Garwood has 2,169 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.
The rules for a reroof in Garwood
Permit
None for a detached one- or two-family 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 Garwood, 47% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
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. 79% of Garwood’s homes were built before 1980: ask how many layers yours has and whether the price is for a tear-off to the deck.
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 Garwood, ask whether the quote includes one anyway.
54% of the occupied homes in Garwood are lived in by their owners: 1,159 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 29% before 1940, 69% before 1960, 79% before 1980; 16% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 47% detached houses, 4% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 32% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 21 Union County municipalities on this site, Garwood has the 14th largest share of homes built before 1980: 79%, against a county range of 65% to 98%.
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.
Storm record around Garwood
Within 10 miles of Garwood, hail of an inch or more was reported on 15 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on May 28, 2019. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Union County since 2006: 8, most recently DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared 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; 47% 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; 29% 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
Seams at walls and drainage
Checking a contractor in New Jersey
Ask a roofer working in Garwood 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.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Garwood, NJ?
None for a detached one- or two-family 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 Garwood, 47% of homes are detached. An attached house, or work on rafters and beams, is not covered.
How old are the houses in Garwood?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Garwood was built in 1953, 79% of homes were built before 1980, 54% are owner-occupied.
Does Garwood get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Garwood from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
How do I check a roofing contractor in Garwood?
Ask a roofer working in Garwood 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.
What they will ask on the phone
The street address in Garwood, or at least the ZIP code
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
The number of layers, if anyone has counted
Your timing for a complete replacement
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Garwood