Roofing in West Hempfield 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 Hempfield Township administers the code with a retained agency: Section 51-3 of the Township Code adopts the Uniform Construction Code, "as such standards and codes adopted by the Regulations may be amended from time to time as the West Hempfield Township Construction Code," Section 51-6 has the Board of Supervisors appoint a building code official and lets registered third-party agencies serve as construction code officials, and the Township's Building Permits page says "West Hempfield Township administers the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) with the assistance of Third Party Plan Reviewers and Inspectors." Its Building Code Permit Application says "West Hempfield Township uses Commonwealth Code Inspection Services as our third-party BCO, plan reviewer and inspector" (717-664-2347). The Township office is at 3476 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster. Section 51-8 fills in Table R301.2(1) with a ground snow load of 30 pounds per square foot and flood hazard dates, and Chapter 51 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. The Township's pages name no code edition.

West Hempfield Township's own pages do not say whether a house reroof needs a building code permit. Section 51-5 of the Township Code says "All construction which the Act or the Regulations exempt from compliance with the UCC are exempt from the provisions of this article" and "Items exempted from compliance with the UCC by Sections 403.1(b) and 403.1(e) of the Regulations do not have to comply with this article but shall comply with all other applicable Township ordinances." Section 51-8 adds to the State's permit sections that "It shall be the joint responsibility of the owner, lessee, if any, and the contractor to determine that a Construction Code permit (and all other required permits and approvals) has been obtained before performing any work." The Township's Building Permits page (read October 7, 2026) says "Many projects such as decks, house additions, and pools will require both permits," meaning zoning and building code permits, and its Building Code Permit Application names no kind of work; neither names roof work, as permit work or as exempt. The Township has published no building permit fee schedule or permit-type list, and Chapter 72 of the Township Code, Fees, sets only hearing and records fees. 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." No Township text or statement read for this record says whether a house reroof needs a building code permit, so this record does not state an answer; ask the Township office or Commonwealth Code Inspection Service before the job starts. Section 51-9 sets a penalty of "not less than $100 and not more than $500 for each violation, plus all costs of prosecution" for work in violation of the Township's construction code. The Township's process: the applicant contacts Commonwealth Code Inspection Service about the project, then brings the zoning permit application, the Building Code Permit Application and proof of workers' compensation insurance to the Zoning Officer at the Township office; the Township's zoning fee and the agency's plan review fee are paid separately when the permit is picked up. The office is open 8 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, at 717-285-5554. Read for this answer: Chapter 51 of the Township Code, Building Regulations, in full, which is the Township's Uniform Construction Code ordinance with its amendments and its permit provisions; Chapter 9, Construction Code Agreements; Chapter 72, Fees; every page of searches of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing," which found no permit provision naming roof work; the Township's Building Permits page; and the Building Code Permit Application.