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Roofing in Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Upper Macungie Township, PA, issued by Upper Macungie Township - Permit Department. Upper Macungie Township requires a permit for a reroof. Section 5-101.3 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-5, as amended by Ord. No. 2021-04, effective July 18, 2021; read October 6, 2026) says "The Township hereby adopts certain provisions that exceed the requirements of Sections 403.1(b) and 403.62(c) of the Pennsylvania Construction Code as the Residential Code of the Township" and, under "Permits shall be required for the following," lists "(2) Removal/replacement of roofing." The Permit Department's forms list includes a "Roof Recovering or Re-shingling" application; its "Roof Re-Covering or Re-Shingling Permit Submittal and Installation Guide" (revised 11/21/2025) says "All work shall meet the requirements of the 2021 International Residential Code." The Township's fee schedule (effective January 5, 2026) charges for residential work, under "Roof Replacement," "Roof – Material Replacement $75.00," plus a 25 percent administrative fee and the $4.50 PA UCC fee, with a "MINIMUM JOB FEE: $85.00." 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists one filing for Upper Macungie Township, a 2008 carbon monoxide detector ordinance shown as "Not enacted"; no filing for the roofing provision appears on it. In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof: its enacted list, its application packet and its fee schedule all name roof replacement, and neither the Township Code nor the department's pages set a size below which a reroof needs no permit. Applications use the Township's Permit Application for Residential and Commercial Properties, and "All applications complete parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5" of it, with certificates of insurance for all contractors listed; the roof packet's checklist points to the code's sections on roof sheathing, ventilation, flashing, underlayment, ice barrier, shingle fastening and drip edge. The fee schedule asks for 48 hours' notice to schedule inspections and 72 hours' notice for final inspections. Application packages are available at the Township Building, 7540 Windsor Drive, Suite 311, Allentown, Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm; the Permit Department's number is 610-395-4892. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Building Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-104), in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof"; the Permit Department and Permit Application Instructions pages; the first page of the Roof Re-Covering or Re-Shingling application packet; and the residential and commercial building permit schedules of the 2026 fee schedule. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Upper Macungie Township

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Upper Macungie Township are set locally by Upper Macungie Township - Permit Department. 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, Upper Macungie Township administers the code itself: Section 5-101.1 of the Township Code says "The Township hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," and the Township's Permit Department page says "Upper Macungie Township enforces the PA Uniform Construction Codes and all questions should be addressed to Building Code Officials." Section 5-101.2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," by reference and names no edition; the Permit Department's page says the State "has approved the 2021 ICC Code Series for enforcement starting on January 1, 2026," and the Township's roof application guide cites the 2021 International Residential Code. Section 5-101.3 adopts provisions that exceed Sections 403.1(b) and 403.62(c) of the State's regulation, including a permit for "(2) Removal/replacement of roofing." Section 5-101.4 fills in the code's climatic table, Table R301.2(1), with a ground snow load of 40 psf, a wind design speed of 115 mph and "Ice Barrier Underlayment Required" marked "Yes." Part 1 of Chapter 5 changes nothing else in the code's roofing provisions.
Permit process
Upper Macungie Township requires a permit for a reroof. Section 5-101.3 of the Township Code (Ord. 2004-5, as amended by Ord. No. 2021-04, effective July 18, 2021; read October 6, 2026) says "The Township hereby adopts certain provisions that exceed the requirements of Sections 403.1(b) and 403.62(c) of the Pennsylvania Construction Code as the Residential Code of the Township" and, under "Permits shall be required for the following," lists "(2) Removal/replacement of roofing." The Permit Department's forms list includes a "Roof Recovering or Re-shingling" application; its "Roof Re-Covering or Re-Shingling Permit Submittal and Installation Guide" (revised 11/21/2025) says "All work shall meet the requirements of the 2021 International Residential Code." The Township's fee schedule (effective January 5, 2026) charges for residential work, under "Roof Replacement," "Roof – Material Replacement $75.00," plus a 25 percent administrative fee and the $4.50 PA UCC fee, with a "MINIMUM JOB FEE: $85.00." 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). The Department of Labor and Industry's register of municipal code change ordinances lists one filing for Upper Macungie Township, a 2008 carbon monoxide detector ordinance shown as "Not enacted"; no filing for the roofing provision appears on it. In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof: its enacted list, its application packet and its fee schedule all name roof replacement, and neither the Township Code nor the department's pages set a size below which a reroof needs no permit. Applications use the Township's Permit Application for Residential and Commercial Properties, and "All applications complete parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5" of it, with certificates of insurance for all contractors listed; the roof packet's checklist points to the code's sections on roof sheathing, ventilation, flashing, underlayment, ice barrier, shingle fastening and drip edge. The fee schedule asks for 48 hours' notice to schedule inspections and 72 hours' notice for final inspections. Application packages are available at the Township Building, 7540 Windsor Drive, Suite 311, Allentown, Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm; the Permit Department's number is 610-395-4892. Read for this answer: Part 1 of Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Building Code (Sections 5-101 to 5-104), in full; a search of the whole Township Code for "roof"; the Permit Department and Permit Application Instructions pages; the first page of the Roof Re-Covering or Re-Shingling application packet; and the residential and commercial building permit schedules of the 2026 fee schedule.

View the full Upper Macungie Township permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for Upper Macungie Township

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

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Local permitting authority

Upper Macungie Township - Permit Departmentcity

Roofing guides

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