Half of the 6,873 homes in Phillipsburg were built before 1938. 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 55% of Phillipsburg’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 86% of Phillipsburg’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 the eave membrane only where January averages 25 °F or colder, which the state says is Sussex County (DCA Bulletin 07-3). Phillipsburg is outside it, so whether to add one is up to you and the installer.
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.
Of 6,556 occupied homes in Phillipsburg, 3,777 (58%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 51% before 1940, 76% before 1960, 86% before 1980; 6% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 55% detached houses, 18% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 13% buildings of two to four units.
On a house built before 1940, ask what the deck is (boards or plywood) and whether slate sits under the later layers: slate can’t be roofed over.
Of the 22 Warren County municipalities on this site, Phillipsburg has the 2nd largest share of homes built before 1980: 86%, against a county range of 24% to 89%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillipsburg | 1938 | 86% | 58% | 18% | 15 |
| Lopatcong | 1980 | 50% | 76% | 11% | 13 |
| Alpha | 1956 | 86% | 76% | 13% | 15 |
| Greenwich Township, Warren County | 1994 | 24% | 97% | 4% | 12 |
| Pohatcong | 1956 | 80% | 88% | 7% | 15 |
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 15 separate days within 10 miles of Phillipsburg; the largest was 1.75 in on May 27, 2010. The most recent was July 3, 2025.
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Warren County since 2006: 10, most recently DR-4725, Severe Storm and Flooding, declared August 2023. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Phillipsburg, 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; 55% 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 houses; 51% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Low-slope roofs and rear sections (18% of homes here are attached) | Coating is not a replacement |
Ask a roofer working in Phillipsburg 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 55% of Phillipsburg’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 Phillipsburg was built in 1938, 86% of homes were built before 1980, 58% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 15 days within 10 miles of Phillipsburg 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 Phillipsburg 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.