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North Arlington, NJ
Roofing in North Arlington, NJ: Older Roofs on Older Houses
With a median build year of 1954, the houses around Ridge Road are old enough that the roof's own history is worth asking about. If a stain, a lifted shingle or a loose gutter brought you here, roof repair is the place to start, and roof inspection covers the roof nobody has looked at in years. Dial __PHONE_DISPLAY__ and ask when someone can look.
About the homes
The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimate counts about 6,900 homes in North Arlington, give or take 380, with a median year built of 1954 (margin 2 years). By its year-built ranges, 2,228 homes date from the 1950s, 1,177 from the 1940s and 1,366 from 1939 or earlier, and only 262 were built in 2010 or later. Two-unit buildings number 1,838 and buildings with three or four units 871, and 55.6 percent of occupied homes are rented. For a roof, that adds up to a lot of buildings with several households under one roofline, and a lot of roofs worth a question about how many layers sit beneath the top one.
Around town
Around Ridge Road
Borough Hall is at 214 Ridge Road, and the business address, 70 Ridge Rd, is on the same road. North Arlington is the southernmost municipality in Bergen County. Its neighbors are Lyndhurst, Kearny to the south along the Belleville Turnpike (Route 7), and Belleville across the Passaic River by way of the Route 7 bridge.
What neighbors ask
How old are the houses under North Arlington's roofs?
By the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimate the median home was built in 1954, give or take 2 years, and about 69 percent date from 1959 or earlier. A house's age is not its roof's age, since roofs get replaced, so the useful question for a roofer is how many layers are up there.
What did Ida do in North Arlington?
The remnants of Ida left 9.02 inches of rain at the North Arlington station on 1 and 2 September 2021, mostly in about six hours, according to the New Jersey Weather and Climate Network. Newark Airport logged 8.44 inches. Dated photos help with any later talk about storm damage.
Who can call about a North Arlington roof?
Homeowners and landlords can dial __PHONE_DISPLAY__ and give the street address, what shows from the ground and the roof's age. Renters, your first call goes to the landlord or property manager. Anything dangerous goes to 911 before any call to a roofer.
What goes wrong here
Where older roofs here fail first
Layers on layers.
A house built around 1954 has had time to collect more than one roof. Ask how many layers are up there and how many will come off, since the answer shapes the quote.
Metal at the joints.
About 2,500 homes date from before 1950, and the flashing at chimneys and walls is worth a look on houses that old. The National Park Service's roofing brief names failed flashing as usually a major cause of roof deterioration; see chimney and flashing.
Water at the foundation.
About 21 percent of the borough's land is in the mapped floodplain, and Ida left 9.02 inches at the station in 2021. Where a downspout lands matters; see gutters and downspouts.
A stain nobody mentions.
More than half of the occupied homes here are rented, 55.6 percent, and a stain can go unreported when the person who sees it is not the person who owns the roof. Renters reach the landlord or property manager first.
Where the facts come from (9)
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25034 (year structure built), North Arlington borough
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25035 (median year built), North Arlington borough
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25003 (tenure), North Arlington borough
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B25024 (units in structure), North Arlington borough
- NJ Weather and Climate Network, Remnants of Ida strike New Jersey
- Bergen County, 2026 Hazard Mitigation Plan, Section 4 Risk Assessment (Table 4.6-1)
- Borough of North Arlington, official website (Borough Hall, 214 Ridge Road)
- Wikipedia, North Arlington, New Jersey (neighboring municipalities, Route 7 bridge)
- National Park Service, Preservation Brief 4: Roofing for Historic Buildings
Checked 1 Nov 2026