Roofing in Wayne Township (Schuylkill 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, Wayne Township, Schuylkill County, issues zoning permits from its Township office, and its notice to applicants for building permits says "Wayne Township, Schuylkill County has opted to enforce the Uniform Construction Code (UCC). As such, applicants for building permits must contact one of the appointed Building Code Officials listed below to obtain a building permit," listing ARRO Engineering & Environmental Consultants, Building Inspection Underwriters of Pennsylvania, Inc. and Lehigh Engineering, LLC. The Township's Planning and Zoning page does not list the ordinance by which it adopted the Uniform Construction Code, and this record has not read it. The Township's pages name no code edition.

No Wayne Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The Township's notice to building permit applicants, its zoning permit application and its 2022 zoning permit fee schedule name no reroof or roof replacement, and none has a roofing line. Separately, Section 702 of the Wayne Township Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance 2012-1) says "No building, structure, or sign shall be erected, constructed, moved, added to, or structurally altered" without a permit issued by the Zoning Officer; it names no roof work, and the Township's zoning permit application says "This permit applies to zoning only and shall not relieve applicant from obtaining such other permits as may be required by law." The Township's Planning and Zoning page does not list the ordinance by which it adopted the Uniform Construction Code, and this record has not read it. 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." Because neither the Township nor its appointed code officials have published a statement on reroofs, and the Township's adoption ordinance is unread, this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. For a building permit, the Township's notice directs applicants to one of the appointed Building Code Officials: ARRO Engineering & Environmental Consultants, 570-366-9534; Building Inspection Underwriters of Pennsylvania, Inc., 570-344-9681; or Lehigh Engineering, LLC, 570-628-2300. Zoning applications and checks can be mailed to Wayne Township at P.O. Box 97, Friedensburg, PA 17933; the Township office is at 10 Municipal Road, Schuylkill Haven, at 570-739-2629, and the Zoning Officer keeps office hours on Monday evenings, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Read for this answer: the Township's Officials, Contact Us, Documents and Planning and Zoning Information pages; the notice to applicants for building permits; the zoning permit application; the 2022 fee schedule for zoning permits; and the Zoning Ordinance 2012-1, searched in full for "roof" and for its permit sections.