Roofing in Kearny, NJ: Older Homes and Two-Family Blocks
Call (862) 418-5296Gunnell Oval Complex on Schuyler Avenue, Kearny Riverbank Park along Passaic Avenue and Veteran's Field, the site of the July 4th fireworks, are the town's recreation landmarks. Kearny spreads across 8.844 square miles of land and counts 15,367 homes.
Of those, 4,618 are detached houses, 4,070 sit in two-unit buildings and 2,427 in buildings of three or four. The median home was built in 1951.
Small checks worth making in Kearny
- Check both ceilings in a two-family house. A stain upstairs that returns after rain points to the roof, and a stain that ignores the weather can mean pipes.
- Look at the limbs above the roof. A branch that scrapes in the wind wears shingles, and a heavy one can come down in a storm.
- Save the date and a photo of each repair. A folder of them helps with an insurance claim and with a sale.
- Ask neighbors in a row of attached houses whether they have seen the same stain. A leak can start at a shared wall.
- When a stain comes back after the second rain, or shingles land on the sidewalk, call (862) 418-5296 and say which floor and which wall.
What older houses bring to a roof
Kearny's median home was built in 1951, and 5,873 of its 15,367 homes, more than a third, date from 1939 or earlier. A house that old can carry more than one layer of roofing and flashing that has aged out, so a roofer's first questions are often about history.
Over half of the occupied homes are rented. With 4,070 homes in two-unit buildings and 2,427 in three- or four-unit buildings, a leak can involve an owner, a tenant above and a tenant below. Dated photos from each floor show the owner the whole picture.
The town office
Kearny's Construction Code Enforcement office is in the Town Hall Annex at 410 Kearny Avenue. The department number on its page is (201) 955-7880, with weekday hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Permit applications go through the SDL online portal.
The listed fees are $25.00 for a zoning permit and $20.00 per $1,000 of listed work for a construction permit, with a $50.00 minimum. The page gives five to seven business days to process and allows 20 working days. It names no roofing rules or contractor requirements, so ask the office about the specific job.
Short answers
What does Kearny charge for construction paperwork?
Its Construction Code Enforcement page lists a $25.00 zoning permit and a construction permit at $20.00 per $1,000 of listed work, with a $50.00 minimum. The page does not mention roofing. Call (201) 955-7880 about a specific job.
How many Kearny homes are rented?
The Census Bureau's 2024 five-year survey counts 8,418 of Kearny's 14,751 occupied homes as rented, give or take 445. That is a little over 57 percent.
Who can call from Kearny?
The owner of a Kearny house can call (862) 418-5296, and so can a landlord or a manager acting for one. A tenant who spots a problem can start by sending dated photos to the landlord or property manager.
Across the line from Kearny
Calls from Kearny go to the same contractor who covers Harrison roofing, East Newark roofing and Newark roofing.
Each town's page carries its own housing and weather numbers, and the town overview lines them up.
What the year does to a roof here
Tropical Storm Isaias reached New Jersey on 4 August 2020. The state weather network called it the strongest statewide wind event since Sandy in 2012, and said more than a million customers lost power. Wind like that moves branches, lifts shingles and pulls wires down.
PSE&G advises treating a downed wire as live and contacting 911 or the utility. The National Weather Service station is in Newark, so the numbers here describe the region, not one Kearny street.
Ready to describe the roof?
Ready for the call: the street address, where the damage shows and a guess at the roof's age. Dial (862) 418-5296. Renters: the dated photo goes to your landlord or property manager at the outset. Covered: Harrison, Kearny, East Newark and Newark.
Call (862) 418-5296