Swedesboro has 1,029 homes, and half of them were standing by 1946. 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 Swedesboro
Permit
Detached houses: no permit, no notice
Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 a reroof of a detached one- or two-family house goes ahead without a permit or a notice to the construction office. Attached houses (25% of Swedesboro’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
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. 70% of Swedesboro’s homes were built before 1980, so get the layer count and a tear-off price in writing.
The state code’s ice barrier applies where the average January day is 25 °F or colder: Sussex County, per DCA Bulletin 07-3. Swedesboro is outside it, so whether to add one is up to you and the installer.
61% of the occupied homes in Swedesboro are lived in by their owners: 556 households, the people this line is for. By year built, 48% before 1940, 54% before 1960, 70% before 1980; 14% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 53% detached houses, 25% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 16% 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 24 Gloucester County municipalities on this site, Swedesboro has the 9th largest share of homes built before 1980: 70%, against a county range of 7% to 89%.
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 Swedesboro
NOAA’s storm reports show 10 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Swedesboro, topping out at 1.75 in on May 22, 2014. The most recent was April 4, 2025.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4614, September 2021) is the latest of 10 federal storm declarations covering Gloucester County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
HUD’s useful-life figures are for planning; a warranty is a separate promise. For Swedesboro’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; 53% 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; 48% 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 (25% of homes here are attached)
Where the roof meets a wall or parapet
Checking a contractor in New Jersey
Ask a roofer working in Swedesboro 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.
Is a permit required for a new roof in Swedesboro, NJ?
Detached houses: no permit, no notice. Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 a reroof of a detached one- or two-family house goes ahead without a permit or a notice to the construction office. Attached houses (25% of Swedesboro’s homes) and any work that touches the structure fall outside the rule.
How old are the houses in Swedesboro?
By the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2020–2024), the median home in Swedesboro was built in 1946, 70% of homes were built before 1980, 61% are owner-occupied.
How many hail days has Swedesboro had?
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 10 days within 10 miles of Swedesboro 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 Swedesboro?
Ask a roofer working in Swedesboro 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.
What they will ask on the phone
Where the house is: the Swedesboro address or ZIP
One story or two (or more), detached or attached
What is on the roof now (asphalt shingles, metal, slate, tile, or a flat membrane) and roughly how old it is
Whether there is one layer or more, if you know
That you want a new roof or a full replacement, and when you want the work done
Any historic-district or HOA rules on the house in Swedesboro