Kitchen remodeling in North Jersey
For the New York market, the nearest one Cost vs. Value covers, the 2025 report listed a major midrange kitchen remodel at $90,2521, compared with $82,7932 nationwide. In Bergen County most houses are on gas, 77%3 of occupied homes heat with it, and New Jersey lets a range be swapped without a permit only when the fuel, pipe size and location stay the same.
Calls are recorded. One independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the North Jersey area answers.
Updated October 12, 2026
Kitchen prices from the New York market
With no New Jersey city in the 2025 Cost vs. Value report, its New York figures are the closest guide for North Jersey. Each sits above the national average for the same job.
| Measure | New York market | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| Minor midrange kitchen remodel, job cost | $31,4191 | $28,4582 |
| Major midrange kitchen remodel, job cost | $90,2521 | $82,7932 |
| Major upscale kitchen remodel, job cost | $183,1721 | $164,1042 |
Cost vs. Value's minor midrange kitchen job keeps the cabinet boxes in a dated 200-square-foot kitchen and replaces the cabinet fronts and hardware, the range and refrigerator, the laminate counters, the sink and faucet, and the flooring, then repaints.4 That lighter job is where many older North Jersey kitchens start, because the room's size is fixed by the walls around it.
Older than the state as a whole
Bergen County's housing is older than New Jersey's overall, with a large block of homes from the 1940s and 1950s.
| Measure | Bergen County | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Homes built before 1960 | 51%5 | 38%5 |
| Homes built before 1940 | 19%5 | 17%5 |
Kitchens in houses this old were built for a stove, a sink and a refrigerator, often on one or two circuits. New counters, a dishwasher and a microwave usually mean new wiring, which is where a cosmetic job turns into a permit job.
Stacked kitchens in two- to four-family houses
Essex County, the comparison here, has a larger share of homes in buildings with two to four units than Bergen, where they cluster in the older towns.
| Measure | Bergen County | Essex County |
|---|---|---|
| Homes in buildings with two to four units | 18%6 | 28%6 |
| Single-family detached homes | 53%6 | 33%6 |
Each unit in a two-family usually has its own long kitchen at the back, one stacked over the other, sharing a drain stack. Ask early whether the new sink can tie into that stack where it is, since moving it means work in the neighbor's ceiling or wall.
Gas, electric or oil
Heating fuel is the Census figure closest to showing which homes have a gas line to the kitchen. Bergen County leans on utility gas a little more than the state does.
| Measure | Bergen County | New Jersey |
|---|---|---|
| Occupied homes heated with utility gas | 77%3 | 73%3 |
| Occupied homes heated with electricity | 16%3 | 16%3 |
| Occupied homes heated with fuel oil or kerosene | 4%3 | 6%3 |
In a dwelling, a kitchen range hood can be replaced without a permit if the new one moves no more air than the old one or 400 cubic feet per minute and recirculates or vents on its own to the outdoors, and a stove or oven can be swapped if the fuel type, pipe size, location and electrical characteristics stay the same.7 Changing from gas to an electric induction range, or moving the range across the room, falls outside that and needs permits for the new gas or electrical work.
Home values against kitchen budgets
Bergen County's median owner-occupied home is worth more than New Jersey's.
Wages for the kitchen trades
These May 2025 medians cover the New York–Newark–Jersey City metro, the smallest area BLS reports that includes Bergen County.
| Measure | New York metro | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenters, median hourly wage | $35.72/hr9 | $29.12/hr9 |
| Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, median hourly wage | $28.96/hr9 | $22.44/hr9 |
| Plumbers, median hourly wage | $37.79/hr9 | $30.67/hr9 |
| Electricians, median hourly wage | $37.99/hr9 | $30.38/hr9 |
Every kitchen trade earns more here than nationally, just as the New York cost rows run above the national ones. Semi-custom cabinets built elsewhere and installed by a carpenter keep the most local hours off the bill.
Permits
Kitchen permits in North Jersey come from the town's construction office under New Jersey's single statewide code. New cabinets and flooring, and a like-for-like range or hood swap, need no permit. Moving the sink, running a new gas line or adding circuits does, and the plumbing and electrical parts must be filed by licensed contractors unless you own and live in a single-family house and do the work yourself.
- 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.7
- In a one- or two-family home, new flooring of any kind, new cabinets, wallpaper or vinyl wall covering, and plaster or drywall covering less than 25 percent of the wall area all count as ordinary maintenance.7
- In a dwelling, a kitchen range hood can be replaced without a permit if the new one moves no more air than the old one or 400 cubic feet per minute and recirculates or vents on its own to the outdoors, and a stove or oven can be swapped if the fuel type, pipe size, location and electrical characteristics stay the same.7
- 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.10
- 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.7
- When a home improvement contractor does the work, the contractor's registration number must appear on the permit application; an owner improving a home he or she owns doesn't need to register.7
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 $500,00022 per occurrence in liability insurance.
Talk to a pro who handles kitchen remodels in North Jersey
Calls are recorded. You'll be connected to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in your area. We never call or text you. Privacy Policy ·Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
Kitchens in North Jersey's older houses
The narrow back kitchen of a two-family and the small closed kitchen of a postwar colonial share a problem: little wall for cabinets and no easy way to widen the room. Opening into a dining room usually means a beam, and that takes the job past minor work into a full permit with plans.
