Roofing in West Deer 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 Deer Township administers the Uniform Construction Code through a third-party agency: the Township's Permitting page says the Township "currently contracts with a third-party provider, Professional Code Services, for the issuance of building permits and site inspections," and building permit applications go to the Township at 133 East Union Road, Cheswick. Section 100-2 adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as amended from time to time," as the Township's municipal building code, and Chapter 100 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Neither Chapter 100 nor the Township's permit pages name a code edition.

No West Deer Township text read names reroofing as permit work or as exempt. The Township's Permitting page (read October 9, 2026) says "Building permits are required for, but are not limited to, projects such as" new structures, single family homes, additions, accessory structures, pools and hot tubs, "Certain types of interior renovations" and "Certain types of grading projects," and "Please contact the Township if you are unsure whether or not you need a permit." Its Building Permit Application names no roof work. Chapter 100 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Ord. No. 320, June 2, 2004), adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and adds no permit provision of its own; Section 100-5 keeps in force building code ordinances adopted on or before July 1, 1999 that equal or exceed the code, without naming them, and this record has not read any such ordinance. 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 only enacted permit rule found is the Uniform Construction Code's own, adopted by reference, so this record does not decide whether the Township requires a permit for an ordinary reroof. Ask the Township at 724-265-2780 before work starts. Building permit applications go to the Township with a plot plan and construction drawings, and "A permit will not be reviewed and processed unless payment has been made first." Professional Code Services can be reached at 724-449-2633. The Township office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read for this record: Chapter 100 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 100-1 to 100-7), in full; Chapter 117, Fees; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Township's Permitting page and Building Permit Application; and Professional Code Services' own website.