So far the winter of 2013/2014 has been a wild one with 50+ inches of snow recorded around the area. News programs are full of reports about roofs collapsing under the weight of snow & ice. And statewide warnings to remove snow and ice have added to people’s fears.

Here are a couple of things that residential homeowners need to know about roof snow removal:

1. Most of the collapses have occurred with flat roofs on mostly commercial properties. Standard pitched residential roofing is generally capable of withstanding much higher loads than even a couple of feet of snow can impose on a roof.
2. Roofing contractors in New Jersey are required to be licensed by the state (and some cities also require additional licensing). That license does not normally extend to snow removal. Many roofing contractors do NOT have insurance for snow removal – before you hire anybody to remove snow from your roof please make sure that they are licensed and that they carry appropriate insurance.
3. The snow won’t be there forever! Hard to imagine but Spring really is just around the corner and Mother Nature will eventually take care of all the snow and ice.