Fort Lee has 19,679 homes, and half of them were standing by 1971. 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.
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). That covers the 14% of Fort Lee’s homes that are detached; twins, rowhouses, townhouses and structural work are outside it.
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. 65% of Fort Lee’s homes were built before 1980, so get the layer count and a tear-off price in writing.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21
Ice barrier
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 Fort Lee, ask whether the quote includes one anyway.
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 18,287 occupied homes in Fort Lee, 10,131 (55%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 29% before 1960, 65% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 15% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 14% detached houses, 7% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 11% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 68 Bergen County municipalities on this site, Fort Lee has the 52nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 65%, against a county range of 30% to 93%.
ZIP codes: 07024
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Lee | 1971 | 65% | 55% | 7% | 20 |
| Leonia | 1945 | 84% | 70% | 5% | 21 |
| Palisades Park | 1976 | 55% | 36% | 18% | 20 |
| Edgewater | 1992 | 30% | 40% | 9% | 19 |
| Cliffside Park | 1970 | 70% | 51% | 11% | 16 |
| Ridgefield | 1957 | 80% | 51% | 9% | 15 |
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 Fort Lee, hail of an inch or more was reported on 20 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 2 in on August 15, 2008. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
That is more hail days than 93% of the places in the state on this site.
At the county level, Fort Lee shares Bergen County’s record of 10 storm disaster declarations since 2006, the newest 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.
Useful life is HUD’s planning figure, not a warranty. 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; 14% 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 and historic houses | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Ask a roofer working in Fort Lee 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.
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). That covers the 14% of Fort Lee’s homes that are detached; twins, rowhouses, townhouses and structural work are outside it.
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Fort Lee was built in 1971, 65% of homes were built before 1980, 55% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 20 days within 10 miles of Fort Lee 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 Fort Lee 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.