Edison has 39,225 homes, and half of them were standing by 1975. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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.
Permit
Replacing the covering on a detached one- or two-family house needs no permit and no notice to the town (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7). In Edison, 49% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7
Layers
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. With 56% of Edison’s homes were built before 1980, ask the contractor to count the layers before quoting.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21
Ice barrier
The state code’s ice barrier applies where the average January day is 25 °F or colder: Sussex County, per DCA Bulletin 07-3. In Edison it is the installer’s and the manufacturer’s call; ask whether the quote includes it.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; NJ DCA Bulletin 07-3
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in New Jersey.
Of 38,098 occupied homes in Edison, 23,078 (61%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 26% before 1960, 56% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 11% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 49% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 9% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 25 Middlesex County municipalities on this site, Edison has the 18th largest share of homes built before 1980: 56%, against a county range of 26% to 88%.
ZIP codes: 08817 · 08820 · 08837
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edison | 1975 | 56% | 61% | 11% | 12 |
| Metuchen | 1961 | 72% | 75% | 11% | 10 |
| Sayreville | 1973 | 61% | 63% | 13% | 12 |
| South Amboy | 1960 | 62% | 57% | 16% | 11 |
| Highland Park | 1962 | 73% | 40% | 7% | 10 |
| Perth Amboy | 1959 | 70% | 35% | 7% | 12 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 12 separate days within 10 miles of Edison; the largest was 1.75 in on September 9, 2023. The most recent was July 3, 2025.
Middlesex County has had 8 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
Storm reports are what observers logged, not a measure of damage to any roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Edison’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; 49% 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 | Roofs that will carry solar later | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 6% 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 | Seams at walls and drainage |
Ask a roofer working in Edison 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.
Contracts, deposits and the right to cancel: checking a roofing contractor. What moves the price: new roof cost in New Jersey.
None for a detached one- or two-family house. Replacing the covering on a detached one- or two-family house needs no permit and no notice to the town (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7). In Edison, 49% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Edison was built in 1975, 56% of homes were built before 1980, 61% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 days within 10 miles of Edison from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Ask a roofer working in Edison 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.
The full list: before you call.
Checked October 24, 2026. Laws and code editions change; the date says when these were last read at the source.