Roofing in West Hanover 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 Hanover Township administers the code itself: Section 88-1 of the Township Code says the Township "has by resolution and this chapter elected to administer and enforce" the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, Section 88-2A(6) has the "Township Building Code Official" coordinate the work of any third-party inspectors, and the Township's Building / Code Enforcement page lists its own "PA UCC / Plan Reviewer / Inspector (Residential)" at the municipal office, 7925 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg. Section 88-1B adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in 34 Pennsylvania Code, Chapters 401 through 405 , as amended from time to time" as the Township's building code, and Chapter 88 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Chapter 88 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition, while its Section 88-2A(7) is headed as an amendment to "The CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1995," and the Township's pages name no edition; this record has not read the 1995 CABO code's text and does not decide which code the Township applies to a house.

West Hanover Township's code and pages read for this record do not settle whether a house reroof needs a permit. Section 88-2A(7) of the Township Code (Ord. No. 2004-19, as amended by Ord. No. 2005-1, March 21, 2005, read October 9, 2026), is headed "(The CABO One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code, 1995) Section R-111.1." and "Permit Required." It says "Ordinary repairs are nonstructural repairs and include alteration of or replacement of roofing and siding, erection of a fence, or other nonstructural repairs for which a permit is not required by the Building Official." Chapter 88 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and does not amend the State's exclusions for residential repairs and alterations. Section 88-2A(7) is headed as an amendment to a 1995 model code that the Uniform Construction Code has since replaced, and its no-permit words turn on what "is not required by the Building Official"; this record does not apply that section to a house reroof today and does not decide whether it reaches one. Nothing read names residential reroofing as permit work: the Township's building fee schedule has no roofing line, and its residential catch-all "Residential Project" fee covers "Items such as: Hot tub, pool, deck, porch, gazebo" and other projects the schedule does not name; its "Most Common Items that REQUIRE PERMITS" sheet lists no roof work and says "BUILDING PERMITS IN A RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE ARE USUALLY WARRANTED FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGES, PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, OR MECHANICAL CHANGES/UPGRADES/RELOCATIONS." The building permit application's list of construction document items, which includes "Roof Sheathing" and "Roof Covering Material," is for building plans, not a 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." This record does not state whether the Township requires a permit for a house reroof; ask the Township office (717-652-4841) before starting. Section 88-6 makes a violation of Chapter 88 a summary offense with "a fine of not more than $1,000 and costs," each day a separate violation. Read for this answer: Chapter 88 of the Township Code, Construction Codes, Uniform (Sections 88-1 to 88-7), in full, which is the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance with its amendments and its building permit provisions; every page of searches of the whole Township Code for "roof," which found no other permit provision naming roof work, and for "reroofing," which found none; the Building / Code Enforcement page; the building fee schedule, in full; the "Most Common Items that REQUIRE PERMITS" sheet; and the building permit application. Building permit applications go to the Township office by email or in person with a $100 deposit, at 717-652-4841. The Township lists Building Codes Office Hours of Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for residential work and Wednesday for commercial and residential work; the municipal office is open weekdays 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.