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Permitting Authorities / Township of Cranford - Building Department

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ?

Adopted code

Township of Cranford - Building Department

No, Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Township of Cranford - Building Department). No permit is needed under state law to reroof a detached one- or two-family house; a townhouse, other attached dwelling or any other building in Cranford or Garwood needs one from the Cranford Building Department, 8 Springfield Avenue, Cranford, 908-709-7213, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Where a roof permit is required, Cranford's fee ordinance (Township Code section 186-2, last amended August 13, 2024 by Ord. No. 2024-18) prices it: "Roofing and siding (Use Groups R-3 and R-5). The fees for roofing and siding work completed on structures in Use Groups R-3 and R-5 shall be $200 when the cost of work is less than $6,000 and $250 when the cost of work exceeds $6,000 or more." Other renovations, alterations and repairs are $40 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $100 minimum for Use Groups R-3 and R-5 and $150 for other use groups. Garwood's fee ordinance (Borough Code section 67-3, last amended September 24, 2020 by Ord. No. 20-12) lists roofing and siding on R-3 and R-5 structures at "$175 when the cost of work is less than $6,000 and $200 when the cost of work exceeds $6,000," and says "To the extent these fees are inconsistent with the September 26, 2017, shared services agreement between the Borough of Garwood and the Township of Cranford, or its successor agreements, such agreements shall control." The department says "Permits must be released and fees paid prior to the start of any construction or demolition," and starting early "will result in a Notice and Order to Pay Penalty." Applications and plans go in the drop boxes at the front and rear of the municipal building; payment, permit status and inspection scheduling are handled through the SDL online portal, by phone or by email. To schedule an inspection the department needs the permit number, the work site address and the type of inspection.

Roof code checklist: Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ

ItemAnswerCode citeSourceVerified
Permit to replace a roofNonjac_5_23_2.pdf2026-10-02
Repair permit thresholdPublishednjac_5_23_2.pdf2026-10-02
Layer limit / roof-overPublishednjac_5_23_6.pdf2026-10-02
Deck & sheathingNot published
Drip edgeNot published
Ice & water shieldNot published
Mid-roof inspectionNonjac_5_23_2.pdf2026-10-02
Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofingNo52_27D_119.pdf2026-10-02
Wind design criteriaNot published
Adopted codePublishednjac_5_23_3.pdf2026-10-02
Contractor license / registrationYespub.njleg.gov2026-10-02
Sales & use taxPublishedsu3.pdf2026-10-02

Each row comes from the sourced record on this page; full wording is in the table below. "Not published" means no official source for that item was found when the record was last verified.

