Roofing in Upper Mount Bethel 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, Upper Mount Bethel Township issues building permits from the Township Municipal Building, 387 Ye Olde Highway, Mount Bethel. Section 107-2 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 2004-02) says the Township "elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," Section 87-3 says "Building permits shall be issued by the Township Code Officer after review of building plans by a certified third-party agency," and the Township's Zoning / Building page lists a "TOWNSHIP ZONING OFFICER / BUILDING CODES OFFICIAL" available "By Appointment Only." The Township pages read for this record do not name the third-party agency. Section 107-3 adopts the Uniform Construction Code in 34 Pa. Code Chapters 401 to 405, "as amended from time to time," "as the Municipal Building Code of Upper Mount Bethel Township." The Township pages read for this record name no code edition.

No Upper Mount Bethel Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. Chapter 87 of the Township Code (Ord. No. 208, 1965) says "No person shall cause or permit any building to be erected or placed or any alteration or addition to be made therein or thereto" "without first having obtained a permit therefor," and defines "ALTERATION or ADDITION" as "Shall not mean painting or normal regular repairs to a building." Section 107-6A keeps in force building code ordinances "adopted by Upper Mount Bethel Township on or before July 1, 1999, and which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code." Neither names roof work, and no Township text read says whether a reroof is an alteration or a normal regular repair. The Township's Zoning / Building, General Information and Forms / Documents pages name no roof work. The 2024 fee schedule lists a "UCC PERMIT (building)" fee for "Residential Construction (requires Zoning approval and permit)" and has no roofing line, and the Township's Uniform Construction Code building permit application (a scanned document, transcribed from the rendered page images) has no roofing box among its types of work. 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." Whether Chapter 87 reaches an ordinary reroof turns on whether the job is an "alteration" or "normal regular repairs," which no Township text read settles, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Township Municipal Building at 570-897-6127 before work starts. Chapter 209, the "No-Permit Penalty Ordinance," says a person who fails to obtain a required permit must pay "200% of the original permit fees," and Section 87-4 sets a fine of "not more than $1,000, plus costs of prosecution." Section 113-1 says "Contractors shall register with the PA Attorney General's office to obtain contractor registration and provide proof of registration to the Township." The Township office is open Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with summer hours of Monday to Thursday, 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., from May 4 through September 4. Read for this answer: Chapters 87 (Building Permits), 107 (Construction Codes, Uniform), 113 (Contractor Permits) and 209 (Permits) of the Township Code in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's Zoning / Building, General Information and Forms / Documents pages; the 2024 fee schedule; and the Township's zoning permit and Uniform Construction Code building permit applications.