Roofing in Tinicum Township (Bucks 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, Tinicum Township in Bucks County takes building permit applications at its office, 163 Municipal Road, Pipersville, and its Building & Zoning Permits page lists its part-time Building Code Official as being with Keystone Municipal Services, Inc., the third-party agency, and says "Your permit must be approved and issued before any work can begin." The Township's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance is not published on its website or in an online code book and was not read for this record. The Township's Building & Zoning Permits page says "Please note that PA Uniform Construction Code 2018 went into effect statewide as of February 12, 2022" and names no later edition; this record has not read the 2018 edition's text and does not decide which edition the Township applies.

Tinicum Township's office says a roof replacement needs no permit unless structural changes are taking place. The Township's Building & Zoning Permits page (read October 9, 2026), in its table of permit types, applications and forms, lists "Roof Repair/Replacement" with the words "No permit is required unless structural changes are taking place." The Township's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance is not published on its website or in an online code book, and was not read for this record. The 2026 fee schedule (Resolution 17-2025, effective January 1, 2026) has no roofing line; its residential building permit lines include "Renovations/Repairs/Alterations - Non-Structural" and "Renovations/Repairs/Alterations - Structural." 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." Because the Township's own construction code ordinance was not read, this record does not state whether a house reroof needs a building permit in Tinicum Township; ask the Township office (610-294-9154) before starting, and expect a permit where the work changes the roof structure. The 2026 fee schedule says "In the event construction is started without the required zoning and building permit(s), applicable fees will be quadrupled." Applications go to the Township office at 163 Municipal Road, Pipersville, PA 18947, with a $100 non-refundable application review fee; the office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday 9 a.m. to noon, and inspections are scheduled by phone. Read for this record: the Township's Building & Zoning Permits page; its building permit application and its building permit procedures and instructions; its 2026 fee schedule, all seven pages (a scanned document, read from the page images); its list of recent ordinances; and its codified zoning ordinance, which has no permit provision naming roof work.