Roofing in Tunkhannock Township (Monroe 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, Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County, issues zoning permits from its Municipal Building at 1557 Long Pond Road, Long Pond, and the Township's Documents page posts a Bureau Veritas application whose first page, "STEPS TO OBTAINING YOUR BUILDING/DEMOLITION PERMIT" (a scanned document, transcribed from the rendered page image), sends applicants to Bureau Veritas at 105 Government Center Way, Pocono Pines, phone (570) 894-2801. The Township's Zoning Ordinance says a building permit is "Issued by the Township Building Code Official." The Township has not published its codified ordinances online, and its Documents page posts no Uniform Construction Code ordinance, so this record has not read the Township's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance or any building code ordinance it keeps in force. The Township pages read for this record name no code edition.

Tunkhannock Township requires its own zoning permit for replacing 25 percent or more of a roof's shingles, a local permit separate from a UCC building permit. The Township's Fee Schedule (Resolution 2026-371, effective March 1, 2026, read October 9, 2026) lists "Roof Replacement $50" under the heading "ZONING PERMIT APPLICATOIN FEES," and under "ALTERATIONS & IMPROVMENTS" a fee for "Repair, Replace or Remodel (including 25% or more shingles/siding)" of $50 for residential work; it ends "BUILDING CODE PERMITS MAY ALSO BE REQUIRED." The Township's Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2012-127, Section 103.4A) says listed activities "shall only be undertaken after the required permit or approval has been obtained in full compliance with this Ordinance," including "Repair or remodeling of a structure, replacement of structural parts and replacement of twenty-five (25) percent or more of shingles or siding." So the permit the Township's own documents name for replacing a quarter or more of a roof's shingles is a Township zoning permit issued by the Zoning Officer; the fee schedule says building code permits may also be required, and no Township document read says whether one is required for a house reroof. The Township has not published its codified ordinances online, and its Documents page posts no Uniform Construction Code ordinance, so this record has not read the Township's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance or any building code ordinance it keeps in force. 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 decide whether a UCC building permit is needed for a house reroof here. In practice, expect the Township to require a zoning permit, with its $50 roof replacement fee, before a house is reroofed, and ask Bureau Veritas at (570) 894-2801 whether a building permit is also needed. The fee schedule says "FEES FOR APPLICATION & PERMITS OBTAINED SUBSEQUENT TO CONSTRUCTION ARE DOUBLE NORMAL AMOUNT" and "PLEASE CHECK WITH THE TOWNSHIP PRIOR TO BEGINNING ANY CONSRUCTION." The Township's zoning permit application says the Zoning Office will approve or deny applications within 30 days; the Municipal Building, 570-646-3008, is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Building permit applications go to Bureau Veritas with two sets of plans and a certificate of liability insurance from the contractor. Read for this answer: the Township's home, Documents to Download and hours pages; the 2026 Fee Schedule; the 2026 Zoning Permit Application; the Bureau Veritas application; and the Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 2012-127) with its first amendment (Ordinance No. 2012-129), searched for "roof", "shingle", "building code" and "Uniform Construction Code" and read in its permit sections.