Roofing in Towamensing Township, 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, Towamensing Township in Carbon County takes building permit applications on its own "Uniform Construction Permit Application," whose permit number is "Issued by the Building Code Official," and its Administration page lists a contracted "Zoning & Building Code Enforcement Officer" and an alternate for "UCC Enforcement & Inspections." The Township office is at 120 Stable Road, Lehighton. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published online, and this record has not read it; the Township's Ordinances / Resolutions page lists ordinances from 2015 onward, none on building construction, and says "The only official version is available through the Township office." The Township's pages read for this record name no code edition.

Towamensing Township has published no line on whether a reroof needs a permit. The Township's Property Set-Backs sheet says "ALL ITEMS BELOW REQUIRE A PERMIT:" and lists new construction, decks and porches, sheds, swimming pools, driveways and commercial construction; roofing is not among them, and the sheet says to contact the zoning officer "IF NOT LISTED OR NEED FURTHER INFORMATION." The Township's Uniform Construction Permit Application has no roofing box among its type-of-work boxes, and its 2026 fee schedule (Resolution No. 2026-2) has no building permit or roofing line; its zoning permit fees price "Residential Principal and Accessory Structures" with the words "(includes Additions and Renovations)." No Township text read for this record says whether a reroof needs a permit. The Township's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published online, and this record has not read it; the Township's Ordinances / Resolutions page lists ordinances from 2015 onward, none on building construction, and says "The only official version is available through the Township office." 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." The Township's zoning permit fees charge "4 x total required Zoning Permit Fee" for "After-The-Fact" permits. The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed 12:00 to 12:30 p.m., at 610-681-4202. Read for this record: the Township's Administration, General Information, Forms and Documents and Ordinances / Resolutions pages; its Uniform Construction Permit Application, Zoning Permit Application and Property Set-Backs sheet; and its 2026 fee schedule.