The median home in Elmwood Park was built in 1958; there are 7,765 of them. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.
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 Elmwood Park
Permit
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 Elmwood Park, 45% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
Which layers may stay is a Rehabilitation Subcode question in New Jersey (the IRC definitions are deleted by N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21), and this site has not read that subcode yet. 78% of Elmwood Park’s homes were built before 1980: ask how many layers yours has and whether the price is for a tear-off to the deck.
New Jersey requires the eave membrane only where January averages 25 °F or colder, which the state says is Sussex County (DCA Bulletin 07-3). For Elmwood Park, ask whether the quote includes one anyway.
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.
Homes and roofs in Elmwood Park
Owners live in 4,289 of Elmwood Park’s occupied homes, or 58%. Counting by decade, 11% before 1940, 57% before 1960, 78% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 12% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 45% detached houses, 8% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 36% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 68 Bergen County municipalities on this site, Elmwood Park has the 32nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 78%, against a county range of 30% to 93%.
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 Elmwood Park
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 16 separate days within 10 miles of Elmwood Park; the largest was 2.5 in on July 8, 2021. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
That is more hail days than 80% of the places in the state on this site.
Bergen County has had 10 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida (September 2021). (OpenFEMA.)
Lifespans come from HUD’s capital-needs table, not from a brochure. 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; 45% 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; 11% here predate 1940
Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight
Flat roof: EPDM or TPO
15 years
Additions and porch roofs
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in New Jersey
New Jersey had 47,473 active home improvement registrations in October 2026; the one belonging to whoever quotes your roof in Elmwood Park should be on the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144).
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Elmwood Park?
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 Elmwood Park, 45% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
When were most homes in Elmwood Park built?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Elmwood Park was built in 1958, 78% of homes were built before 1980, 58% are owner-occupied.
How often does hail hit Elmwood Park?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 16 days within 10 miles of Elmwood Park 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 Elmwood Park have?
New Jersey had 47,473 active home improvement registrations in October 2026; the one belonging to whoever quotes your roof in Elmwood Park should be on the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144).
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Elmwood Park
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
The roof you have today, shingle, metal, slate, tile or flat, and its rough age
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