Bathroom remodeling in North Jersey
Cost vs. Value's 2025 New York market, the closest one it prices to Bergen County, put a midrange bathroom remodel at $30,3761, against $26,1382 nationally. What changes the job most here is age: 51%3 of Bergen County homes were standing before 1960, so plan for old supply pipes, cast-iron drains and mortar-set tile once demolition starts.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles bathroom remodels in the North Jersey area answers.
Updated October 12, 2026
Bathroom prices in the New York market
Cost vs. Value has no New Jersey market in its 2025 edition. Its New York page is the nearest, and its figures run above that year's national averages in every bathroom row.
| Measure | New York market | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Midrange bathroom remodel, job cost | $30,3761 | $26,1382 |
| Upscale bathroom remodel, job cost | $90,6861 | $81,6122 |
| Universal design bathroom remodel, job cost | $47,0521 | $42,1832 |
These are priced model jobs, not bids. In a Bergen County house the swing comes from what the walls and floor hold: a mortar bed under the old tile or a drain line that has to be rerouted will move a quote more than the fixture list.
Bergen County's prewar and postwar houses
North Jersey's guides use Bergen County as their base and Essex County, around Newark and the Oranges, as a comparison. Both counties did most of their building before 1980.
| Measure | Bergen County | Essex County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1980 | 74%3 | 74%3 |
| Homes built before 1960 | 51%3 | 53%3 |
| Homes built before 1940 | 19%3 | 29%3 |
A colonial or Cape Cod from these decades often has its original bathroom footprint and sometimes its original wall tile set in mortar. Taking that tile down is heavy, dusty work, and it usually exposes the supply and drain piping, so ask how replacing old pipe would be priced before the walls open.
One house, or two households
Census counts of building type show how many homes share a structure with other units. Essex County has more of the two- to four-unit buildings that line older North Jersey streets.
| Measure | Bergen County | Essex County |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family detached homes | 53%4 | 33%4 |
| Homes in buildings with two to four units | 18%4 | 28%4 |
In a stacked two-family, the upstairs bathroom usually sits right over the downstairs one, so a leak or a new drain affects both units. If the other unit is rented, plan the shut-off times and the work schedule with the tenant in mind.
What homes here are worth
Census median values for owner-occupied homes put Bergen County well above Essex County.
Pay for the bathroom trades
BLS publishes these wages for the whole New York–Newark–Jersey City metro; it has no separate series for the Newark division that takes in Bergen and Essex.
| Measure | New York metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers, median hourly wage | $37.79/hr6 | $30.67/hr6 |
| Electricians, median hourly wage | $37.99/hr6 | $30.38/hr6 |
| Carpenters, median hourly wage | $35.72/hr6 | $29.12/hr6 |
| Tile and stone setters, median hourly wage | $29.52/hr6 | $26.77/hr6 |
Plumbers and electricians earn the most above the national median here, and in New Jersey both trades have to be licensed to pull their permits. A plan that keeps the toilet, tub and sink on their existing lines saves the most expensive hours.
Winters and summers at Newark Airport
Newark Liberty is the closest major weather station to southern Bergen County. Its long-term normals cover the nights that test pipes and the summers that test ventilation.
| Measure | Newark Airport |
|---|---|
| Days a year with a low at or below freezing | 80 days7 |
| July afternoon relative humidity | 51%8 |
A supply line in an outside wall of an older house can freeze on those nights, so a remodel is the time to move it inside or insulate it. Muggy summers make a fan that actually exhausts outdoors worth more than a bigger one that dumps into the attic.
Permits
New Jersey writes one construction code for the whole state, and the construction office in your town, not the county, issues the permits. Like-for-like fixture swaps and a replacement fan are ordinary maintenance with no permit; a renovation that moves plumbing or adds wiring needs one, filed with the licensed plumber's and electrician's seals. Fees are set by each town.
