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Renovation, Repair and Painting
Lead-Safe Renovation, Repairs and Painting
Highlights
Training providers: EPA is now accepting applications to become accredited to provide training under the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Rule. Follow this link to the application and associated information.
View NBC's Today show story on dangers and precautions to be aware of when renovating older housing
or child care facilities.
Important Resources
Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB) | En Español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)
On this page you will find:
- EPA Requirements
- Information for States and Tribes
- Information for Property Owners of Rental Housing, Child-Occupied Facilities
- Information on Homeowners Working at Home
- Information for Tenants and Families of Children Under Age 6 in Child Care Facilities and Schools
- Information for Contractors
- Fee Rule
- Information for Training Providers
- Information for Lead Test Kit Vendors
- Related Notices, Final and Proposed Rules, and Background Information on EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule
EPA Requirements
Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children.
To protect against this risk, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe practices and other actions aimed at preventing lead poisoning. Under the rule, beginning in April 2010, contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
Until that time, EPA recommends that anyone performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools follow lead-safe work practices.
- All contractors should follow these three simple procedures:
- Contain the work area.
- Minimize dust.
- Clean up thoroughly.
Read EPA's Regulations on Residential Property Renovation at 40 CFR 745.80, Subpart E.
Read about lead-hazard information for renovation, repair and painting activities in the EPA lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB) | En Español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)
Read about lead-safe work practices for contractors in the EPA pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en Español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats
Read about how to comply with EPA's rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en Español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
Find additional EPA publications and brochures on lead-safe renovation, repair and painting and on lead poisoning prevention.
Beginning in December 2008, the rule will require that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint provide to owners and occupants of child care facilities and to parents and guardians of children under age six that attend child care facilities built prior to 1978 the lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB). | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB)
The rule will affect paid renovators who work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, including:
- Renovation contractors
- Maintenance workers in multi-family housing
- Painters and other specialty trades.
Under the rule, child-occupied facilities are defined as residential, public or commercial buildings where children under age six are present on a regular basis. The requirements apply to renovation, repair or painting activities. The rule does not apply to minor maintenance or repair activities where less than six square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where less then 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. Window replacement is not minor maintenance or repair.
Read EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule.
View the implementation deadlines associated with the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program rule.
Information for States and Tribes
EPA headquarters has developed guidance documents to assist states and tribes that are applying to EPA for authorization to manage their own lead renovation, repair and painting programs (PDF) (122 pp, 257K).
Information for Property Owners of Rental Housing, Child-Occupied Facilities
Property owners who renovate, repair, or prepare surfaces for painting in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must, before beginning work, provide tenants with a copy of EPA's lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB). En Español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). Owners of these rental properties must document compliance with this requirement—EPA’s sample pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K) may be used for this purpose.
After April 2010, property owners who perform these projects in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must be certified and follow the lead-safe work practices required by EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Remodeling rule. Read more about EPA's rules and lead-safe work practices in EPA's pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en Español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats
Property owners who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in rental property should also:
- Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices.
- Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices beginning in April 2010.
- Keep records to demonstrate that you and your workers have been trained in lead-safe work practices and that you followed lead-safe work practices on the job. To make recordkeeping easier, you may use the sample recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 58K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation recordkeeping requirements that will take effect in April 2010.
- Read about how to comply with EPA's rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en Español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
- Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA's Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) (36 pp, 878K).
Information for Homeowners Working at Home
If you are a homeowner performing renovation, repair, or painting work in your own home, EPA’s RRP rule does not cover your project. However, you have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of your family or children in your care. If you are living in a pre-1978 home and planning to do painting or repairs, please read a copy of EPA's Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) lead hazard information pamphlet (20 pp, 3.3MB). | En Español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). You may also want to call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) and ask for more information on how to work safely in a home with lead-based paint.
Information for Tenants and Families of Children Under Age 6 in Child Care Facilities and Schools
As a tenant or a parent or guardian of children in a child care facility or school, you should know your rights when a renovation job is performed in your home, or in the child care facility or school that your child attends.
