Union County, New Jersey
Roofing contractor in Union County, NJ
ProTech Roofing & Exterior serves Union County as part of our Paramus and North Jersey service area, and we cover all 21 of its municipalities. We handle roof repair, roof replacement, flat and commercial roofing, skylights, seamless gutters and chimney flashing from Elizabeth to Berkeley Heights. We are locally owned, a registered NJ home improvement contractor (NJ HIC Reg. #13VH12667100), and insured for general liability and workers’ compensation.
- Registered & insured NJ HIC Reg. #13VH12667100
- Family-owned in Paramus, NJ
- Free written estimates, no obligation
Where we work
Roofing across Union County
Twelve years and more than 3,000 completed projects cover everything from 1950s Capes and prewar slate to two-family membranes and warehouse TPO. Estimates are free and written, with scope, materials and price spelled out. You get before-and-after photos, a written workmanship warranty and financing if you need it. Our Google rating is 4.9 stars.
We serve all 21 Union County municipalities. Here are 16, and what their roofs are like.
- ElizabethCounty seat and largest city; nearly half of its 49,000 homes are two- to four-family buildings, most built before 1960.
- LindenBayway Refinery and industrial land along Routes 1/9 and the Turnpike on the east; one- and two-family homes, mostly pre-1960, on the west.
- Union TownshipKean University, Union Center and the Route 22 strip; a quarter of its 22,000 homes date from the 1950s.
- WestfieldMore than 200 downtown stores; 37 percent of homes predate 1940, so old plank decking and some slate are common.
- SummitOn the Second Watchung ridge; a third of homes predate 1940, and Overlook Medical Center adds large flat roofs.
- CranfordVictorian houses along the Rahway River Parkway, a Historic Preservation Advisory Board, and new Riverfront apartments downtown.
- PlainfieldTen residential historic districts where street-visible exterior work needs Historic Preservation Commission review; 36 percent of homes predate 1940.
- RahwayPrewar and 1950s homes, new apartments downtown by the train station, and Merck, which completed its headquarters move here in 2024.
- KenilworthGrew tenfold from 1910 to 1960, so most homes are mid-century; Route 22 retail and the former Merck headquarters campus.
- ClarkGrew from about 2,100 residents in 1940 to 12,200 by 1960; most houses are post-war and past their original roof.
- Roselle ParkDensest town in the county at over 11,000 people per square mile: close-set homes on small lots.
- RoselleMore than 8,400 homes on tight blocks, a quarter of them two- to four-family; first town lit by overhead electric wires, in 1883.
- HillsideBorders Newark: dense blocks, a third of the homes two- to four-family, Route 22 retail and old factory sites like the former Lionel plant.
- Scotch PlainsRuns from Route 22 and the 1,945-acre Watchung Reservation across nine square miles of mostly residential streets.
- SpringfieldPopulation doubled in the 1950s; its Route 22 stretch is known for businesses built inside the wide median.
- Berkeley HeightsHighest ground in the county at nearly 560 feet; developed mostly after Bell Labs arrived in 1941.
Residential roofing
Residential roofing in Union County
Union County has about 215,000 housing units: two-thirds built before 1970, more than one in five before 1940, and one in four in a two- to four-family building. Nearly half of Elizabeth’s homes are two- to four-family, and about a third of Linden’s and Hillside’s, many with low-slope rear sections or flat roofs. Union, Clark and Kenilworth boomed in the 1950s: Cape Cods, split-levels and ranches with tight attics. Westfield, Summit, Plainfield and Cranford have about a third of their homes from before 1940: Victorians and Colonials with steep pitches, dormers and sometimes slate.
Post-war homes often carry two or three shingle layers that must come off, and attics with little intake and no ridge vent that cook shingles in summer and feed ice dams in winter. Prewar houses have dried plank decking and worn skylights and flashing from 1980s and 90s renovations.
Roof repair in Union County starts with finding the leak. We trace it to a pipe boot, valley, wall or chimney and fix that spot, with a written warranty of at least two years on the repaired area. Roof replacement in Union County is a tear-off to the deck, new wood where needed, ice and water barrier at eaves and valleys, and Owens Corning or GAF architectural shingles with a minimum 15-year written workmanship warranty plus the manufacturer’s materials warranty. We also repair slate, replace skylights, install seamless gutters, and reflash chimneys. For storm damage, call Monday to Saturday 7 AM to 8 PM or Sunday 8 AM to 4 PM. For repairs and new roofs on homes, see residential roofing.
