction contract with the licensed contractor," proof of current general liability insurance and a signed Workers' Compensation Addendum. The Borough's page says "When in doubt if you require a permit for your project, simply call us"; the Borough office is at 7600 Evans Street, 412-271-7101. Read for this answer: Chapter 5 of the Borough Code, Code Enforcement (Parts 1 to 3), Chapter 4, Buildings, and Chapter 13, Licenses, Permits and General Business Regulations, in full; the Codes & Ordinances, Forms & Permits and Code Enforcement, Permits & Inspections pages; the Re-Roof Permit Application; the Required Permits and Application Types sheet; the Residential Building Permit Application; and the 2025 comprehensive fee schedule, read from its scanned pages.

View the full Swissvale permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for Swissvale

Compare roofing material families — service life, weight, cost band, and durability — for a Swissvale reroof. Every material entry in the directory carries a cited, dated source.

Start with all roofing materials or the asphalt vs. metal vs. tile comparison.

Local permitting authority

Swissvale Borough - Fire Department, Building Code Officialcity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources