Half of the 19,613 homes in Howell were built before 1985. What the code requires when that roof is replaced, and who signs off, is below.
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
New Jersey treats a new covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance: no permit, no notice (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7). That covers the 79% of Howell’s homes that are detached; twins, rowhouses, townhouses and structural work are outside it.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7
Layers
New Jersey deletes the IRC’s reroofing definitions (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(c)2.xxii); its layer rule for existing houses is in the Rehabilitation Subcode, which this site has not read yet. With 36% of Howell’s homes were built before 1980, ask the contractor to count the layers before quoting.
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 Howell, 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.
89% of the occupied homes in Howell are lived in by their owners: 16,997 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 12% before 1960, 36% before 1980; 20% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 79% detached houses, 11% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 48 Monmouth County municipalities on this site, Howell has the 44th largest share of homes built before 1980: 36%, against a county range of 22% to 87%.
ZIP codes: 07727 · 07731
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howell | 1985 | 36% | 89% | 11% | 12 |
| Farmingdale | 1971 | 78% | 56% | 0% | 15 |
| Wall | 1976 | 55% | 83% | 5% | 12 |
| Freehold Township | 1984 | 42% | 84% | 17% | 7 |
| Freehold Borough | 1960 | 77% | 54% | 9% | 8 |
| Lakewood | 1994 | 35% | 52% | 36% | 13 |
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 Howell, hail of an inch or more was reported on 12 days between 2006 and 2025, the biggest stones 1.75 in on June 1, 2011. The most recent was May 3, 2025.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Monmouth County since 2006: 7, most recently DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Howell, 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; 79% 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 | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older and historic houses | Can’t be roofed over; check the framing for the weight |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Where the roof meets a wall or parapet |
Ask a roofer working in Howell 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.
None for a detached one- or two-family house. New Jersey treats a new covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance: no permit, no notice (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7). That covers the 79% of Howell’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 Howell was built in 1985, 36% of homes were built before 1980, 89% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 12 days within 10 miles of Howell 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 Howell 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.