Roofing in West Hazleton, 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 Hazleton Borough's Code Enforcement and Building Permits page says "Building permits are issued by the Building Code Official" and "The Borough of West Hazleton follows the Uniform Construction Code when issuing building permits and at this current time does not have any Municipal Changes with Labor and Industry," and lists the Borough's Chief Code Officer and Deputy Code Officer at 100 South Fourth Street; the Borough posts its own "West Hazleton Borough Building Permit Application." The Borough's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published on the Borough's website or in an online code library, so this record has not read it.

No West Hazleton Borough text read for this record names roof covering work as permit work or as exempt. The Borough's fee ordinance (Ordinance No. 2 of 2021, "Required Permits and Schedule of Fees," current as of May 12, 2021) prices a building permit for "Residential, New Construction & Repair" and has no roofing line; the Borough's UCC Check List is headed "Repairs, Renovations, Minor Alterations, Garages, Sheds, Pools, Signs and Fences" and names no roof work; and the Borough's building permit application, read from its rendered page images, offers "Alteration" among its types of improvement and names no roof work. None of these says whether a reroof needs a permit. The Borough's ordinance adopting the Uniform Construction Code is not published on the Borough's website or in an online code library, so 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." The Borough's application also says "If any construction is within a Historic District, a certificate of appropriateness may be required by the Municipality." The Borough's code office is at 570-501-0517, and the Borough office, 100 South Fourth Street, open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., is at 570-455-7851. Read for this record: the Borough's Code Enforcement and Building Permits, Forms and Applications, Contact and home pages, its 2021 fee ordinance, its UCC Check List and its building permit application.