Roofing in Warrington Township (York 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, Warrington Township in York County takes building permit applications at its Municipal Building, 3345 Rosstown Road, Wellsville, on a single Application for Building/Zoning Permit that "is for ALL proposed projects in Warrington Township," and uses a third-party building inspector: the Township's Building Permits page names "Building Inspector: Approved Codes," and the Township's 2026 fee resolution (Resolution No. 2026-01, January 5, 2026) lists "THIRD PARTY BUILDING INSPECTOR – Approved Codes" with its residential plan review and inspection rates. The Township's Uniform Construction Code adoption ordinance is not published on its site and was not read. The building permit application packet carries the inspector's notice that "Beginning January 1, 2026, all building permit applications will be reviewed and inspected under the 2021 ICC Codes as adopted by the PA-UCC" (transcribed from the rendered page image).

Warrington Township's permit list names no roof work, and its Uniform Construction Code ordinance is not published. The Township's Building Permits page says "Building Permit are required for the following:" and lists sheds, swimming pools, additions, new and replacement wells, driveways, interior remodeling, garages, decks, patios, sunrooms, fences, home occupations, signs, solar panels and generators; it names no roof work, and says "Building Permits are not required for items such as painting, cosmetic repairs or maintenance." It does not say whether a reroof is maintenance. The 2026 fee resolution has no roofing line; its UCC section prices "Residential Renovation/additions" with a $200.00 minimum, and its "NON UCC BUILDING PERMITS" line rests on "Ordinance No. 85-2, an ordinance regulating, among other things, the issuance of building permits," which is not published on the Township's site and was not read. Section 801 of the Zoning Ordinance requires a zoning permit for the "erection, enlargement, repair, alteration, moving or demolition of any structure," except "alterations, repairs or maintenance of any structure or land, provided that such repairs do not change the use, the exterior dimensions or the structure"; it names no roof 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." Call the Township office at 717-432-9082 before starting; the application says the applicant "cannot commence excavation or construction until a Zoning/Building Permit has been issued by the Warrington Township Zoning Officer." A zoning permit must be approved before a building permit is issued, and the office is open 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday. Read for this record: the Township's Building Permits, Forms and Ordinances pages; the 2026 Application for Building/Zoning Permit; the 2026 fee resolution; and the Zoning Ordinance as amended March 16, 2022, searched in full for roof provisions and read at Section 801. The Township's code of ordinances is not published online, so its Uniform Construction Code ordinance and Ordinance No. 85-2 were not read.