Essex Fells has 808 homes, and half of them were standing by 1954. 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.
Permit
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. In Essex Fells, 93% 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. 77% of Essex Fells’s homes were built before 1980: ask how many layers yours has and whether the price is for a tear-off to the deck.
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. For Essex Fells, ask whether the quote includes one anyway.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; NJ DCA Bulletin 07-3
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. The state’s code edition and the rest of its rules: roof replacement in New Jersey.
96% of the occupied homes in Essex Fells are lived in by their owners: 725 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 36% before 1940, 59% before 1960, 77% before 1980; 12% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 93% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.
Of the 22 Essex County municipalities on this site, Essex Fells has the 13th largest share of homes built before 1980: 77%, against a county range of 54% to 92%.
ZIP codes: 07021
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex Fells | 1954 | 77% | 96% | 4% | 11 |
| Caldwell | 1959 | 73% | 42% | 8% | 11 |
| West Caldwell | 1961 | 85% | 86% | 2% | 10 |
| Verona | 1954 | 88% | 79% | 3% | 13 |
| Roseland | 1975 | 54% | 82% | 25% | 12 |
| North Caldwell | 1965 | 69% | 98% | 4% | 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.
Within 10 miles of Essex Fells, hail of an inch or more was reported on 11 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on December 9, 2009. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Essex County since 2006: 10, most recently DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Essex Fells, not that it damaged a roof. When wind or hail damage means a new roof.
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; 93% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 36% here predate 1940 | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Coating is not a replacement |
Ask a roofer working in Essex Fells 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 price side is in what a new roof costs in New Jersey; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
No permit for a detached house. 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. In Essex Fells, 93% 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 Essex Fells was built in 1954, 77% of homes were built before 1980, 96% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 11 days within 10 miles of Essex Fells 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 Essex Fells 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.