Roofing in Titusville, 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, The City of Titusville's Code Enforcement / Zoning / Building Inspector office at City Hall, 107 N Franklin Street, says "All permits are issued in accordance with the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code by Construction Code Inspectors, Inc.," the City's third-party agency, and Section 1707.01 of the Codified Ordinances says "The City hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act." Section 1707.02 adopts the code "by reference as the Municipal Building Code of the City," and Article 1707 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article 1707 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition, the office's pages name no residential code edition, and Article 1709 still adopts the BOCA Building Code, 1999, Fourteenth Edition, whose text this record has not read; this record does not decide which code or edition the City applies to a house.

The City of Titusville's code and pages read for this record do not say whether a house reroof needs a permit. Section 1705.01(a) of the City's Codified Ordinances (Ord. 1633, passed 1964) says "No construction, repair, alteration, removal or demolition of buildings and structures" "unless excepted by this article, shall be undertaken prior to the issuance of a permit therefor by the Building Official"; its only exceptions are for minor plumbing and electrical repair work, and it names no roof work. Section 1707.02 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "by reference as the Municipal Building Code of the City," and Section 1707.05(a) says "All Building Code ordinances or portions of ordinances which were adopted by the City on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code shall continue in full force and effect." Article 1709 still adopts the BOCA Building Code, 1999, Fourteenth Edition, "including permits and penalties"; this record has not read that code's permit sections. This record does not decide whether or how Section 1705.01 or Article 1709 applies to a house reroof today. The office's page says of building permits only that "Fees are based on construction costs," and names no roof work. The City's Municipal Permit Application has boxes for demolition, repair, alteration and accessory structure and names no roof work, and Article 191's building permit fee ("Use Group: 1-$5000.00 $35.00" and "$3.00 per $1000.00 (Thereafter)") has no roofing line. 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 City requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Code Enforcement / Zoning / Building Inspector office (814-827-5300, extension 313) before starting. Read for this answer: Part Seventeen of the Codified Ordinances, Building Code (Articles 1705, Building Permits, 1707, Uniform Construction Code, 1708 and 1709, BOCA Building Code Adopted, with its amendments), the Administrative part's Article 191 fee schedules, and the City's other published code parts (zoning, housing, rental licensing, fire prevention, business and taxation, traffic), searched in full for "roof" and "shingle," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Code Enforcement / Zoning / Building Inspector, Departments and Permits, Forms and Applications pages; and the Municipal Permit Application.