Lead
Enforcing Lead Laws and Regulations
Enforcement ensures that companies and individuals who violate the law are held accountable. The goal of EPA's enforcement program is to protect public health, deter would-be violators, and level the playing field for companies that follow the law.
EPA's enforcement program works with the Department of Justice, states, tribal governments and law enforcement agencies to take administrative and judicial actions at both the federal and state level, and to bring violators into compliance with environmental laws.
Here are some examples of lead-related enforcement actions:
- February 23, 2012: EPA Reaches Agreement with Battery Recycling Company, Inc. of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, to Reduce Lead Pollution
- February 6, 2012: Titan Environmental Services to Pay $10,878 for Violations of Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
- January 10, 2012: Companies Face Fines for Lead Paint Disclosure Violations at Two Navy Bases in New England
- February 28, 2011: Former Detroit Lead Inspector Sentenced for Fraud
On this page:
Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil
Lead-based Paint Program
Enforcement of the lead-based paint program is conducted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). TSCA gives EPA authority to inspect, subpoena documents, require testimony and bring civil administrative actions in target housing (housing, schools and daycares built before 1978).
EPA has issued civil administrative enforcement response and penalty policies. The goal of the lead-based paint enforcement response and penalty policies is to provide fair and equitable treatment of the regulated community, predictable enforcement responses, and comparable penalty assessments for comparable violations, with flexibility to allow for individual facts and circumstances of a particular case.
- Interim Final Lead-Based Paint Consolidated Enforcement Response and Penalty Policy (3 pp, 171K, About PDF)
- Consolidated Enforcement Response and Penalty Policy for the Pre-Renovation Education Rule; Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule; and Lead-Based Paint Activities Rule (44 pp, 294K, About PDF)
- Revisions to the 2000 Section 1018 - Disclosure Rule Enforcement Response (2 pp, 104K, About PDF)
- Section 1018 Disclosure Rule Enforcement Response and Penalty Policy (37 pp, 272K, About PDF)
EPA-Authorized State Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Programs
Several states are authorized to administer their own RRP programs that operate in lieu of the EPA regulations. Contractors and training providers working in these states and consumers living there should contact the appropriate state, tribal or territorial program office. See RRP information in: Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin. 
Lead at Superfund Sites
EPA programs, federal agencies, state agencies, and tribes all share in the responsibility for managing lead risk and cleanup of lead. EPA uses a number of cleanup authorities independently and in combination to address specific cleanup situations. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), EPA finds the companies or people responsible for contamination (potentially responsible parties (PRPs)) at a site and negotiates with them to clean up the site themselves. The Agency uses its authority, when appropriate, to order, or ask a court to order, PRPs to clean up the site. In addition, where viable PRPs do not exist the Agency will use Superfund Trust Fund resources to take appropriate action.
Read more about cleaning up lead Superfund sites.
Lead in Water
Drinking Water
Control of lead in drinking water is handled under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Public water systems must comply with the national primary drinking water regulations. These regulations include health-based standards and monitoring and reporting requirements.
EPA and states enforce the Lead and Copper Rule along with other important drinking water regulations. As part of a broader effort, EPA issued the Drinking Water Enforcement Response Policy (ERP) in December 2009. The ERP is a new approach replacing the contaminant by contaminant compliance strategy with one that is more holistic. The ERP helps focus enforcement attention on public drinking water systems with the most serious or repeated violations, including noncompliance with the Lead and Copper Rule.
Lead is rarely found in source water, but enters drinking water through corrosion of plumbing materials and service lines.
- Summary of the Safe Drinking Water Act
- Enforcement Response Policy under the Safe Drinking Water Act (PDF) (16 pp, 951K, About PDF)
- Lead and Copper Rule
Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Coastal Waters
The Clean Water Act (CWA) focuses on improving the quality of the nation's waters. It provides a comprehensive framework of standards, technical tools and financial assistance to address the many causes of pollution and poor water quality, including municipal and industrial wastewater discharges, polluted runoff from urban and rural areas, and habitat destruction.
Lead in Air
Enforcement of lead in the air is conducted under the Clean Air Act (CAA) which regulates stationary and mobile sources of air emissions. The act requires major stationary sources, such as manufacturers, processors, refiners, and utilities, to obtain operating permits and install pollution control equipment and to meet specific emissions limitations.
The major sources of lead emissions to the air today are ore and metals processing and leaded aviation gasoline. Other stationary sources are waste incinerators, utilities, and lead-acid battery manufacturers.
Lead in Waste
To ensure that hazardous wastes are managed in a manner that does not endanger human health or the environment, EPA enforces requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act regarding the safe handling, treatment, storage and disposal of hazardous wastes, including wastes containing lead. EPA and the states verify compliance with these requirements through a comprehensive compliance monitoring program which includes inspecting facilities, reviewing records and taking enforcement action where necessary.
Cleanup Enforcement
EPA's cleanup enforcement program protects human health and the environment by getting those responsible for a hazardous waste site to either clean up or reimburse EPA for its cleanup. EPA uses a number of cleanup authorities independently and in combination to address specific cleanup situations. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), EPA finds the companies or people responsible for contamination at a site, and negotiates with them to clean up the site themselves or to pay for another party to do the cleanup. And, when solid or hazardous waste is not properly managed and contamination results at facilities regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), EPA and the states may step in to oversee the cleanup.