For homes built before 1978, the EPA advises hiring contractors who use only lead-safe certified renovators.11 With 74%5 of Bergen County homes built before 1980, most kitchens here have old paint somewhere under the newer coats. The EPA notes that painted window sashes and frames in homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint, which opening and closing the window can release as dust, and that a kitchen remodel may be a good time to replace old windows.11
Landlords have a second set of rules. 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.12 If an inspection finds lead-based paint hazards, the owner must fix them through abatement or lead hazard control, and a lead-safe certificate is good for two years.12
Hoods, makeup air and new circuits
These are the national model code's rules; ask the company how your town's construction office applies New Jersey's edition. The 2021 International Residential Code says a kitchen range exhaust must discharge outdoors through its own airtight duct with a backdraft damper, never into an attic, crawl space or other indoor area; listed ductless hoods are the exception.13 In a two-family, the only outside wall may be at the back of the unit, which can decide where the range goes.
The EPA notes that ASHRAE and the Home Ventilation Institute recommend a range hood of 100 cubic feet per minute for a typical range, and that larger fans may need makeup air so the house isn't depressurized enough to make combustion equipment backdraft.11 Where a home has a fuel-burning appliance that is neither direct-vent nor mechanically vented, the 2021 International Residential Code requires makeup air for any exhaust system able to move more than 400 cubic feet per minute.14
The 2021 International Residential Code calls for at least two 20-ampere branch circuits for kitchen and dining-area receptacle outlets, and allows an outlet for a specific appliance to have its own circuit.15 The same code requires ground-fault (GFCI) protection on receptacles that serve kitchen countertop surfaces.16 In an older house that often means a new panel space or two, so ask whether the electrical service has room before the cabinets are ordered.
A kitchen for the long run
More than one in four adults 65 and older fall each year.17 The National Institute on Aging suggests keeping frequently used pots, pans and utensils where they are easy to reach, and preparing food while seated to prevent fatigue or loss of balance.18 In a long, narrow kitchen, a stretch of counter low enough to work at while seated and drawers in place of deep base cabinets fit without changing the layout.
NAHB's Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential trains remodelers in home modifications for aging in place.19 Upstairs units in two-families add a flight of stairs between the kitchen and the street, which is worth weighing if the plan is to stay for decades.
What happens when you call
Your call to the number on this page is recorded and connected to one independent company that handles kitchen remodels in the North Jersey area. From there, design, schedule and cost are yours to settle with that company.
The company pays us a fee for the call. You owe us nothing, and we don't follow up by phone or text. How we make money
After you're connected
Look the company up in New Jersey's records before signing. 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.20 Check a New Jersey license
A New Jersey homeowner may cancel a home improvement contract for any reason until midnight of the third business day after receiving a copy of it, by written notice sent by certified or registered mail or delivered in person, and the contractor must refund all payments within 30 days of receiving the notice.21
Questions people ask
What does a kitchen remodel cost in North Jersey?
Using the 2025 Cost vs. Value figures for New York, the nearest market it prices, a minor midrange kitchen ran $31,4191, a major midrange one $90,2521 and an upscale one $183,1721. Moving the sink or range, or adding circuits in an older house, adds permit work on top.
Can I replace my gas stove without a permit?
In New Jersey, yes, in the same spot on the same fuel. In a dwelling, a kitchen range hood can be replaced without a permit if the new one moves no more air than the old one or 400 cubic feet per minute and recirculates or vents on its own to the outdoors, and a stove or oven can be swapped if the fuel type, pipe size, location and electrical characteristics stay the same.7
Are new cabinets and counters permit work?
Not by themselves. In a one- or two-family home, new flooring of any kind, new cabinets, wallpaper or vinyl wall covering, and plaster or drywall covering less than 25 percent of the wall area all count as ordinary maintenance.7 Wiring, plumbing and gas changes that come with them are a separate matter.
I own a two-family. Does that change anything?
It can. The homeowner exception for doing your own plumbing and electrical work is written for a single-family house. 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.7 If the other unit is rented and the house was built before 1978, the state's lead inspection rules also apply to it.
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 B25040. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, New Jersey.
- Zonda / Journal of Light Construction, Cost vs. Value project description: Minor Kitchen Remodel | Midrange. Released September 18, 2025. View source. Industry source.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25034. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, New Jersey.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25024. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, Essex County, NJ.
- 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year, table B25077. Released January 29, 2026. Bergen County, NJ, New Jersey.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Released May 15, 2026. New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, Carpenters, United States, Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters, United States, Plumbers, United States, Electricians, United States.
- 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, Remodeling Your Home and Indoor Air Quality. Released February 17, 2026. View source.
- New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, Lead-Based Paint Inspections in Rental Dwelling Units. Released March 27, 2025. View source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section M1503.3. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section M1503.6. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section E3703.2. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section E3902.6. Released 2021. View source. Industry source.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls. Released September 4, 2026. 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, 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.
- New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Home Improvement Contractor Business: Frequently Asked Questions. Released March 3, 2025. New Jersey.