Siding Repair & Replacement in Clifton, NJ
Our Garfield shop, across the Passaic, repairs and replaces siding all over Clifton, and a standard-vinyl re-side of a 2,000 sq ft colonial typically runs $12,000 to $20,000. The city still prints a siding-licensing chapter that state law supersedes; we hold that licence anyway, along with state HIC registration 13VH13970900.
Clifton is a big, finished city that did most of its building before 1960 — 70.1% of its 34,064 housing units predate that year, with 29.8% built in 1939 or earlier and another 23.8% in the 1950s alone, the single largest decade. 54.5% of the stock is attached or multi-family, and two-unit buildings alone account for 21.0%.
It is also the one town on our list that still prints its own licensing chapter for this trade, though state law now supersedes it. Clifton's Chapter 199, adopted in 1968, names siding explicitly in its contractor-licensing ordinance — but the state registration is what governs, so the first thing worth checking on any bidder here is that registration, not price.
Clifton's licensing chapter is still printed, but the state governs
Most New Jersey towns never wrote a contractor-licensing chapter; Clifton did. Chapter 199 of the City Code, adopted 3-19-1968 by Ordinance No. 3825, is still on the books and covers work that needs a city permit, and siding is named in the ordinance rather than implied.
That chapter predates the state scheme, and state law now takes precedence over it. N.J.S.A. 45:5AAA-14(a), in force since February 1, 2026 in place of the repealed 56:8-147, says P.L.2023, c.237 "shall supersede any municipal ordinance or regulation that provides for the licensing of home improvement or home elevation contractors…" Contractors still pull permits from the municipality and still submit to its inspections. So the credential to check is the state one — HIC reg.# 13VH13970900 — and no contractor is "licensed for the wrong town" in New Jersey. We hold Clifton's contractor licence too, but that is a fact about us, not a test for other bidders.
A pre-war core under a mid-century re-clad
With 29.8% of Clifton's units built in 1939 or earlier and 55.2% built between 1940 and 1979, the city sat through both the asbestos-cement shingle era and the aluminum re-siding wave, then the vinyl wave over both. No dataset records what is actually on a given wall, so we treat all of that as era-based expectation and confirm it by opening a corner.
Asbestos-cement shingle is the one worth naming out loud. On pre-1940 stock it was frequently overclad rather than removed, which means it can still be sitting under the vinyl. It is stable while it is intact and undisturbed; it is a different job the moment a tear-off breaks it. We look before we quote and we say plainly what we find.
- Asbestos-cement shingle on pre-1940 stock, often still present under a later layer
- Aluminum from the 1940s-70s, the largest single era in the city
- Vinyl re-clad from the 1980s onward
- Wood clapboard and cedar shingle on the oldest Dutch-descended and early-20th-century houses
- Brick and stone veneer fronts with sided sides and rear — a standard Passaic County pattern
Roof leaking right now? We answer 24/7.
One- and two-family is exempt; the rest of the city is not
N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c)1xi makes repair or replacement of existing siding on one- and two-family dwellings ordinary maintenance — no permit, no inspection, no notice — with no requirement that the building be detached. That covers the majority of Clifton's residential stock.
It does not cover the 26.6% of units in buildings of three or more. Those sit under (c)1xii, which allows like-material replacement only to 25% of total exterior wall area before a permit is required. Polypropylene siding is excepted everywhere. Clifton's Construction Department is at 900 Clifton Avenue.
Mapped water on several fronts, not one river
Clifton's floodplain mapping is water-by-water rather than a single riverfront, and the City has participated in the National Flood Insurance Program since its Chapter 239 adoption. If your address sits in a mapped zone, storm-damage siding work can pull in review that a routine re-side never touches — we check the mapping before quoting rather than after.
Monthly payment options
We work with Hearth, which shops several lenders on a single application. See your personalized options in minutes — checking does not affect your credit score, and there is no commitment.
- Loan amounts up to $250,000
- Funding in as little as 1–3 days
- No prepayment penalties
- No home equity required
Financing is provided by Hearth's lending partners, not by Precision Windows & Roofing. Rates and terms depend on your credit and the lender making the offer, and all financing is subject to credit approval.
Common questions
Does Clifton really license siding contractors separately?
Chapter 199 of the Clifton City Code, adopted 3-19-1968 by Ordinance No. 3825, does name siding in a city licensing scheme, but that scheme no longer sets the bar for a bidder; the state's takes precedence. The municipality still issues the construction permit and does the inspection. So ask every bidder for their state registration number and their insurance — ours is HIC reg.# 13VH13970900 — and note that most like-for-like siding needs no permit here at all under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c)1xi.
Do I need a permit to re-side my Clifton house?
If it is a one- or two-family dwelling, no. N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c)1xi classifies siding repair or replacement on one- and two-family dwellings as ordinary maintenance — no permit, no inspection, no notice — and it does not require the building to be detached. Buildings of three or more units are excluded and fall under (c)1xii instead, which caps like-material replacement at 25% of total exterior wall area before a permit is needed. Polypropylene siding needs a permit regardless.
There might be asbestos shingle under my siding. What happens then?
It changes the job, and it is a real possibility on Clifton's pre-1940 stock, which is 29.8% of the city. Asbestos-cement shingle was commonly overclad rather than stripped. Intact and undisturbed it is stable; a tear-off that breaks it is a different scope with different handling requirements. We inspect at a corner or a penetration before quoting so that possibility is priced honestly up front rather than discovered on day one.
Where do I reach the Clifton building department?
Clifton Construction Department, 900 Clifton Avenue — (973) 470-5809. Most like-for-like siding work needs no permit at all under N.J.A.C. 5:23-2.7(c)1xi, so for most jobs you will not need them. The credential that matters on a bidder is the state registration N.J.S.A. 56:8-138 requires, not a city licence. HIC reg.# 13VH13970900.
Explore
Get your free roofing quote
Free, no-obligation on-site assessment anywhere in New Jersey — and we answer the phone 24/7.