Roofing in Upper Tulpehocken 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, Section 158-1 of the Township Code says "The Township of Upper Tulpehocken hereby elects to administer and enforce the provisions of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act," the Township's Zoning Officer/Code Official page lists Kraft Municipal Group, 6525 Shillington Plaza, Shillington (610-777-1311), and Kraft Municipal Group's General Information sheet for the Township lists the firm under "Building Code Official Information" and says "Applications are submitted to, and permits picked up at the Township office"; the Township office is at 6501 Old Route 22, Bernville (610-488-7170). Section 158-2 of the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Chapter 158, Article I, read October 12, 2026) says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Building Code of the Township of Upper Tulpehocken," and Section 158-5A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code"; neither names roof work, and Chapter 315, Permit Procedures, deals only with denying permits to applicants with delinquencies or serious code violations. Every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" returned definitions, zoning dimension rules, stormwater provisions and meeting minutes, a search for "reroofing" returned no results, and none of the hits requires or exempts a permit for roof work. The Township's pages name no code edition.

No Upper Tulpehocken Township text read names reroofing as building permit work or as exempt. Section 158-2 of the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance (Chapter 158, Article I, read October 12, 2026) says "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated herein by reference as the Building Code of the Township of Upper Tulpehocken," and Section 158-5A keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the code"; neither names roof work, and Chapter 315, Permit Procedures, deals only with denying permits to applicants with delinquencies or serious code violations. Every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" returned definitions, zoning dimension rules, stormwater provisions and meeting minutes, a search for "reroofing" returned no results, and none of the hits requires or exempts a permit for roof work. The Township's 2026 fee resolution lists "UCC PERMIT & INSPECTION" and "ZONING PERMIT & INSPECTION" and says "Building Code (UCC) fees for construction per the annual professional fee schedule attached," and Kraft Municipal Group's sheet for the Township lists "$100.00 residential building" and "$50.00 residential zoning" application fees; none of these names roof work, and the firm's permit application names no roofing permit type. 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 2026 fee resolution adds a "PENALTY FOR COMMENCING WORK WITHOUT PERMITS" of "Double fees" and Section 158-8 sets a fine of "not less than $100 nor more than $1,000" for violations of the Uniform Construction Code article. Ask the Township office at 610-488-7170 or the building code official at 610-777-1311 before work starts. Read for this answer: the Township's Zoning Officer/Code Official, Documents and home pages, Chapter 158 (Sections 158-1 to 158-10) and Chapter 315 of its Code, the Code searches above, the 2026 fee resolution, Kraft Municipal Group's Permit Application page and application, and its General Information sheet for the Township.