Need some roofing or siding work on your home?

New rules in New Jersey, in effect this month, should make that job a bit cheaper, and possibly completed sooner.

The state Department of Community Affairs now classifies roofing jobs (including total replacement) and most siding jobs as ordinary maintenance and minor work — as long as the building involved is a one- or two-family dwelling.

With that change, contractors no longer need to purchase a permit through a municipality. And there's no inspection of the work.

"It will expedite the jobs," said Bill Kretzer, owner of Ocean Real Estate Services in Forked River. "It saves us the time of filling out the permit, running to the township."

And the cost of the permit, which would be passed on to the customer, goes away.

"On average I would say it's about $100," said Kretzer, who services roofs throughout the Garden State.

Other tasks that no longer require a permit include installation of security systems and doorbells.

Joe Richmond, owner of "Joe the Roofer" in Freehold Borough, said he's thankful he'll no longer have to deal with different permit costs from municipality to municipality. But overall, he's against this change, fearing it could "open the door" to more jobs for non-licensed/insured individuals.

"There's no checks or balances anymore," Richmond said. "A township official is not going to show up on your job anymore and say, 'Where's your permit?'"

Richmond said homeowners are now going to have to do the vetting work that the municipalities have always done. A permit could not be obtained without proof of an active home improvement contractor license.

"Really check into these guys," Richmond advises residents. "Make sure you're not hiring any stubum off the street that's cheaper."

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Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

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