Fair Lawn has 12,500 homes, and half of them were standing by 1953. 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
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). Attached houses (5% of Fair Lawn’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
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. 88% of Fair Lawn’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 Fair Lawn, 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.
78% of the occupied homes in Fair Lawn are lived in by their owners: 9,549 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 19% before 1940, 73% before 1960, 88% before 1980; 7% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 76% detached houses, 5% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 9% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 68 Bergen County municipalities on this site, Fair Lawn has the 7th largest share of homes built before 1980: 88%, against a county range of 30% to 93%.
ZIP codes: 07410
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Lawn | 1953 | 88% | 78% | 5% | 15 |
| Glen Rock | 1952 | 83% | 90% | 2% | 15 |
| Elmwood Park | 1958 | 78% | 58% | 8% | 16 |
| Saddle Brook | 1958 | 75% | 69% | 3% | 15 |
| Hawthorne | 1953 | 82% | 69% | 8% | 15 |
| Paramus | 1963 | 72% | 83% | 5% | 14 |
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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 15 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Fair Lawn, topping out at 2.5 in on July 8, 2021. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Bergen County since 2006: 10, most recently DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Fair Lawn, not that it damaged a 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 Fair Lawn’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; 76% 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; 19% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Coating is not a replacement |
Ask a roofer working in Fair Lawn 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.
Detached houses: no permit, no notice. 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). Attached houses (5% of Fair Lawn’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Fair Lawn was built in 1953, 88% of homes were built before 1980, 78% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Fair Lawn 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 Fair Lawn 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.