Roofing in West Cocalico 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, West Cocalico Township takes zoning and building permit applications at its office at 156B West Main Street, Reinholds. Section 5-103 of the Township Code provides for administration of the Uniform Construction Code "by retention of one or more Construction Code Officials or certified third party agencies to act on behalf of West Cocalico Township," and the Township's residential Zoning/Building Permit application asks the applicant to "Choose (1) of 3 Building Code Inspectors": Associated Building Inspections, Commonwealth Code Inspection Service or Technicon Enterprises. Section 5-102 adopts the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act "as contained in 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401-405, as amended from time to time" as the Municipal Building Code of West Cocalico Township, and Chapter 5 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's pages name no code edition; an Associated Building Inspections residential fee schedule dated September 5, 2017, posted on the Township's Building Permits page, names the 2009 International Residential Code for swimming pools and predates the State's adoption of the 2021 edition.

West Cocalico Township's building permit section speaks to re-roofing in a conditional list. Section 5-201 of the Township Code (Ord. 117, September 8, 2011, read October 9, 2026) says no building or structure "shall be erected, enlarged, converted, modified, repaired or altered" until a building permit has been issued, and then that "no building permit shall be required after the proposed plans have been reviewed by the Township's Building Inspector, and such Inspector has reasonably determined that the project involves work less than the minimum amount that may be established from time to time by a resolution of the Board of Supervisors," followed by a list of work that includes "re-roofing (without the installation of under-roofing, beams, or trusses)." The list closes "provided that the specifically listed work shall involve only connection at the prior location to electricity and/or plumbing without any additional change to the wiring, plumbing or structure, and in such a manner as to not involve any other code or ordinance adopted by the Township." The Township Code does not define "under-roofing," and no Township page read for this record says how the section applies to an ordinary reroof; this record does not decide whether it does. The Township's Building Permits page, its residential Zoning/Building Permit application and its permit fee schedule effective November 15, 2022 name no roof work as permit work or as exempt; the fee schedule says "BUILDING PERMIT FEES: To be determined by the Building Code Official following the plan review and the determination of required inspections." 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 fee schedule says "EXPEDITED FEES ARE DOUBLE THE COST - For those who start construction before the permit is paid for and picked up," and Section 5-204 sets "a fine not to exceed $1,000 for each violation" of the building permit Part. Applications go to the Township office, where the Zoning Officer reviews them for zoning and forwards them to the inspection company the applicant chose, and the application says "All zoning approval fees and inspection fees related to the UCC plan review and required inspections must be paid prior to the Township releasing the approved permit." The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at 717-336-8720. Read for this record: Chapter 5 of the Township Code, Code Enforcement, Part 1 (Uniform Construction Code, Sections 5-101 to 5-105) and Part 2 (Building Permits, Sections 5-201 to 5-204), in full; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's Building Permits and Zoning pages; its permit fee schedule effective November 15, 2022 and its fee resolution; its residential Zoning/Building Permit application; and the Associated Building Inspections permit application posted on its Zoning page.