Wantage has 4,255 homes, and half of them were standing by 1978. 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
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 (3% of Wantage’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. 54% of Wantage’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
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). Wantage is in it.
Source: N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21; NJ DCA Bulletin 07-3
Rules as read on October 24, 2026. Code edition, permit and contract rules for the whole state: roof replacement in New Jersey.
Of 4,090 occupied homes in Wantage, 3,359 (82%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 10% before 1940, 24% before 1960, 54% before 1980; 19% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 82% detached houses, 3% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 7% buildings of two to four units.
Of the 21 Sussex County municipalities on this site, Wantage has the 16th largest share of homes built before 1980: 54%, against a county range of 43% to 85%.
ZIP codes: 07461
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wantage | 1978 | 54% | 82% | 3% | 11 |
| Sussex | 1948 | 85% | 36% | 5% | 5 |
| Montague | 1980 | 50% | 81% | 0% | 8 |
| Hamburg | 1983 | 43% | 71% | 24% | 7 |
| Frankford | 1973 | 62% | 91% | 0% | 6 |
| Vernon | 1977 | 58% | 92% | 4% | 7 |
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 11 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Wantage, topping out at 1.75 in on June 28, 2020. The most recent was July 13, 2023.
Remnants of Hurricane Ida (DR-4614, September 2021) is the latest of 9 federal storm declarations covering Sussex County since 2006. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Wantage, not that it damaged a 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; 82% 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; 10% here predate 1940 | Never a base for a new layer (R908.3.1.1); heavy |
| Flat roof: EPDM or TPO | 15 years | Porches, additions, low-slope rears | Coating is not a replacement |
New Jersey had 47,473 active home improvement registrations in October 2026; the one belonging to whoever quotes your roof in Wantage should be on the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144).
The price side is in what a new roof costs in New Jersey; the paperwork side in checking a roofing contractor.
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 (3% of Wantage’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 Wantage was built in 1978, 54% of homes were built before 1980, 82% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 11 days within 10 miles of Wantage from 2006 through 2025 (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). A report means hail fell nearby, not that a roof was damaged.
New Jersey had 47,473 active home improvement registrations in October 2026; the one belonging to whoever quotes your roof in Wantage should be on the contract (N.J.S.A. 56:8-144).
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.