- Before starting a renovation in residential buildings built before 1978, the contractor or property owner is required to have tenants sign a pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K), which indicates that the tenant received the Renovate Right lead hazard information pamphlet.
- Beginning in December 2008, the contractor must also make renovation information available to the parents or guardians of children under age six that attend child care facilities and schools, and to provide to owners and administrators of pre-1978 child care facilities and schools to be renovated a copy of EPA's Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) lead hazard information pamphlet (20 pp, 3.3MB).
Information for Contractors
As a contractor, you play an important role in helping to prevent lead exposure. Ordinary renovation and maintenance activities can create dust that contains lead. By following the lead-safe work practices, you can prevent lead hazards.
Contractors who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities must, before beginning work, provide owners, tenants, and child-care facilities with a copy of EPA's lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (20 pp, 3.3MB) | En Español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). Contractors must document compliance with this requirement—EPA’s pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 36K) may be used for this purpose.
Understand that after April 2010, federal law will require you to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. Read more about EPA's rules and lead-safe work practices in EPA's pamphlet Contractors: Lead Safety During Renovation (PDF) color, in English (2 pp, 826K) | color, en Español (PDF) (2 pp, 334K) | HTML version | Other formats
Contractors who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs should also:
- Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices.
- Provide a copy of your EPA or state lead training certificate to your client.
- Tell your client what lead-safe methods you will use to perform the job.
- Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices beginning in April 2010.
- Ask your client to share the results of any previously conducted lead tests.
- Provide your client with references from at least three recent jobs involving homes built before 1978.
- Keep records to demonstrate that you and your workers have been trained in lead-safe work practices and that you followed lead-safe work practices on the job. To make recordkeeping easier, you may use the sample recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 58K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation recordkeeping requirements that will take effect in April 2010.
- Read about how to comply with EPA's rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (34 pp, 2.5MB) | en Español (PDF) (34 pp, 1.3MB).
- Read about how to use lead-safe work practices in EPA's Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting (PDF) (36 pp, 878K).
Fee Rule
On March 20, 2009, EPA issued a final rule to establish fees for the new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule. The rule establishes fees that are charged for training programs seeking accreditation, for firms engaged in renovations seeking certification, and for individuals (for example, risk assessors) or firms engaged in lead-based paint activities seeking certification. The rule applies only in those states and tribes without their own authorized lead programs. The rule also modifies and lowers fees for the Lead-based Paint Activities regulations. The fees were developed as required by section 402 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to recover the cost of administering and enforcing the law's requirements. Read EPA's fact sheet on the final rule.
Information for Training Providers
Training Provider Application and Instructions (PDF) (13 pp, 1.1M) - Training providers applying for accreditation must submit a completed application and fee payment as described in the application instructions. The following list contains key information required in the application:
- Training program's name, address, and telephone number;
- A list of courses that the training program is applying for accreditation;
- Statement certifying that the training program meets the requirements established by 40 CFR 745.225(c);
- Statement certifying the basis of the training curriculum (EPA approved or non-approved - if non-approved then include a course agenda and copies of the student and instructor manuals;
- A description of the training facilities and hands-on equipment used during training;
- A copy of the course test;
- A description of the activities and procedures that will be used to assess the skills associated with the hand-on component of the course;
- A copy of the quality control plan as required by 40 CFR 745.225(c)(9).
Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule Courses - These courses were developed by the U.S. EPA, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to train renovation, repair, and painting contractors and dust sampling technicians on how to comply with EPA's Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, and HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule.
Cleaning Verification Cards. Trainers can obtain copies of the Cleaning Verification Cards by contacting the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323).
Information for Lead Test Kit Vendors
Lead Test Kit Evaluation - EPA is evaluating the effectiveness of lead test kits by asking vendors to submit test kits for review to ensure fewer false negatives.
Read EPA's April 22, 2009, Federal Register proposal to make minor revisions to the Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule. Read summary information on the proposal relating to requirements for training providers to submit photos of trainees.
Read other information related to the Renovation, Repair and Painting Program Rule.