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Roofer kneeling on underlayment driving nails with a nail gun

Home / Roofers / New Jersey

How to become a roofer in New Jersey

Most roofers in New Jersey start in an apprenticeship or a helper job and learn on the job. The contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

2apprenticeship programs$36.83median an hour in New Jersey

How do you start as a roofer in New Jersey?

There are three ways in: a registered apprenticeship (2 programs and 4 companies in New Jersey), trade school, or a helper or trainee job with a licensed roofing contractor.

Apprenticeship

Earn while you learn

A program hires you, pays you on the job and runs your classes.

Pay
From day one
In NJ
2 programs + 4 companies
Find a program near you
Trade school

Classroom first

Learn the basics, then find work to log your hours.

Pay
You pay tuition
In NJ
5 schools with programs
Trade schools in New Jersey
Helper

Start on a crew

Get hired as a helper by a licensed roofing contractor and log hours on the job.

Pay
Paid on the job
Start
No experience needed
How to get started

Do you need a license to work as a roofer in New Jersey?

Most roofers in New Jersey learn on the job; a contractor license comes later, if you run your own business.

  1. Get hired or start training

    Join a registered apprenticeship, take a trade school program, or work as a helper for a licensed contractor.

    Compare the ways in
  2. Work as a roofer

    Median pay in New Jersey is $36.83 an hour.

    Roofer pay in New Jersey
  3. Run your own shop

    No experience requirement. Criminal history is reviewed case by case.

    Issued by
    NJ Division of Consumer Affairs - Home Improvement Contractor registration
    New Jersey contractor license
Pay once you're working

$76,600

a year is the median for roofers in New Jersey ($36.83 an hour, May 2025).3

Pay by city and percentile
  1. Trenton–Princeton$39.47
  2. Atlantic City–Hammonton$37.50
New Jersey median $36.83 an hour

More questions about becoming a roofer in New Jersey

Do you need a license to work on your own as a roofer in New Jersey?

Any business that makes or sells home improvements on existing homes (remodeling, painting, repair, additions, garages, driveways, pools, fences, landscaping, siding, flooring, central heating and air conditioning work and similar) must register with the state, full-time or part-time, in or out of state, including subcontractors.1

Are roofers in demand in New Jersey?

Projections Central expects about 180 roofer openings a year in New Jersey through 2034, counting new jobs and people leaving the trade.2

Next step

Find an apprenticeship near you

2 programs and 4 companies in New Jersey. Enter your ZIP to see the closest ones and what they ask for.

Find a program

More for roofers in New Jersey

Sources

  1. NJ Division of Consumer Affairs - Home Improvement Contractor registration contractor licensing (njconsumeraffairs.gov, 2026-10-27)
  2. Projections Central, long-term occupational projections 2024-2034 (projectionscentral.org, 2024-2034)
  3. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New Jersey, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)