How these pages work.

These comparisons exist because asking your Facebook group for a roofer gets you eleven names and no facts. Here are the rules we hold ourselves to, in plain English.

What we check

Every company gets its registration pulled from the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs registry before its name appears anywhere on this site. We print the number, the status, and the date we checked. We also read Better Business Bureau records and public review platforms, and we report what they say with the source named. Registration is mandatory for home improvement contractors in New Jersey. It proves identity and insurance, not skill. That's why it's our floor, not our endorsement.

How the picks are chosen

The "Who we'd hire" bench is editorial judgment built on the checkable record: years in business, complaint patterns and how the company responded, review consistency across platforms, and real presence in the county. We say why for every pick, and when a pick has a known weak spot, we print that too.

What money can and cannot buy

Nobody pays to be listed, and nobody can pay to be a pick. When a company sponsors the newsletter or this site, the sponsorship is labeled where it appears, and it buys visibility, never placement, ranking, or softer facts. If we ever route job requests to companies, that arrangement will be disclosed on the page it touches.

Mistakes

If a fact on this site is wrong, we want to know. Email corrections@hunterdonscoop.com and we will review within 48 hours and correct in place. Companies that dispute a listing get the same treatment: show us the document and the page changes.

Who is behind this

The Hunterdon Scoop, a free weekly email about Hunterdon County written by a resident. The newsletter checks one contractor's license every Thursday. This site is where all of that homework accumulates. Subscribe free.