The Roofing Book

Home / Roofing by City / Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania

Roofing in Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania

Yes, a permit is required to replace a roof in Upper Moreland Township, PA, issued by Upper Moreland Township - Code Enforcement Department. Upper Moreland Township's code requires a permit for roofing work. Section 115-5.A of the Township Code (read October 6, 2026) says "It shall be unlawful for any person to commence work for the erection, alteration, addition, repair, roofing, siding, removal or demolition of any building or structure" without "first filing an application with the Code Official in writing and obtaining the required permit therefor, except for ordinary repairs," and Section 115-5.A(1) says "ordinary repairs shall not include additions to, alteration or replacement of roofing or siding"; the only roof work it lists among ordinary repairs is "(b) Roofing of residential detached accessory buildings." Section 140-4.D sets the permit fee "for an addition to an existing building, for its repair, alteration, re-roofing, siding, removal, demolition or moving" at "$25 for the first $500 of the cost of construction," $25 for the next $500 and $15 for each additional $1,000. The Code Enforcement Department's Guidelines & Regulations page says "Building permits are needed for all repairs, additions, and alterations to properties. This includes work done to roofs, siding, windows," and the Township's fee schedule charges "Additions, decks, repairs, roofing, siding, demolition, etc" by cost, plus the $4.50 UCC surcharge. 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). In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof of a house. Section 115-6 sets a penalty on summary conviction of "not less than $100 or more than $1,000" for each violation, and the department's page says "Fines can be issued for any work begun prior to the issuance of the permits required." From August 1, 2026 the department takes permit applications online only ("No in-person applications or mail-in applications will be accepted"), with an appointment available for anyone unable to use the portal; roof work goes on the Permit Application for Existing Building (Additions, Alterations). The department's page says "Home improvement contractors working in Upper Moreland Township must provide a copy of their registration certificate with the PA Attorney General's office to the UMT Code Enforcement Office along with a copy of their certificate of insurance." Questions go to the department at 215-659-3100. Read for this answer: Article I of Chapter 115 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 115-1 to 115-6), and Article V, One- and Two-Family Dwellings (Sections 115-15 to 115-17), in full; Article II of Chapter 140, Building and Construction fees (Sections 140-4 to 140-12); a search of the whole Township Code for "roof"; the department's Code Enforcement, Documents, Forms & Permits and Guidelines & Regulations pages; its fee schedule; and its Permit Application for Existing Building. This hub aggregates roofing permit and contractor-registration requirements for Upper Moreland Township, Pennsylvania, along with sourced roofing material references — every fact linked to its directory record.

Roofing permits & building code in Upper Moreland Township

Roofing permit and contractor-licensing rules in Upper Moreland Township are set locally by Upper Moreland Township - Code Enforcement 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 Moreland Township administers the code itself: Section 115-2 of the Township Code says "Administration and enforcement of the Uniform Construction Code shall be undertaken by the designation of the Director of Code Enforcement to serve as the Township's Code Official to act on behalf of the Township," and the Code Enforcement Department's page says "We issue permits for all construction, demolition, signs and licenses for all business conducted in the Township." Section 115-1 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's building code, and the department's Guidelines & Regulations page says "Effective January 1, 2026 the following codes are enforced under the UCC" and lists the "2021 International Residential Code" and the "2021 International Existing Building Code." Article V of Chapter 115 still adopts, for detached one- and two-family dwellings, the "International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings, 2000 Edition" (Section 115-15), with local changes in Section 115-16 that replace its administration chapter and fill in its design criteria table and touch no roofing provision; this record has not read the 2000 edition's roofing text. Section 115-3 keeps in force Township building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code; those older ordinances were not read. Section 115-5.A requires a permit for "roofing" and excludes "alteration or replacement of roofing or siding" from the ordinary repairs that need none.
Permit process
Upper Moreland Township's code requires a permit for roofing work. Section 115-5.A of the Township Code (read October 6, 2026) says "It shall be unlawful for any person to commence work for the erection, alteration, addition, repair, roofing, siding, removal or demolition of any building or structure" without "first filing an application with the Code Official in writing and obtaining the required permit therefor, except for ordinary repairs," and Section 115-5.A(1) says "ordinary repairs shall not include additions to, alteration or replacement of roofing or siding"; the only roof work it lists among ordinary repairs is "(b) Roofing of residential detached accessory buildings." Section 140-4.D sets the permit fee "for an addition to an existing building, for its repair, alteration, re-roofing, siding, removal, demolition or moving" at "$25 for the first $500 of the cost of construction," $25 for the next $500 and $15 for each additional $1,000. The Code Enforcement Department's Guidelines & Regulations page says "Building permits are needed for all repairs, additions, and alterations to properties. This includes work done to roofs, siding, windows," and the Township's fee schedule charges "Additions, decks, repairs, roofing, siding, demolition, etc" by cost, plus the $4.50 UCC surcharge. 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). In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a reroof of a house. Section 115-6 sets a penalty on summary conviction of "not less than $100 or more than $1,000" for each violation, and the department's page says "Fines can be issued for any work begun prior to the issuance of the permits required." From August 1, 2026 the department takes permit applications online only ("No in-person applications or mail-in applications will be accepted"), with an appointment available for anyone unable to use the portal; roof work goes on the Permit Application for Existing Building (Additions, Alterations). The department's page says "Home improvement contractors working in Upper Moreland Township must provide a copy of their registration certificate with the PA Attorney General's office to the UMT Code Enforcement Office along with a copy of their certificate of insurance." Questions go to the department at 215-659-3100. Read for this answer: Article I of Chapter 115 of the Township Code, Uniform Construction Code (Sections 115-1 to 115-6), and Article V, One- and Two-Family Dwellings (Sections 115-15 to 115-17), in full; Article II of Chapter 140, Building and Construction fees (Sections 140-4 to 140-12); a search of the whole Township Code for "roof"; the department's Code Enforcement, Documents, Forms & Permits and Guidelines & Regulations pages; its fee schedule; and its Permit Application for Existing Building.

View the full Upper Moreland Township permitting authority record →

Roofing materials for Upper Moreland Township

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

Start with all roofing materials or the asphalt vs. metal vs. tile comparison.

Local permitting authority

Upper Moreland Township - Code Enforcement Departmentcity

Roofing guides

Class 4 Impact-Resistant ShinglesGuide Asphalt vs. Metal vs. TileGuide Wind & Fire RatingsGuide

Sources