Roofing contractors in Jersey City, NJ: how to check one

Roofer Jersey City is an independent referral service, not a roofing company. When you call or send the form, an independent local roofer can contact you about your job; that roofer gives any quote and does any work. Run the checks below on that roofer as you would on anyone else.

Check the state registration

Under New Jersey’s Contractors’ Registration Act, a contractor has to be registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs to advertise and perform home improvement work legally. You can check whether a contractor is registered through the Division, at NJConsumerAffairs.gov.

Ask for the registration number at the first conversation. It has to appear on the written contract in any case, so a contractor who hesitates to give it early is telling you something. Look it up yourself rather than relying on a photo or a line on a business card, and check that the name you find matches the name on the estimate.

Get it in writing: what the contract must hold

New Jersey says that contracts for home improvement projects costing $500 or more must be in writing. Whatever the size of your roof job, ask for one. The written contract must include:

• The contractor’s legal name and business address
• The contractor’s registration number
• When the work starts and when it is to be finished
• What work will be done
• The full price of the job

Read the description of the work closely. On a Jersey City row it should say what happens at the parapets, the coping, the cornice, the drains and the shared edges with the neighbors, not just the main roof surface. On a tear-off it should say what comes off, what goes down and in what order. If something you discussed is missing, ask for it to be added before you sign.

The three-business-day window to cancel

A signed home improvement contract in New Jersey may be canceled by the consumer for any reason before midnight of the third business day after you receive a copy of the contract. Keep your copy and note the date you got it. If you decide to cancel, putting it in writing and keeping proof of when you sent it is the safe way to do it.

Get the insurance policy and check it is in force

New Jersey requires the contractor to give the homeowner a copy of its commercial general liability insurance policy. The state’s own advice adds a step: get a copy of the liability policy, then check with the insurance company that the policy is valid. A certificate in a folder is not the same as a policy in force today, so make the call.

Roof work happens high up and next to other people’s property. On an attached row, the work runs right up to the neighbor’s roof and wall. That is one more reason to check that the policy is real and current before anyone goes up.

Who pulls the permit

New Jersey consumer guidance also says to make sure all applicable construction permits are obtained from the local municipality. Under the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, re-covering the roof of a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance, which can be done without filing a permit application. The roof item in that rule does not cover attached rowhouses, larger buildings, or any work on the deck, rafters or other structure.

So ask the contractor directly: does this job on this building need a permit, and who will apply for it? For an attached rowhouse, a multi-family building, or any structural work, ask the Jersey City construction code office whether a permit is needed before work starts. See the Jersey City roofing permit guide. In Paulus Hook, Van Vorst Park and other historic districts, ask the city before changing roofing material or anything visible from the street.

Paying for the job

The state’s guidance is that it is customary not to pay for the entire project in advance. Ask how payments are split and tie later payments to work you can see is done. Pay in a way that leaves a record, and keep every receipt with your copy of the contract.

A checklist for any roofing contractor

Check	How to do it	The reason
State registration	Ask for the number and look it up with the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs	Registration is required to advertise and do home improvement work in New Jersey
Contract in writing	Get one for any job of $500 or more	The law requires it, and it is your record of what was agreed
Contract contents	Legal name, business address, registration number, start and completion dates, description, total price	These items are required in the contract
Three days to cancel	Note the date you received your copy	You can cancel for any reason before midnight of the third business day
Liability insurance	Get a copy of the policy and call the insurer	The state advises confirming the policy is valid
Permit	Ask whether one is needed and who applies	Permits come from the municipality; attached homes and structural work are not covered by the roof exemption
Payments	Do not pay the whole job up front	The state says it is customary not to pay it all in advance
More than one roofer	Talk to more than one roofer on a big job	You can compare what each one found and proposes

Questions that show how a contractor works

The paperwork tells you a contractor is legitimate. These questions tell you whether they suit your building:

• Have you worked on flat roofs behind parapets, and what covering do you suggest for mine and why?
• How will you get materials up and debris down on a narrow row with no side yard?
• How will you protect the neighbor’s roof where it meets mine?
• What happens at the cornice, and does it need anything?
• If you find rotten decking once the old roof is off, how will you tell me and how is that priced?
• Who will be working up there, and who is my contact if a question comes up mid-job?

Warning signs

• No registration number offered, or a company name that does not match what the state lists
• Pressure to sign today, or a price that is good for this visit alone
• A request for the whole price before any work starts
• No written contract, or a contract with a vague description and no dates
• Reluctance to share the insurance policy or the insurer’s name
• A claim that no permit is ever needed, whatever the building

Contractor, company, or the person on the roof

People search for roofing contractors, roofing companies and roofers as if they were different things. In New Jersey terms, the business you sign with is the contractor, and the rules above apply to it however it describes itself. The page on choosing a roofing company in Jersey City covers what a good job looks like from the first visit to cleanup, and roof repair in Jersey City covers the common fixes.

If you are facing a full new roof, read the page on roof replacement in Jersey City before the first estimate, so you know which roof systems to ask about and what should be in the contract.

Questions people ask