Roofing in Willistown Township, Pennsylvania

Required

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, Willistown Township's Building Department, at the Township Building, 688 Sugartown Road, Malvern, issues building permits; its page says the Building Department "is entrusted to implement the provisions of PA Act 45, known as the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), since April 9, 2004," and Section 72-14 of the Township Code elects to administer and enforce the Act. Section 72-15 adopts "The Uniform Construction Code, contained in Title 34 Pa. Code, Chapters 401 through 405, as amended from time to time" as the Building Code of Willistown Township, and Chapter 72 changes nothing in the code's roofing provisions. Article VII of Chapter 72 adopts the Uniform Construction Code "as amended from time to time" and names no edition, Article VI of the same chapter still adopts the CABO One and Two Family Dwelling Code, 1992 Edition, and Section 72-18A keeps in force the parts of Chapter 72 "which equal or exceed the requirements of the Code"; the Township's list of Building Codes Enforced (updated 9.30.2026) names the "2021 International Residential Code (IRC)". Section 78-3C(1) of the Township Code lists a "Roof-covering permit" with an application fee of $50, a plan review fee of $55, an inspection fee of "$70 per each inspection" and a Pennsylvania UCC fee of $4, and the Township publishes a Roofing Permit Application (revised January 2023) on which the contractor certifies "that I understand the importance of using ice and water shields." The 2026 fee schedule lists "Roofing" at "$54.50 plus 2.5% of cost" for residential work. The Township's "Do I Need a Building Permit?" sheet, under "THE FOLLOWING WORK DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUILDING PERMIT," lists "Ordinary repairs to residential buildings" and adds "Roof replacement is not an ordinary repair. A new roof requires a permit."

Willistown Township's own guidance says a new roof requires a permit. The Township's "Do I Need a Building Permit?" sheet, under "THE FOLLOWING WORK DOES NOT REQUIRE A BUILDING PERMIT," lists "Ordinary repairs to residential buildings" and adds "Roof replacement is not an ordinary repair. A new roof requires a permit." Section 78-3C(1) of the Township Code lists a "Roof-covering permit" with an application fee of $50, a plan review fee of $55, an inspection fee of "$70 per each inspection" and a Pennsylvania UCC fee of $4, and the Township publishes a Roofing Permit Application (revised January 2023) on which the contractor certifies "that I understand the importance of using ice and water shields." The 2026 fee schedule lists "Roofing" at "$54.50 plus 2.5% of cost" for residential work. Under state law, Act 45 says the Act "shall not apply to" "Alterations to residential buildings which do not make structural changes or changes to means of egress, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" or to "Repairs to residential buildings, except as might be required by ordinances in effect pursuant to section 303(b)(1) or adopted pursuant to section 503" (section 104(b)(5) and (6)), and of a municipal ordinance that adds to the code, section 503(c) says "An ordinance under this subsection shall not be effective nor enforceable unless subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (i) have been satisfied." This record does not decide whether the municipality's requirement is one adopted under section 503 or kept in effect by section 303(b)(1). In practice, expect the Township to require a permit for a roof replacement on a house. The 2026 fee schedule lists a "Penalty for Failing to Obtain Permit(s)" of "2x Permit Fee," and the roofing application says "A SIGNED COPY OF THE CONTRACT MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH APPLICATION." Applications may be emailed, mailed to 688 Sugartown Road, Malvern, PA 19355, or dropped off from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday; for permits other than zoning, fence, sign and soil and erosion permits, "the Building Department will contact you with the amount due and permit number(s)," and fees can be paid online by credit card or electronic fund transfer. The fee schedule lists a $75.00 contractor registration fee that "Does not apply to contractors with HIC Registration, when performing residential projects." Township phone: 610-647-5300. Read for this answer: Chapter 72 of the Township Code, Construction Standards and Fire Prevention, Articles I, II, VI and VII (Sections 72-1 to 72-4 and 72-12 to 72-18), in full; Chapter 78, Fees; Section 139-113, Zoning permit; every page of a search of the whole Township Code for "roof" and for "reroofing"; the Building and Documents & Permits pages; the "Do I Need a Building Permit?" sheet; the Roofing Permit Application; the list of Building Codes Enforced; and the 2026 fee schedule.