Montague has 1,655 homes, and half of them were standing by 1980. 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). Attached houses (0% of Montague’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. With 50% of Montague’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
New Jersey requires an eave ice barrier where January averages 25 °F or colder, and names Sussex County as that area (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(c)8.ii; DCA Bulletin 07-3). Montague is in it.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; NJ DCA Bulletin 07-3
Checked against the code text on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in New Jersey.
81% of the occupied homes in Montague are lived in by their owners: 1,229 households, the people this line is for. Counting by decade, 6% before 1940, 20% before 1960, 50% before 1980 of the housing was in place, and 16% dates from 2000 on. (ACS 2020–2024.)
The housing is 71% detached houses, 15% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 21 Sussex County municipalities on this site, Montague has the 18th largest share of homes built before 1980: 50%, against a county range of 43% to 85%.
ZIP codes: 07827
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montague | 1980 | 50% | 81% | 0% | 8 |
| Wantage | 1978 | 54% | 82% | 3% | 11 |
| Sandyston | 1963 | 69% | 97% | 5% | 8 |
| Frankford | 1973 | 62% | 91% | 0% | 6 |
| Sussex | 1948 | 85% | 36% | 5% | 5 |
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.
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 8 separate days within 10 miles of Montague; the largest was 1.75 in on June 28, 2020. The most recent was July 22, 2020.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 11 days).
Sussex County has had 9 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.
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; 71% 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 | A complete standing-seam system may go over the old roof (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 6% 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 |
Any business offering home improvements in Montague must be registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, with the number on its contracts and ads (N.J.S.A. 56:8-138, 56:8-144); 47,473 registrations were active in October 2026.
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. 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). Attached houses (0% of Montague’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 Montague was built in 1980, 50% of homes were built before 1980, 81% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 8 days within 10 miles of Montague from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
Any business offering home improvements in Montague must be registered with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, with the number on its contracts and ads (N.J.S.A. 56:8-138, 56:8-144); 47,473 registrations were active in October 2026.
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.