Moonachie has 1,124 homes, and half of them were standing by 1966. 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.
The rules for a reroof in Moonachie
Permit
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 51% of Moonachie’s homes that are detached; twins, rowhouses, townhouses and structural work are outside it.
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. 72% of Moonachie’s homes were built before 1980, so get the layer count and a tear-off price in writing.
New Jersey requires the eave membrane only where January averages 25 °F or colder, which the state says is Sussex County (DCA Bulletin 07-3). In Moonachie it is the installer’s and the manufacturer’s call; ask whether the quote includes it.
Of 1,061 occupied homes in Moonachie, 819 (77%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 8% before 1940, 35% before 1960, 72% before 1980; 15% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 51% detached houses, 6% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 6% buildings of two to four units, 38% manufactured homes.
38% of homes in Moonachie are manufactured homes (429). A roof on a manufactured home is its own kind of job; tell the person on the line that it is one.
Of the 68 Bergen County municipalities on this site, Moonachie has the 39th largest share of homes built before 1980: 72%, against a county range of 30% to 93%.
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 Moonachie
Since 2006 the National Weather Service has logged hail of 1 inch or larger on 17 separate days within 10 miles of Moonachie; the largest was 2 in on August 15, 2008. The most recent was September 8, 2023.
That is more hail days than 85% of the places in the state on this site.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4614, September 2021) is the latest of 10 federal storm declarations covering Bergen County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
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; 51% 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
Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (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
Porches, additions, low-slope rears
Coating is not a replacement
Checking a contractor in New Jersey
Any business offering home improvements in Moonachie 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.
Do I need a permit to replace a roof in Moonachie?
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 51% of Moonachie’s homes that are detached; twins, rowhouses, townhouses and structural work are outside it.
How old are the houses in Moonachie?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Moonachie was built in 1966, 72% of homes were built before 1980, 77% are owner-occupied.
Does Moonachie get hail that damages roofs?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 17 days within 10 miles of Moonachie 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 Moonachie?
Any business offering home improvements in Moonachie 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.
What they will ask on the phone
Your address or ZIP code in Moonachie
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
Whether it is a manufactured home
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
How many layers are on it, if you know
That the job is a full replacement or a new roof, and your timing
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Moonachie