Half of the 8,674 homes in Jefferson were built before 1970. 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). In Jefferson, 86% 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
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. 60% of Jefferson’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
The state code’s ice barrier applies where the average January day is 25 °F or colder: Sussex County, per DCA Bulletin 07-3. In Jefferson it is the installer’s and the manufacturer’s call; ask whether the quote includes it.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; NJ DCA Bulletin 07-3
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Everything else the state requires: roof replacement in New Jersey.
Of 8,340 occupied homes in Jefferson, 7,434 (89%) are owner-occupied. Counting by decade, 8% before 1940, 33% before 1960, 60% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 13% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 86% detached houses, 6% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses).
Of the 39 Morris County municipalities on this site, Jefferson has the 23rd largest share of homes built before 1980: 60%, against a county range of 42% to 87%.
ZIP codes: 07438 · 07849 · 07885
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 1970 | 60% | 89% | 6% | 5 |
| Rockaway Township | 1972 | 60% | 82% | 8% | 10 |
| Sparta | 1974 | 57% | 87% | 7% | 4 |
| Ogdensburg | 1965 | 80% | 90% | 0% | 5 |
| Hopatcong | 1964 | 83% | 87% | 2% | 10 |
| Mount Arlington | 1990 | 44% | 75% | 15% | 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.
NOAA’s storm reports show 5 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Jefferson, topping out at 2.5 in on July 3, 2014. The most recent was November 13, 2021.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 11 days).
Morris County has had 11 federal major-disaster declarations for storms since 2006; the latest was 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.
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Jefferson’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; 86% 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 | Simple roofs with long, unbroken slopes | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 8% here predate 1940 | Sound slate can be reused (R908.5); broken slate cannot |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Additions and porch roofs | Coating is not a replacement |
Ask a roofer working in Jefferson 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.
None for a detached one- or two-family house. 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). In Jefferson, 86% 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 Jefferson was built in 1970, 60% of homes were built before 1980, 89% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 5 days within 10 miles of Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.