Jurisdiction
Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, New Jersey
Jurisdiction type
district
Address
8 Springfield Avenue, Cranford, NJ 07016
Contact
  • url: https://www.cranfordnj.org/2072/Building-Department
  • phone: 908-709-7213
Permit portal
Permit portal
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Permit process note
No permit is needed under state law to reroof a detached one- or two-family house; a townhouse, other attached dwelling or any other building in Cranford or Garwood needs one from the Cranford Building Department, 8 Springfield Avenue, Cranford, 908-709-7213, open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Where a roof permit is required, Cranford's fee ordinance (Township Code section 186-2, last amended August 13, 2024 by Ord. No. 2024-18) prices it: "Roofing and siding (Use Groups R-3 and R-5). The fees for roofing and siding work completed on structures in Use Groups R-3 and R-5 shall be $200 when the cost of work is less than $6,000 and $250 when the cost of work exceeds $6,000 or more." Other renovations, alterations and repairs are $40 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $100 minimum for Use Groups R-3 and R-5 and $150 for other use groups. Garwood's fee ordinance (Borough Code section 67-3, last amended September 24, 2020 by Ord. No. 20-12) lists roofing and siding on R-3 and R-5 structures at "$175 when the cost of work is less than $6,000 and $200 when the cost of work exceeds $6,000," and says "To the extent these fees are inconsistent with the September 26, 2017, shared services agreement between the Borough of Garwood and the Township of Cranford, or its successor agreements, such agreements shall control." The department says "Permits must be released and fees paid prior to the start of any construction or demolition," and starting early "will result in a Notice and Order to Pay Penalty." Applications and plans go in the drop boxes at the front and rear of the municipal building; payment, permit status and inspection scheduling are handled through the SDL online portal, by phone or by email. To schedule an inspection the department needs the permit number, the work site address and the type of inspection.
Adopted code
The 2024 International Residential Code, New Jersey edition, adopted by the State, with the Rehabilitation Subcode for work on existing buildings. New Jersey has one construction code, the Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23), which every municipality enforces; municipalities do not adopt building codes of their own (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-123.1 and 52:27D-139). N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(a)1 adopts the International Code Council's "2024 International Residential Code known as the IRC/2024 as the one- and two-family dwelling subcode in New Jersey subject to the modifications stated at (c) below," and 3.21(b) applies it to "detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade plane in height." The section was rewritten by R.2026 d.086, "effective August 17, 2026," in the Department of Community Affairs' print of the rules "adopted and published through the New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 16," and the Department's Current Construction Codes page lists the "International Residential Code/2024, NJ ed" with an adoption date of Aug 17, 2026. Other buildings fall under the building subcode, the International Building Code/2024, NJ edition (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.14). Roof work on an existing building is held to the Rehabilitation Subcode: "Existing structures, when repaired, renovated, altered or reconstructed, shall conform to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:23-6, Rehabilitation Subcode" (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.4(a)). A six-month grace period follows the adoption. N.J.A.C. 5:23-1.6(a): "For a period of six months following the operative date of a subcode revision, applicants may submit a complete permit application, including all prior approvals, to be reviewed under the code in force immediately preceding the subcode revision." The rule history gives R.2026 d.086 no date other than its effective date, so on that reading the window runs from August 17, 2026 until about February 17, 2027: a complete application filed inside it may be reviewed under either the prior edition or the 2024 edition, at the applicant's choice, and one filed after it closes is reviewed under the 2024 edition. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Chapter 186 of the Cranford Township Code establishes the Township's enforcing agency, and Chapter 67 of the Garwood Borough Code establishes Garwood's and provides that the Borough "may contract with other municipalities or with private inspection services to provide all or any part of the enforcing agency services." The Cranford Building Department's page says it "issues all construction permits and performs inspections for residential and commercial properties in the Township of Cranford and the Borough of Garwood."
Mid-roof inspection
Not required — No mid-roof inspection under state law. Reroofing a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance, and N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c) says "No permit for, inspections of, or notice to the enforcing agency of ordinary maintenance shall be required." Where a reroof does need a permit, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18(b)1 says "Inspections of one- and two-family dwellings for which construction must cease until the inspection is made shall be limited to the following": footing trenches, foundations, utility services and a mid-point inspection, whose building item is "All structural framing, connections, wall and roof sheathing, and insulation." The list names no roof-covering or underlayment stage, and the rule does not say whether its sheathing item reaches a permitted reroof that replaces sheathing. Any further inspection a municipality requires "shall be of the type and nature that construction may continue without interruption" (5:23-2.18(b)3). Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the Cranford Building Department's list of required inspections "for NEW BUILDINGS, ADDITIONS, RENOVATIONS and ALTERATIONS" includes "Building: Sheathing PRIOR to the installation of house wrap, siding and roofing"; it names no separate roof-covering stage. Inspections are requested by phone at 908-709-7213, through the SDL portal or by email.
Impact-resistant roofing
Not required — No impact-resistant roofing requirement under state law. The New Jersey Uniform Construction Code rules that reach a house reroof (the administrative rules in N.J.A.C. 5:23-1 and 5:23-2, the State's amendments to the 2024 International Residential Code at 5:23-3.21, and the Rehabilitation Subcode at 5:23-6) contain no UL 2218, Class 4 or hail-impact requirement for roof coverings. A municipality cannot add one: N.J.S.A. 52:27D-123.1 says "Any law or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding," the "alteration, renovation, rehabilitation, repair, maintenance, removal, or demolition of all buildings or structures already erected shall be regulated pursuant to the 'State Uniform Construction Code Act,'" and under 52:27D-139 local construction regulations were "deemed repealed and superseded" once the state code was promulgated. An owner may still choose an impact-rated roof covering. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. The Cranford Building Department pages, Chapter 186 of the Cranford Township Code and Article I of Chapter 67 of the Garwood Borough Code state nothing further on roof covering ratings.
Repair permit threshold
No permit and no size limit for reroofing a detached one- or two-family house; a permit for every other building. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c) lists items that "are ordinary maintenance and shall be treated as such by every enforcing agency" and says "No permit for, inspections of, or notice to the enforcing agency of ordinary maintenance shall be required." Item 1.x is "The repair or replacement of existing roof covering on detached one- and two-family dwellings," with no square-footage or percentage cap. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14(b)1 carries this into the permit rule: "Ordinary maintenance as defined in N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 shall not require a permit or notice to the enforcing agency." Two limits apply. First, the item covers only detached one- and two-family dwellings. Reroofing a townhouse or other attached dwelling, or any other building, falls under the general permit rule, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14(a): "It shall be unlawful to construct, enlarge, repair, renovate, alter, reconstruct or demolish a structure ... without first filing an application with the construction official." Some of that work may be "minor work" under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A, which still needs a permit, but "work may proceed, upon notice to the enforcing agency, before the permit is issued" (5:23-2.14(b)2). The fee is municipal: "The municipality, in accordance with this chapter, shall establish by ordinance enforcing agency fees" (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.25; fee standards at 5:23-4.18). Second, ordinary maintenance does not include "Any work affecting structural or fire safety" (5:23-2.7(b)4), so roof work that reaches rafters, trusses or other structure needs a permit even on a detached house. The rule does not say whether replacing roof sheathing alone is such work. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the Cranford Building Department's page and its permit-procedures handout state nothing on when roof work needs a permit. Where a roof permit is required, Cranford's fee ordinance charges $200 or $250 for roofing and siding on Use Groups R-3 and R-5 and Garwood's lists $175 or $200, each by cost of work.
Roof layer limit / recover
Two layers maximum, by state rule. Roof work on an existing building is held to the Rehabilitation Subcode (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.4(a)), whose repair section, N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.4(e)7, reads: "Existing roof covering shall be removed before installing new roof covering when any of the following conditions occur: i. The existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing; ii. The existing roof covering is wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile; or iii. The existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer of asphalt shingles may be covered once; a roof that already has two layers, a wet or deteriorated roof, or a wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile roof must be torn off first. The answer is the same if a reroof is treated as renovation rather than repair: for work other than repair, N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.8(h)7 applies "All of Chapter 9 entitled 'Roof Assemblies', except Section R907" of the 2024 International Residential Code, and its reroofing section, R908.4, Exceptions, bars a recover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." New Jersey's Chapter 9 amendments at N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(c)8 change only R903.4.1 and R905.1.2 and leave R908 as published. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. The Cranford Building Department pages, Chapter 186 of the Cranford Township Code and Article I of Chapter 67 of the Garwood Borough Code state nothing further on roof layers.
Sales & use tax
6.625% New Jersey Sales Tax; whether the roofing bill is taxed depends on the job. The Division of Taxation's guide Contractors and New Jersey Taxes (S&U-3, Rev. 5/25) refers to "New Jersey's 6.625% Sales Tax rate." A new roof is an exempt capital improvement: "New roof" is on the guide's list of "Exempt capital improvements," and "If the work results in an exempt capital improvement to real property, the contractor does not charge Sales Tax on the bill"; the owner gives the contractor a Certificate of Exempt Capital Improvement (Form ST-8). The roofer still pays tax on materials: "The contractor pays the Sales Tax on the cost of materials and supplies at the time of purchase." A repair is taxable. The guide lists "Fixing a leaky roof" among repairs and says "replacing a few loose bath tiles or a portion of a leaky roof is a repair to the existing real property. However, replacing all of the tiles or the entire roof with upgraded or improved materials would be an exempt capital improvement." On a taxable job the only deduction is a separately stated cost of materials, and "If the contractor does not itemize the materials and the labor for a taxable job, the entire receipt is subject to tax." Work for an exempt organization, a government agency or a qualified business in an Urban Enterprise Zone follows separate exemption rules. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. The Cranford Building Department pages state nothing further on sales tax.

