If you’re renovating a building built before 1978, certain EPA standards and requirements must be met to ensure lead safety:
Beginning April 22, 2010, federal law requires that contractors performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb more than six square feet of paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified and trained to follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.
See the EPA’s informative PDF file, “The Lead-Safe Certified Guide to Renovate Right.”
The contractor is required to provide certain information to homeowners:
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) (11 pp, 1.1MB) | en español (PDF) (20 pp, 3.2MB). Contractors must document compliance with this requirement; EPA’s pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 53K) may be used for this purpose.
Understand that after April 22, 2010, federal law requires you to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices. To become certified, renovation contractors must submit an application and fee payment to EPA.
View the Application for firm certification (PDF) (9 pp, 590K)