- New Jersey's construction code is the same statewide, with no separate local requirements; municipally employed, state-licensed construction officials and inspectors enforce it, and the owner or the owner's agent, such as the contractor, is responsible for getting the permits.9
- Under New Jersey's Uniform Construction Code it is unlawful to renovate, alter, repair or enlarge a building without first applying to the construction official, or to the subcode official when only one trade is involved, and getting a permit.10
- Replacing a plumbing fixture with a similar one, without changing the piping arrangement, counts as ordinary maintenance, as does replacing faucets, valves, traps or a dishwasher.10
- Replacing a bathroom exhaust fan in a dwelling is ordinary maintenance as long as the fan vents on its own to the outdoors.10
- In one- and two-family homes, minor work includes renovations that don't alter primary structural members, adding fixtures where the water and drain lines don't need to be enlarged, and up to five new outlets on existing circuits.11
- New Jersey's code allows plumbing, electrical and HVAC work only by people licensed to do it, except a single-family homeowner working on his or her own home, and the licensed contractor's seal and signature go on the matching permit application.10
Checked October 12, 2026
Before you hire
In New Jersey, ask for the company's home improvement contractor business registration number and confirm it's active with the Division of Consumer Affairs, because registering takes proof of at least $500,00023 per occurrence in liability insurance.
Talk to a pro who handles bathroom remodels in North Jersey
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles bathroom remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Opening up a Bergen County bathroom
Bergen County built hardest in the decade after the war, when 21%3 of today's homes went up, and much of the rest is older still. Those bathrooms were small, tiled to the ceiling and fed by pipe that may be galvanized steel. The EPA notes that lead can collect inside galvanized pipe and later reach drinking water, and that solder made before 1986 contained high levels of lead.12
Old floor tile and its adhesive deserve a test before anyone breaks them up. The EPA lists vinyl floor tile, vinyl sheet backing and flooring adhesives among products that may contain asbestos, which is released mainly when the material is disturbed.13 The EPA advises having an accredited asbestos professional inspect before a remodel that could disturb suspect materials, and not sanding or power-stripping suspect flooring yourself.14
If you rent out the other half of a two-family, New Jersey's rental lead rules reach that unit. New Jersey requires single-family, two-family and multiple rental dwellings built before 1978 to be inspected for lead-based paint hazards every three years or at tenant turnover, whichever comes first, unless the unit has a valid lead-safe certificate.15 EPA's lead renovation rule generally doesn't cover homeowners working on their own pre-1978 homes, but it does apply if you rent out all or part of your home.16
How New Jersey's code sorts a bathroom job
Work the code defines as ordinary maintenance needs no permit and no notice to the local code office.10 That covers more of a cosmetic bathroom update than many people expect, from new flooring to a new vanity on the same lines.
Once the plan moves a fixture or adds outlets, it becomes permit work. Minor work still needs a permit, but it can start once the local code office has been notified; each trade then gets one final inspection of what is visible, within three business days of the request.17 If any part of a project falls outside the minor work definition, the whole job needs a full permit application with all the usual inspections, including rough-in inspections before walls close.17
Teaneck's Building Department warns homeowners not to let a general contractor do licensed trade work under a permit pulled in the homeowner's name.18 Whichever Bergen town you live in, ask the company who will file each trade permit and whose name goes on it.
A bathroom that works later in life
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.19 The CDC's home fall-prevention checklist recommends grab bars in and beside the tub and next to the toilet, and a non-slip surface on tub and shower floors.20 In a Cape Cod with the only full bath upstairs, the bigger question may be whether a first-floor half bath could grow into a full one.
The National Institute on Aging suggests non-skid surfaces wherever a floor can get wet and a light left on in the bathroom at night.21 The New York market priced a universal-design bathroom at $47,0521 in the 2025 report. NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.22
What happens when you call
You call the number on this page. The call is recorded, and it goes to one independent company that handles bathroom remodels in the North Jersey area. You talk with them directly about your project, timing and price.
