Roofers across Newark’s five wards

Roofer Newark is an independent referral service, not a roofing company. The site’s operator receives each call and form request and passes it to an independent local roofer who can contact you about the job. Any quote, and any work, comes from that roofer.

Why the building matters more than the map

Two houses on the same block can need very different roof work. What decides the job is the building: whether it is attached or detached, how many units it holds, and whether the roof is flat or pitched. Those things also decide the permit question. Under New Jersey’s ordinary-maintenance rule, re-covering the roof of a detached one- or two-family house needs no permit, while an attached rowhouse, a larger building or structural work calls for a question to the City of Newark’s construction office first. So when you call or send the form, the ward helps the roofer plan the visit, and the building type tells them what to bring.

Ward lines do not change the roof, but they help with the practical side. A roofer planning a visit wants to know the street, how close they can park, and whether the roof is reached from a hatch inside, a ladder from the sidewalk, or a back yard. On attached blocks, it also helps to know whether the neighbors’ roofs join yours, since the work may have to tie into theirs.

East Ward

The Ironbound, Four Corners, Five Corners and Gateway Center. The East Ward’s housing is mostly large apartment buildings and rowhouses, which means a lot of flat and low-slope roofs behind parapet walls, shared roof lines between neighbors, and scuppers and drains that need to stay clear. Flat-roof seams, parapet flashing and ponding water are the usual subjects; the flat roof repair page covers them.

North Ward

Broadway, Forest Hill, Mount Pleasant, Roseville, Seventh Avenue and Woodside. Tell the roofer whether the house is detached or attached and whether the roof is flat or pitched; on a pitched roof, say whether it is shingle or slate. If water shows up on a top-floor wall rather than a ceiling, mention it: that often points to flashing rather than the roof surface.

Central Ward

Downtown, Government Center, Lincoln Park and The Coast, Springfield/Belmont, University Heights, Teachers Village and the James Street Commons Historic District. If your building is in a historic district such as James Street Commons, ask the city before changing the roofing material or any detail visible from the street. For a walk-up or an apartment building, have the building’s roof access arranged before the visit.

South Ward

Clinton Hill, Dayton, South Broad Valley, Weequahic and Port Newark. Say what you are seeing and since when, and whether leaks come with every rain or with melting snow. Leaks that come and go with ice in the gutters are a roof-edge and gutter question, covered on the gutters and flashing page.

West Ward

Fairmount, Ivy Hill, Vailsburg and the West Side. For a detached one- or two-family house thinking about a new roof, the roof replacement page explains materials and the permit rule; for a single leak, start with roof repair in Newark.

Nearby towns

Requests are welcome from the towns around the city too: East Orange, Irvington, Belleville, Bloomfield, Nutley, Montclair, West Orange and Maplewood in Essex County, Harrison and Kearny in Hudson County, and Elizabeth and Union in Union County. For anything outside the ordinary-maintenance list, ask your own town’s construction office rather than Newark’s.

What to tell the roofer, wherever you live

• Your street or ZIP code, and the ward or town
• Attached or detached, and how many units the building has
• Flat or pitched roof, and the covering if you know it
• Where the water shows, and when it started
• How to reach the roof: hatch, attic, or ladder from the street or yard
• Whether the building is in a historic district

Before anyone starts work, check the contractor’s registration with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs; the roofing contractors in Newark, NJ page has the full checklist.

Questions people ask