Permitting Authorities / Borough of Pompton Lakes - Building Department
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ?
Adopted code
Borough of Pompton Lakes - Building Department
No, Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ does not require a permit for like-for-like roof replacement (Borough of Pompton Lakes - 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 needs one. One office serves both boroughs: Riverdale's Construction Department page says "The Borough of Riverdale entered into a new shared services agreement with the Borough of Pompton Lakes to provide building department services" and "TO CONTACT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT PLEASE CALL 973-835-0143." The Pompton Lakes Building & Zoning Department is at 25 Lenox Avenue, Pompton Lakes, phone 973-835-0143 (Building Department ext. 223), open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the Construction/Zoning Official in from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Where a roof permit is required, each borough's own fee ordinance prices it. Pompton Lakes, Section 19-2.4B1a(2): "Renovations, alterations, reroofing, residing and repairs: $25 per $1,000 of estimated cost or part thereof," with a "Minimum fee: $85." Riverdale, Section 95-20B(2): "For renovations, alterations, reroofing, re-siding and repairs: $25 per $1,000 of estimated cost or part thereof, provided that the minimum fee shall be $50," and "Minimum fee per inspection application: $85." The page says "We are ONLINE for Pompton Lakes and Riverdale with our FTG Portal!" for searching construction permit records. Riverdale keeps its own zoning office for Riverdale properties.
Roof code checklist: Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ
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
Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, New Jersey
Jurisdiction type
district
Address
25 Lenox Avenue, Pompton Lakes, NJ 07442
Contact
- url: https://www.pomptonlakes-nj.gov/192/Building-Department
- phone: 973-835-0143 ext. 223
- email: [email protected]
Roofing permit required
Not required
Contractor registration required
Required
Registration details
- state_level: New Jersey requires home improvement contractors to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs. The Contractors' Registration Act as enacted in 2004 (P.L.2004, c.16), C.56:8-138(a), reads: "No person shall offer to perform, or engage, or attempt to engage in the business of making or selling home improvements unless registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs in accordance with the provisions of this act." The Uniform Construction Code's permit rule, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.15(b)9, reads: "If work involves a home improvement performed by a contractor, such contractor shall be registered pursuant to N.J.S.A. 56:8-136 et seq. The registration number of the contractor shall appear on the permit application."
- city_level: The Pompton Lakes Building Department page and Riverdale's Construction Department page, read on October 2, 2026, post no contractor licence or registration of either borough's own.
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 needs one. One office serves both boroughs: Riverdale's Construction Department page says "The Borough of Riverdale entered into a new shared services agreement with the Borough of Pompton Lakes to provide building department services" and "TO CONTACT THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT PLEASE CALL 973-835-0143." The Pompton Lakes Building & Zoning Department is at 25 Lenox Avenue, Pompton Lakes, phone 973-835-0143 (Building Department ext. 223), open Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the Construction/Zoning Official in from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Where a roof permit is required, each borough's own fee ordinance prices it. Pompton Lakes, Section 19-2.4B1a(2): "Renovations, alterations, reroofing, residing and repairs: $25 per $1,000 of estimated cost or part thereof," with a "Minimum fee: $85." Riverdale, Section 95-20B(2): "For renovations, alterations, reroofing, re-siding and repairs: $25 per $1,000 of estimated cost or part thereof, provided that the minimum fee shall be $50," and "Minimum fee per inspection application: $85." The page says "We are ONLINE for Pompton Lakes and Riverdale with our FTG Portal!" for searching construction permit records. Riverdale keeps its own zoning office for Riverdale properties.
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, Section 19-1.1 of the Pompton Lakes Code establishes "a State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency, to be known as the Construction Department." Neither the Pompton Lakes Building Department page nor Riverdale's Construction Department page names an edition.
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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page says "ALL INSPECTION REQUESTS MUST NOW BE IN WRITING" by email to
[email protected], with the property address, permit number and requested dates, and names no roof inspection.
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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page, Riverdale's Construction Department page and Chapter 19 of the Pompton Lakes 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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page says "Construction permits are required for all interior and exterior construction work on all structures" and lists "projects, which are frequently questioned, require zoning and/or construction permits" (decks, electrical work, fences, pools, water heaters, kitchen and bathroom renovations, sheds and others), adding "This is not a complete list. It is the property owner's responsibility to confirm any permit requirements with the Building Department." Neither statement names roof work. Both boroughs' fee schedules price reroofing for the case where a permit is required (see the permit process note) and do not say which reroofs need one. Riverdale's Construction Department page refers all building questions to the Pompton Lakes office.
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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page, Riverdale's Construction Department page and Chapter 19 of the Pompton Lakes Code state nothing further on roofing 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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page states nothing further on sales tax.
More roof permit pages in New Jersey
Related guides
The Building Department of the Borough of Pompton Lakes, in Passaic County, at 25 Lenox Avenue, issues construction permits and makes the inspections for Pompton Lakes and, under a shared services agreement, for the Borough of Riverdale in Morris County. New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code governs the work; each borough sets its own permit fees by ordinance.
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Roofing questions: Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ
Do you need a permit to replace a roof in Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ?
No, Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, 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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page says "Construction permits are required for all interior and exterior construction work on all structures" and lists "projects, which are frequently questioned, require zoning and/or construction permits" (decks, electrical work, fences, pools, water heaters, kitchen and bathroom renovations, sheds and others), adding "This is not a complete list. It is the property owner's responsibility to confirm any permit requirements with the Building Department." Neither statement names roof work. Both boroughs' fee schedules price reroofing for the case where a permit is required (see the permit process note) and do not say which reroofs need one. Riverdale's Construction Department page refers all building questions to the Pompton Lakes office.
Can you roof over an existing roof in Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, 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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page, Riverdale's Construction Department page and Chapter 19 of the Pompton Lakes Code state nothing further on roofing layers.
Do roofing contractors need a license or registration in Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, NJ?
Yes.
What building code does Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, 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, Section 19-1.1 of the Pompton Lakes Code establishes "a State Uniform Construction Code enforcing agency, to be known as the Construction Department." Neither the Pompton Lakes Building Department page nor Riverdale's Construction Department page names an edition.
Is a mid-roof inspection required in Borough of Pompton Lakes and Borough of Riverdale, 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 Pompton Lakes Building Department page says "ALL INSPECTION REQUESTS MUST NOW BE IN WRITING" by email to [email protected], with the property address, permit number and requested dates, and names no roof inspection.