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The Cranford Building Department, at 8 Springfield Avenue in Cranford, Union County, issues all construction permits and performs inspections for residential and commercial properties in the Township of Cranford and the Borough of Garwood, under a shared services agreement between the two municipalities. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code governs the work; neither municipality adopts a building code of its own.

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Roofing questions: Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ

Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ?

No, Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ does not require a permit to replace a roof. No permit and no size limit for reroofing a detached one- or two-family house; a permit for every other building. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c) lists items that "are ordinary maintenance and shall be treated as such by every enforcing agency" and says "No permit for, inspections of, or notice to the enforcing agency of ordinary maintenance shall be required." Item 1.x is "The repair or replacement of existing roof covering on detached one- and two-family dwellings," with no square-footage or percentage cap. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14(b)1 carries this into the permit rule: "Ordinary maintenance as defined in N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7 shall not require a permit or notice to the enforcing agency." Two limits apply. First, the item covers only detached one- and two-family dwellings. Reroofing a townhouse or other attached dwelling, or any other building, falls under the general permit rule, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.14(a): "It shall be unlawful to construct, enlarge, repair, renovate, alter, reconstruct or demolish a structure ... without first filing an application with the construction official." Some of that work may be "minor work" under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.17A, which still needs a permit, but "work may proceed, upon notice to the enforcing agency, before the permit is issued" (5:23-2.14(b)2). The fee is municipal: "The municipality, in accordance with this chapter, shall establish by ordinance enforcing agency fees" (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.25; fee standards at 5:23-4.18). Second, ordinary maintenance does not include "Any work affecting structural or fire safety" (5:23-2.7(b)4), so roof work that reaches rafters, trusses or other structure needs a permit even on a detached house. The rule does not say whether replacing roof sheathing alone is such work. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the Cranford Building Department's page and its permit-procedures handout state nothing on when roof work needs a permit. Where a roof permit is required, Cranford's fee ordinance charges $200 or $250 for roofing and siding on Use Groups R-3 and R-5 and Garwood's lists $175 or $200, each by cost of work.

