Wildwood has 6,553 homes, and half of them were standing by 1976. The rules below decide how much of the old roof has to come off and what goes under the new one.
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
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). Attached houses (33% of Wildwood’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. 53% of Wildwood’s homes were built before 1980: ask how many layers yours has and whether the price is for a tear-off to the deck.
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). Wildwood 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 2,646 occupied homes in Wildwood, 1,151 (44%) are owner-occupied. By year built, 24% before 1940, 41% before 1960, 53% before 1980; 31% went up in 2000 or later. (ACS 2020–2024.)
By building type: 21% detached houses, 33% attached single-family houses (rowhouses, twins and townhouses), 25% buildings of two to four units.
With about one in three of homes attached, many roofs here meet a neighbor’s roof at a party wall. Say so on the call, and ask the contractor how the new roof will be tied in where it meets the house next door. New Jersey’s no-permit rule for reroofing covers detached houses only, so an attached house is outside it.
52% of the homes in Wildwood are seasonal or occasional-use homes (ACS 2020–2024). If yours is one of them and you live elsewhere, the call still has to come from you as the owner.
31% of homes here were built in 2000 or later. HUD’s useful-life table gives an asphalt-shingle roof 20 years, so roofs on houses from the early 2000s are reaching that age.
Of the 13 Cape May County municipalities on this site, Wildwood has the 8th largest share of homes built before 1980: 53%, against a county range of 23% to 69%.
| Place | Median built | Before 1980 | Owners | Row, twin | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildwood | 1976 | 53% | 44% | 33% | 4 |
| Wildwood Crest | 1970 | 60% | 81% | 35% | 3 |
| North Wildwood | 1973 | 60% | 84% | 48% | 4 |
| Lower | 1975 | 59% | 84% | 9% | 3 |
| Cape May | 1973 | 69% | 65% | 33% | 3 |
| West Cape May | 1976 | 55% | 85% | 15% | 3 |
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 4 days since 2006 with hail of at least 1 inch inside a 10-mile circle around Wildwood, topping out at 1.75 in on May 16, 2025.
That is fewer than most places in the state on this site (median 11 days).
Federal major-disaster declarations for storms in Cape May County since 2006: 11, most recently DR-4614, Remnants of Hurricane Ida, declared September 2021. (OpenFEMA.)
A report says hail fell near Wildwood, 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; 21% 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 | Low pitches and long runs | Standing seam that carries its own loads can skip the tear-off (R908.3.1) |
| Slate | 75 years | Older houses; 24% 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 (33% of homes here are attached) | Seams at walls and drainage |
Ask a roofer working in Wildwood 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.
No permit for a detached house. 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). Attached houses (33% of Wildwood’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 Wildwood was built in 1976, 53% of homes were built before 1980, 44% are owner-occupied.
Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported on 4 days within 10 miles of Wildwood 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 Wildwood 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.