Commercial roofing
Commercial roofing in Union County
Commercial roofing in Union County covers a lot of square footage. The east side is industry and logistics: Port Newark-Elizabeth, the Bayway Refinery and warehouses along Routes 1/9 and the Turnpike in Elizabeth and Linden. Route 22 carries retail through Hillside, Union, Kenilworth, Springfield, Mountainside and Scotch Plains. Add the Mills at Jersey Gardens, Kean University, Overlook Medical Center, Merck in Rahway, downtown mixed-use blocks, schools and apartment buildings, most with flat or low-slope roofs.
For owners and property managers, we install and repair TPO, PVC, EPDM and modified bitumen roofs with membranes from Carlisle, Elevate (formerly Firestone), GAF, Mule-Hide and Versico. On a sound roof we can recover over the existing membrane instead of tearing off, which saves money and downtime; wet insulation means replacement. We handle commercial roof repair in Union County and run inspection and maintenance programs. Replacements and recovers carry a 5-year workmanship warranty and, where the roof qualifies, a 15- to 30-year manufacturer system warranty. Every proposal spells out scope, materials and price.
Weather
What the weather does to a Union County roof
Union County runs from sea level at the Arthur Kill to about 560 feet on the Watchung ridges. Newark Airport, on the Elizabeth border, averages 31.5 inches of snow a season with January near freezing, so ice dams form on any house where attic heat melts the snow and the cold eaves refreeze it. Ridge towns get more wind and bigger trees. In Elizabeth, Linden and Hillside, dense blocks and dark flat roofs hold summer heat, and July highs average 87 degrees, which ages membranes faster. Nor’easters and tropical remnants like Ida in 2021 bring wind-driven rain. So we put ice and water barrier at eaves, valleys and penetrations, nail to the wind spec, and check attic ventilation.
Permits and local rules
Permits and local rules in Union County
Each town’s construction office, not the county, enforces the state Uniform Construction Code. Under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7, repairing or replacing the roof covering on a detached one- or two-family house is ordinary maintenance, so no permit or notice is needed. Replacing sheathing or framing, cutting a new skylight opening, or working on a multi-family or commercial building needs a permit. We confirm with the construction office and handle any permit.
In Plainfield’s ten residential historic districts, exterior changes visible from a public right-of-way need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission first. Work hours vary: Summit allows construction 8 AM to 7 PM Monday through Saturday and 9 AM to 7 PM Sundays; check your town before you plan work.
Services in Union County
What we do for Union County homes and buildings
Roof Replacement
Tear-off to the deck, new wood where needed, and a complete Owens Corning or GAF shingle system with a minimum 15-year workmanship warranty.
Roof Repair
Leaks at pipe boots, valleys, walls and chimneys, traced to the source and fixed, with a minimum 2-year warranty on the repaired area.
Emergency Repair
We take storm damage and leak calls Monday to Saturday 7 AM to 8 PM and Sunday 8 AM to 4 PM.
Commercial & Flat Roofs
TPO, PVC, EPDM and modified bitumen: repairs, recovers and full replacements for commercial and multi-family buildings.
Skylights
Replace tired skylights and flash them correctly, on their own or as part of a new roof.
Gutters & Chimneys
New seamless gutters, and chimney flashing.
Our work
Recent roofing projects
Mid-job on a two-family: underlayment down, shingles going on. 
The same roof finished in gray architectural shingles. New shingles and two new skylights on a two-family home.
Questions
Union County roofing questions
Do I need a permit to replace my roof in Union County?
Not for a roof covering replacement on a detached one- or two-family house; the state code calls that ordinary maintenance. Sheathing or framing replacement, a new skylight opening, or any multi-family or commercial roof needs a town permit.
Can you shingle the flat section of my two-family?
No. Shingles need slope to shed water. A flat section on a two-family in Elizabeth, Linden or Hillside gets an EPDM, TPO or modified bitumen membrane, flashed into the shingle roof above. We do both on one job.
Can you repair a slate roof in Westfield or Plainfield instead of replacing it?
Often, yes. Prewar slate usually has decades of life left; leaks come from broken or slipped pieces, failed flashing or rusted nails. We replace individual slates and redo the flashing. If the whole roof is failing, we say so in writing.
Do you inspect commercial roofs for property managers in Union County?
Yes. We inspect flat roofs on apartment buildings, warehouses, retail strips and schools, photograph seams, drains, flashings and ponding, and send a written report with repair prices. Spring and fall inspections catch small problems before winter.
Need a roofer in Union County?
Free inspection and written estimate in all 21 Union County towns from a Paramus-based roofer.