Can you roof over an existing roof in Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ?

Two layers maximum, by state rule. Roof work on an existing building is held to the Rehabilitation Subcode (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.4(a)), whose repair section, N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.4(e)7, reads: "Existing roof covering shall be removed before installing new roof covering when any of the following conditions occur: i. The existing roof or roof covering is water soaked or has deteriorated to the point that the existing roof or roof covering is not adequate as a base for additional roofing; ii. The existing roof covering is wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile; or iii. The existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." So one existing layer of asphalt shingles may be covered once; a roof that already has two layers, a wet or deteriorated roof, or a wood shake, slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile roof must be torn off first. The answer is the same if a reroof is treated as renovation rather than repair: for work other than repair, N.J.A.C. 5:23-6.8(h)7 applies "All of Chapter 9 entitled 'Roof Assemblies', except Section R907" of the 2024 International Residential Code, and its reroofing section, R908.4, Exceptions, bars a recover "Where the existing roof has two or more applications of any type of roof covering." New Jersey's Chapter 9 amendments at N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(c)8 change only R903.4.1 and R905.1.2 and leave R908 as published. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. The Cranford Building Department pages, Chapter 186 of the Cranford Township Code and Article I of Chapter 67 of the Garwood Borough Code state nothing further on roof layers.

Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ?

Yes.

What building code does Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ use?

The 2024 International Residential Code, New Jersey edition, adopted by the State, with the Rehabilitation Subcode for work on existing buildings. New Jersey has one construction code, the Uniform Construction Code (N.J.A.C. 5:23), which every municipality enforces; municipalities do not adopt building codes of their own (N.J.S.A. 52:27D-123.1 and 52:27D-139). N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.21(a)1 adopts the International Code Council's "2024 International Residential Code known as the IRC/2024 as the one- and two-family dwelling subcode in New Jersey subject to the modifications stated at (c) below," and 3.21(b) applies it to "detached one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses not more than three stories above grade plane in height." The section was rewritten by R.2026 d.086, "effective August 17, 2026," in the Department of Community Affairs' print of the rules "adopted and published through the New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 16," and the Department's Current Construction Codes page lists the "International Residential Code/2024, NJ ed" with an adoption date of Aug 17, 2026. Other buildings fall under the building subcode, the International Building Code/2024, NJ edition (N.J.A.C. 5:23-3.14). Roof work on an existing building is held to the Rehabilitation Subcode: "Existing structures, when repaired, renovated, altered or reconstructed, shall conform to the requirements of N.J.A.C. 5:23-6, Rehabilitation Subcode" (N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.4(a)). A six-month grace period follows the adoption. N.J.A.C. 5:23-1.6(a): "For a period of six months following the operative date of a subcode revision, applicants may submit a complete permit application, including all prior approvals, to be reviewed under the code in force immediately preceding the subcode revision." The rule history gives R.2026 d.086 no date other than its effective date, so on that reading the window runs from August 17, 2026 until about February 17, 2027: a complete application filed inside it may be reviewed under either the prior edition or the 2024 edition, at the applicant's choice, and one filed after it closes is reviewed under the 2024 edition. Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, Chapter 186 of the Cranford Township Code establishes the Township's enforcing agency, and Chapter 67 of the Garwood Borough Code establishes Garwood's and provides that the Borough "may contract with other municipalities or with private inspection services to provide all or any part of the enforcing agency services." The Cranford Building Department's page says it "issues all construction permits and performs inspections for residential and commercial properties in the Township of Cranford and the Borough of Garwood."

Is a mid-roof inspection required in Township of Cranford and Borough of Garwood, NJ?

No. No mid-roof inspection under state law. Reroofing a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance, and N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c) says "No permit for, inspections of, or notice to the enforcing agency of ordinary maintenance shall be required." Where a reroof does need a permit, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.18(b)1 says "Inspections of one- and two-family dwellings for which construction must cease until the inspection is made shall be limited to the following": footing trenches, foundations, utility services and a mid-point inspection, whose building item is "All structural framing, connections, wall and roof sheathing, and insulation." The list names no roof-covering or underlayment stage, and the rule does not say whether its sheathing item reaches a permitted reroof that replaces sheathing. Any further inspection a municipality requires "shall be of the type and nature that construction may continue without interruption" (5:23-2.18(b)3). Everything above is New Jersey state law, the same in every municipality. Locally, the Cranford Building Department's list of required inspections "for NEW BUILDINGS, ADDITIONS, RENOVATIONS and ALTERATIONS" includes "Building: Sheathing PRIOR to the installation of house wrap, siding and roofing"; it names no separate roof-covering stage. Inspections are requested by phone at 908-709-7213, through the SDL portal or by email.