Butler has 3,517 homes, and half of them were standing by 1962. Below: what the code asks of a replacement here, the permit, and the town’s own records.
New Roofing Costs connects homeowners with independent local roofing contractors. We do not perform roofing work.
This number connects homeowners who are planning a new roof or a full roof replacement with independent local roofing contractors. It is not for leak repairs or patch jobs. The call must come from the homeowner who decides on the roof. Calls may be recorded.
The rules for a reroof in Butler
Permit
Detached houses: no permit, no notice
Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 a reroof of a detached one- or two-family house goes ahead without a permit or a notice to the construction office. Attached houses (8% of Butler’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
The state strikes the IRC reroof definitions from its code (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21) and leaves existing houses to the Rehabilitation Subcode, not yet checked here. 75% of Butler’s homes were built before 1980, so get the layer count and a tear-off price in writing.
Only Sussex County meets New Jersey’s 25 °F January test for a required ice barrier (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; DCA Bulletin 07-3). For Butler, ask whether the quote includes one anyway.
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in New Jersey.
Homes and roofs in Butler
69% of the occupied homes in Butler are lived in by their owners: 2,402 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 22% before 1940, 47% before 1960, 75% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 14% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 60% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 15% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 39 Morris County municipalities on this site, Butler has the 6th largest share of homes built before 1980: 75%, against a county range of 42% to 87%.
Median built: median year the homes were built. Before 1980: share of homes built then. Owners: share of homes that are owner-occupied. Row, twin: share of homes that are rowhouses, twins or townhouses. Census ACS 2020–2024. Hail days: days with hail of 1 inch or larger within 10 miles, 2006–2025, NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
Hail and storms near Butler
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 10 separate days within 10 miles of Butler; the largest was 2.5 in on July 3, 2014. The most recent was April 22, 2023.
At the county level, Butler shares Morris County’s record of 11 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest DR-4614 (Remnants of Hurricane Ida, September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Butler’s houses: More in the guides to shingles, metal, slate and flat roofs.
Material
HUD useful life
Fits a house like
Watch for
Asphalt shingles
20 years
Most pitched roofs; 60% of homes here are detached
Wind class set by the design wind speed (IRC Table R905.2.4.1)
Metal (standing seam, panels)
50 years
Low pitches and long runs
A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1)
Slate
75 years
Older houses; 22% here predate 1940
Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Additions and porch roofs
Coating is not a replacement
Checking a contractor in New Jersey
Ask a roofer working in Butler for the New Jersey home improvement registration number, which the law requires on contracts and advertising (N.J.S.A. 56:8-138, 56:8-144), and look it up with the Division of Consumer Affairs.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Butler, NJ?
Detached houses: no permit, no notice. Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 a reroof of a detached one- or two-family house goes ahead without a permit or a notice to the construction office. Attached houses (8% of Butler’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
When were most homes in Butler built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Butler was built in 1962, 75% of homes were built before 1980, 69% are owner-occupied.
Does Butler get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 10 days within 10 miles of Butler from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
What license or registration should a roofer in Butler have?
Ask a roofer working in Butler for the New Jersey home improvement registration number, which the law requires on contracts and advertising (N.J.S.A. 56:8-138, 56:8-144), and look it up with the Division of Consumer Affairs.
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Butler
How many stories the house has, and whether it is detached or attached
What covers the roof now and about when it went on
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Whether the house is in a historic district or an HOA