Roof Replacement in Clifton, NJ

What We Find Under Old Clifton Roofs

Seven in ten Clifton homes were built before 1960, according to the Census Bureau’s 2020–2024 American Community Survey, and nearly a third predate 1940. That history shows up the moment the old shingles come off:

• Plank sheathing. Many pre-war houses in Dutch Hill, Botany Village and Athenia were decked with 1×6 or 1×8 boards rather than plywood. Boards with gaps or cupping can be overlaid with new plywood or OSB so nails hold and the new shingles lie flat.
• Two or even three layers. Earlier re-roofs were often laid over the original. We tear off to the deck so we can see the wood, which is the only honest way to price the job.
• Undersized ventilation. 1950s Capes and ranches in Allwood, Richfield and Rosemawr often have a couple of gable louvers and no soffit intake. A hot, damp attic shortens shingle life and causes ice dams, so we size intake and ridge exhaust as part of every replacement.
• Mixed roofs. A pitched main roof with a flat rear section is common on Clifton two-families. The flat part gets a membrane, and the transition between the two gets proper metal flashing.

Permits for a New Roof in Clifton

New Jersey’s Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7) treats replacing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house as ordinary maintenance, so no construction permit is required just to tear off and re-shingle. That covers most Clifton houses: 46.4% of homes are single-family detached and another 20.8% are in two-unit buildings. It does not cover the 6.9% that are attached single-family homes, or buildings with three or more units (about a quarter of the city’s homes), so re-roofing those is permit work.

The Dumpster, the Driveway and the Neighbors

Clifton has its own chapter on construction dumpsters, and it shapes how a tear-off is staged:

• A dumpster placed on the street must follow state traffic law and Clifton’s parking ordinances, and it may not take up more than one-third of the width of the street.
• It cannot sit within five feet of a neighbor’s driveway.
• It may not arrive more than 24 hours before work starts or stay more than 24 hours after the job is done, and the street has to be swept clean when it leaves.
• The container must show its owner’s name, address and phone number and have reflective surfaces.

On narrow blocks with parking on both sides, we usually place the container in your driveway on boards to protect the surface. Work runs between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, the hours Clifton allows in residential zones, and we finish with a magnetic sweep of the yard and curb for nails.

Replacing the Roof on a Clifton Rental or Two-Family

About 40% of Clifton homes are rented, according to the same Census survey, and many of them are the upstairs or downstairs unit of an owner-occupied two-family. A tear-off is loud and dusty for the people living underneath it, so on these houses we plan the job with both units in mind: we confirm the start date in writing so you can tell your tenants, cover attic storage and top-floor skylights before stripping, keep the driveway clear when a tenant needs to get a car out, and protect shrubs and air-conditioning condensers along the drip line. If the building has three or more units, remember that the re-roof itself is permit work, so the schedule has to leave room for the permit and inspection.

Materials and the Ice-Dam Question

For most Clifton houses we install architectural asphalt shingles over synthetic underlayment, with new drip edge, flashing and ridge ventilation. Flat and low-slope sections get a membrane system; see our flat roof repair and replacement page for the options.

Homeowners often ask whether code requires an ice-and-water membrane at the eaves. In New Jersey it does not here: the state’s Department of Community Affairs limits the code requirement for an ice barrier to areas with a January average of 25°F or colder, which in this state means Sussex County only. We still recommend it at the eaves and in valleys on Clifton houses with a history of ice dams, low-slope porches, or poorly vented attics, and we will tell you plainly whether your roof is one of them. Our roof cost calculator gives a rough starting number before we visit.

Roof Replacement Questions from Clifton Homeowners

More Roofing Help in Clifton

See our Clifton home page for every service we offer in the city, the full Passaic County service area, and our statewide roof replacement guide. If your roof still has life in it, roof repair in Clifton may be enough; many owners also pair a new roof with new gutters in Clifton or siding work in Clifton.

We replace roofs throughout the area, including roof replacement in Passaic, roof replacement in Garfield and roof replacement in Woodland Park. For the county overview, read roof replacement in Passaic County.