Answers

    Straight answers for New Jersey homeowners

    Each answer quotes the rule or the data it comes from and lists its sources: state permit rules for roofs, siding and windows, and Census and NOAA figures for Gloucester County.

    Do I need a permit to replace my roof in New Jersey?

    No, not for a detached one- or two-family home. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs lists the repair or replacement of any amount of existing roof covering on those homes, up to a total replacement, as ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7. Ordinary maintenance needs no permit and gets no inspection.

    Do I need a permit to replace siding in New Jersey?

    Usually not on a one- or two-family home. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs lists the repair or replacement of any amount of existing siding on those homes as ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, so no permit is filed. The exception is polypropylene siding, which the bulletin says is not ordinary maintenance.

    Do I need a permit to replace windows in New Jersey?

    Not when the new windows go into the same rough openings. The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs lists windows and doors replaced in the same rough opening, without altering the dimensions or framing, as ordinary maintenance under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7. Changing an opening's size or framing falls outside that listing.

    How often do severe storms hit Gloucester County, NJ?

    NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 153 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 hail reports and 5 tornadoes in Gloucester County from January 2015 to June 2026. The largest hail reported was 1.25 inches, and the strongest tornado was an EF3 near Harrisonville on September 1, 2021.

    How old are the homes in Gloucester County, NJ?

    The median home in Gloucester County was built in 1979, and 51 percent of its 118,541 housing units were built before 1980, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates. Pitman and Wenonah are the oldest towns on this list, with medians of 1945 and 1946.

    Sources

    1. New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards: Significant Changes to Minor Work and Ordinary Maintenance (March 5, 2018)
    2. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, Ordinary maintenance (Uniform Construction Code)
    3. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database
    4. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2024 5-year estimates (tables B25034 and B25035), via Census Reporter