We are paid for the call. You don't pay us anything, and we never call or text you. How we make money
After you're connected
New Jersey registers home improvement businesses rather than licensing them, so check the registration before you sign. New Jersey's Contractors' Business Registration Act requires every home improvement contractor business, from a sole proprietorship up, to register with the Division of Consumer Affairs every year before selling or making home improvements, unless the law exempts it.23 The Division of Consumer Affairs' License Verification System is a real-time lookup; its Business Search finds home improvement contractor businesses by business name, license number or city and lists each one's registration number, license type, status and city.24 Check a New Jersey license
A New Jersey home improvement contract for more than $500, and any change to its terms, must be in writing and signed by all parties, and must list the contractor business's legal name, business address and registration number, include a copy of its liability insurance certificate with the insurer's phone number, and state the total price including any finance charges.25
Questions people ask
How much does a bathroom remodel cost in North Jersey?
Cost vs. Value doesn't price a New Jersey market in its 2025 edition. For New York, the nearest market, it listed $30,3761 for a midrange bathroom and $90,6861 for an upscale one. A Bergen County job can land on either side of those, depending on the pipes and subfloor behind the old tile.
Do I need a permit to replace a toilet or vanity in New Jersey?
Usually not, if the new fixture goes on the same piping. Replacing a plumbing fixture with a similar one, without changing the piping arrangement, counts as ordinary maintenance, as does replacing faucets, valves, traps or a dishwasher.10 The work still has to be done by the homeowner of a single-family house or a licensed plumber. New Jersey's code allows plumbing, electrical and HVAC work only by people licensed to do it, except a single-family homeowner working on his or her own home, and the licensed contractor's seal and signature go on the matching permit application.10
Does the county or my town issue the permit?
Your town. New Jersey's construction code is the same statewide, with no separate local requirements; municipally employed, state-licensed construction officials and inspectors enforce it, and the owner or the owner's agent, such as the contractor, is responsible for getting the permits.9 Each Bergen County municipality applies that same state code through its own construction office.
Who will I talk to when I call?
You'll reach one independent company that handles bathroom remodels in the North Jersey area and speak with them directly. We aren't a remodeler, and we don't check or collect anyone's registration.
Sources
Page updated October 12, 2026. How we source our numbers
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, New York, NY. Released 2025. New York, NY (Cost vs. Value market). Industry source.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value 2025, national. Released 2025. United States. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, Essex County, NJ.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25024. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, Essex County, NJ.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, Essex County, NJ.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released May 15, 2026. New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, Plumbers, United States, Electricians, United States, Carpenters, United States, Tile and stone setters, United States.
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020. Released 2021. Newark Liberty Airport (station USW00014734).
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Comparative Climatic Data, average relative humidity, data through 2023. Released November 2024. Newark Liberty Airport (WBAN 14734).
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, The New Jersey State Uniform Construction Code: General Information. Released May 2006. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, N.J.A.C. 5:23-2, Uniform Construction Code: Administration and Enforcement. Released August 17, 2026. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, Significant Changes to Minor Work and Ordinary Maintenance. Released March 5, 2018. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sources of Lead in Drinking Water. Released August 2017. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Learn About Asbestos. Released July 13, 2026. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Protect Your Family from Exposures to Asbestos. Released June 25, 2026. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Lead-Based Paint Inspections in Rental Dwelling Units. Released March 27, 2025. View source.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program. Released June 17, 2026. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Division of Codes and Standards, Construction Code Communicator, Vol. 35 No. 3, Fall 2023: Minor Work… or Not?!. Released 2023. View source.
- Township of Teaneck, Building Permits. No publication date. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. View source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STEADI: Check for Safety, a home fall prevention checklist for older adults. No publication date. View source.
- National Institute on Aging, Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room. Released September 12, 2022. View source.
- National Association of Home Builders, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS). No publication date. View source. Industry source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor Business: Frequently Asked Questions. Released March 3, 2025. View source.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, License Verification System. No publication date. View source.
- New Jersey Legislature, P.L.2023, c.237 (Home Improvement and Home Elevation Contractor Licensing Act; amendments to the Contractors' Business Registration Act). Released January 8, 2024. View source.