West Orange, New Jersey
Roofing in West Orange, NJ: Houses From the 1950s and Their Roofs
West Orange is the largest of the seven towns by land, and its housing is a mix. One in four homes goes back to 1939 or earlier, and another one in four dates to the 1950s. Pick the inspection page if you do not know what is up there. Call (973) 358-8198 with the street and the roof's age.
The houses
West Orange has an estimated 17,870 housing units in the Census Bureau's 2024 five-year file, give or take 616. The biggest single group, 4,318, went up in the 1950s, and 4,435 date to 1939 or earlier. The median year built is 1956. A house from the 1950s is usually on its second or third roof covering by now. What a roofer finds under the shingles can include older boards and flashing from an earlier round.
The biggest town of the seven, by land
Census Bureau estimates for West Orange township, 2024 five-year file: 17,870 housing units (plus or minus 616) across 12.0 square miles, the largest area of the seven towns. By decade built: 4,435 in 1939 or earlier, 1,853 in the 1940s, 4,318 in the 1950s, 1,981 in the 1960s, 1,248 in the 1970s, 1,291 in the 1980s and 2,744 since 1990.
Of 17,166 occupied homes, 11,881 are owner-occupied and 5,285 are rented, about 31 percent, give or take 2 points. Median year built: 1956, give or take 1.
Township office
Building and Construction Code Enforcement works out of Room 217 at 66 Main Street, and the phone is (973) 325-4112. Weekday office hours are 8:30 to 4:30, and the field hours for inspectors are 9:30 a.m. to noon, then 1 to 4 p.m. The Construction Official is listed as Tom Biondi, Jr. Inspection requests are no longer taken by phone; the page points to an online form and asks for the permit number. Skipping required rough and final inspections can bring penalties starting at $2,000.
The page says permits are issued for building, electrical, plumbing and fire work and that a permit copy has to be posted on site. It does not mention roofing, and it describes no contractor registration process. The state's ordinary-maintenance list takes in repairing or replacing roof covering when the house is a one- or two-family building with no shared walls.
Short answers
- Where do I go in West Orange with a roofing paperwork question?
Room 217 at 66 Main Street, Building and Construction Code Enforcement, or phone (973) 325-4112 on weekdays between 8:30 and 4:30. Roofing is not named on the page, so ask whether your house type counts as ordinary maintenance before work begins.
- Can I schedule an inspection by phone in West Orange?
No. The township's page says requests are no longer taken by phone and sends people to an online form, with the permit number ready. It adds that missing required inspections can bring penalties starting at $2,000.
- Who makes the call from West Orange?
Dial (973) 358-8198 if you own or manage the building. About 31 percent of households rent, so a tenant's step is to send the owner the date, the room and a photo. Have the street and the roof's age ready, and say whether the house is a 1950s style or older.
Other towns on the line
Sources U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year, Table B25034, housing units by year built (West Orange township) U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year, Table B25035, median year structure built (West Orange township) U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2024 5-year, Table B25003, tenure (West Orange township) U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer, New Jersey county subdivisions Township of West Orange, Building and construction code enforcement NJ Department of Community Affairs, Significant changes to minor work and ordinary maintenance (5 Mar 2018) NJ Department of Community Affairs, Construction Code Communicator, Spring 2025 (Solar and Reroofing) Cornell LII, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, Ordinary maintenance Sustainable Jersey for Schools, School Districts 100% Served by PSE&G
Dial from West Orange.
Before you call (973) 358-8198, find the street address, note which room shows water and jot down roughly how old the roof is. Tenants: the owner arranges roof work, so the landlord hears about it first. Towns: Montclair, Glen Ridge, Bloomfield, West Orange, Cedar Grove, Clifton, Little Falls.