If you own a residential dwelling built before 1978, lead-based paint is worth understanding — not because it’s an emergency, but because it affects how certain repairs and renovations at your property must be handled by law.
What Is Lead-Based Paint and Where Is It Found?
Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, but it’s still present in roughly half of homes built before that date. It can turn up on any surface, inside or outside — though it’s most common in kitchens and bathrooms and on high-gloss trim like windowsills, door frames, and railings.
Importantly, lead-based paint that’s in good condition is not considered a hazard. The concern is deteriorating paint (peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking), which can create lead dust that’s inhaled or swallowed, particularly by young children. That’s also why the risk goes up during renovation work: sanding, scraping, cutting into, or demolishing painted surfaces disturbs paint that may otherwise have been perfectly stable.
How Do Lead-Based Paint Rules Affect Repairs and Renovations?
The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule governs any renovation, repair, or painting work in pre-1978 residential dwelling that disturbs more than a small amount of painted surface, defined as 6 square feet per interior room or 20 square feet per exterior project. Smaller thresholds apply to HUD-assisted housing. When a job crosses that line, contractors are required to:
- Provide the EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet to occupants and owners before work begins
- Either test the affected surfaces for lead or simply presume lead is present and follow lead-safe procedures
- Contain the work area with plastic sheeting and, where needed, vertical barriers to keep dust from spreading
- Use HEPA-filtered tools and follow strict cleanup and waste-containment procedures
- Complete a documented cleaning verification before the job is considered finished
None of this is optional once a project meets the size threshold, and it applies regardless of whether the work is happening because of a tenant request, a routine make-ready, or a planned capital improvement.
Are Aced Maintenance Technicians Equipped to Handle This Work?
Deca Property Management and Aced Maintenance are both certified, and our maintenance staff are trained to recognize when a job falls under the RRP Rule. Out of an abundance of caution, however, our technicians do not perform work that meets the RRP threshold themselves. Instead, we refer that work to a vetted list of EPA-certified renovators, so any project that disturbs lead-based paint is always handled by a properly certified specialist.
What Does It Mean for You as an Owner?
Disclosure: Federal law requires that when a pre-1978 residential dwelling is sold or leased, the owner disclose any known information about lead-based paint at the property. If you have older test reports, inspection records, or renovation history on file, it’s worth keeping that documentation together — it may be needed at lease signing or sale.
Project timelines and costs: If your property was built before 1978 and a project disturbs paint beyond the minor-repair threshold, expect it to take a bit longer and cost a bit more than a comparable job in a newer home. The containment, cleanup, and verification steps are real labor, not paperwork for its own sake, and they’re required by law regardless of contractor.
Who’s qualified to do the work: Federal rules require that this kind of work be performed by an EPA-certified renovator, and HUD-assisted properties have additional training requirements on top of that. As noted above, we refer any RRP-qualifying work to certified specialists rather than handling it in-house, so you can be confident it’s always done by someone who meets these standards.
The Bottom Line
These rules exist for a straightforward reason: to protect occupants, especially children, during renovation work. As your property manager, we build these requirements into how we scope, bid, and schedule any project on a pre-1978 property, so you don’t have to track the regulations yourself. If you ever have questions about whether a specific project at your property falls under these rules, or want to see what documentation we have on file, just reach out.
Additional Resources
- National Lead Information Center: 1-800-424-5323, for general questions or to report a concern
- EPA Lead-Based Paint Professional Locator: available at epa.gov/lead if you’d ever like to independently verify a contractor’s certification
Frequently Asked Questions: Lead-Based Paint in Rental Properties
When was lead-based paint banned in the United States?
Lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978. It’s still present in roughly half of homes built before that date.
Is lead-based paint always a hazard?
No. Lead-based paint that’s in good condition is not considered a hazard. The concern is deteriorating paint (peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking), which can create lead dust, and renovation work that disturbs otherwise-stable paint.
What is the EPA RRP Rule?
The EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule governs renovation, repair, or painting work in pre-1978 residential dwellings that disturbs more than a small amount of painted surface. It requires contractors to notify occupants, contain the work area, use lead-safe practices and HEPA-filtered tools, and complete a documented cleaning verification.
What size project triggers the RRP Rule?
The RRP Rule applies when a project disturbs more than 6 square feet of painted surface per interior room or 20 square feet per exterior project. Smaller thresholds apply to HUD-assisted housing.
Do landlords have to disclose lead-based paint?
Yes. Federal law requires that when a pre-1978 residential dwelling is sold or leased, the owner disclose any known information about lead-based paint at the property. Keeping test reports, inspection records, and renovation history together is recommended, as it may be needed at lease signing or sale.
Does Aced Maintenance perform lead-based paint work?
No. While Deca Property Management and Aced Maintenance are certified and trained to recognize when a job falls under the RRP Rule, our technicians do not perform work that meets the RRP threshold themselves. We refer that work to a vetted list of EPA-certified renovators.