For Landlords

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Landlords and Lead Paints

Homes and Apartments Built Before 1978	Inspection Steps	HUD-Assisted Housing
Childhood Lead Testing Rules	Abatement Steps	Resources
Steps Taken When A Child Is Lead Poisoned	Post-abatement Activities

Homes and Apartments Built Before 1978

Homes and apartments built before 1978 may contain lead paint. If you rent homes or apartments built before 1978, it is important that you know the laws in Connecticut that address lead paint and children. Lead poisoned children may have difficulty learning and suffer behavioral and health problems. Each year hundreds of children in Connecticut are found to have dangerous levels of lead in their bodies. Most lead poisoning is caused by children swallowing lead paint chips and dust.

If a child living in a rental apartment/home is lead poisoned the local health department will perform a lead inspection and issue a lead abatement order for the lead hazards found. The landlord will be required to write a lead abatement plan and hire a licensed professional lead abatement contractor to remove all lead hazards. For a list of licensed lead abatement contractors, see resources below. If help is needed writing an abatement plan, a licensed lead consultant contractor can be hired (for a list see resources below).

The local health department will decide if the child and family are required to be moved to housing where there are no lead hazards. If a family must move, the landlord must help find the family a safe place to live until the local health department allows the family to move back.

When landlords are doing renovation, repairs and/or painting on rental properties built before 1978, it is important to follow the state and federal rules on lead-based paint. These rules were made to prevent children from being lead poisoned. To find contractors who are EPA-certified in Connecticut to work on lead paint see resources below.

Childhood Lead Testing Rules

Connecticut law requires that young children receive blood tests to determine if they are exposed to levels of lead that may cause harm.

Testing protocols:

Each child should be tested 2 times between the ages of 9 months and 36 months.
Children who have not been tested before 24 months should be tested at any age between 2 and 6 years of age.

Laboratories that test blood for lead are required to submit children's results of 10 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) or greater to the local health department within 48 hours of the analysis.

Steps Taken When A Child Is Lead Poisoned

For a child with a blood lead test result of 20 µg/dL or greater:

The local health department starts an investigation within 5 business days of receipt of test result.
The investigation includes a comprehensive lead inspection of the child's home (or homes).
The lead inspection includes testing paint, dust, bare soils, drinking water, and other potential sources of lead.
The investigation, including the lead inspection and a lead abatement order (if necessary), should be completed and prepared within 30 business days of receipt of the child's test result.

For a child with two blood lead test results between 15 - 19 µg/dL that were taken at least 90 days apart:

The local health department will initiate a comprehensive lead inspection of the home (or homes) where the child is living.
The lead inspection must be started within 5 business days of receipt of child's last lead test result.
The lead inspection includes testing paint, dust, bare soils, drinking water, and other potential sources of lead.
The lead inspection and a lead abatement order (if necessary), should be completed and prepared within 30 business days of receipt of the child's test result.

Inspection steps:

The local health department contacts the child's parents or guardian and arranges a time to do a lead inspection.
A lead inspection takes place at the child's home or homes.
Within 2 days receiving test results from the lead inspection, the local health department writes a lead inspection report with the results of the testing.
The inspection report is provided to the owner(s) of the property with the lead abatement order.
If lead-based paint hazards or lead in soil hazards are found, the local health department issues a lead abatement order (if necessary).
Within 2 days the property owner must post signs at the entry of the home that requires abatement. Click here for a sample sign.
A management plan identifying the location of intact lead surfaces and how they will be monitored must be written and submitted to the local health department for review.

Abatement Steps:

Lead abatement for homes where a child has a 20 µg/dL or greater test result:

If lead abatement is required, the property owner must submit a written lead abatement plan to the Director of Health within 15 business days of receipt of the lead abatement order.
Within 10 business days of receipt of the lead abatement plan, the local health department reviews the plan and notifies the property owner that the plan is acceptable as submitted or that specific revisions and/or additional information is required.
If revisions or additional information is required, the local health department shall establish a timeline for submission of the changes.
Lead abatement activities must begin within 45 business days of receiving the lead abatement order.

Lead abatement for homes where a child has 2 test results between 15 and 19 ug/dL taken at least 90 days apart:

If lead abatement is required, the property owner must submit a written lead abatement plan to the Director of Health within 20 business days of receipt of the lead abatement order.
Within 15 business days of receipt of the plan, the local health department reviews the plan and notifies the property owner that the plan is acceptable as submitted or that specific revisions or additional information is required.
If revisions or additional information is required the local health department shall establish a timeline for submission of the changes.
Lead abatement activities must begin within 90 days of receiving the lead abatement order.

Post-abatement Steps

Upon completion of abatement and prior to reoccupancy, a lead inspector (typically the local health department) shall reinspect the abated area(s) to ensure that the approved lead abatement plan has been followed. Dust wipe samples will be collected.
A lead inspector (typically the local health department) will issue a Letter of Compliance within 5 business days of verification that the abatement area(s) is/are in compliance with clearance standards.
Within 10 business days of notification that the lead abatement has been completed the local health department will reinspect the abated area(s) to verify that lead abatement was properly completed.
Within 2 business days of completion of the reinspection and verification that abatement has been properly completed the local health department will issue a post abatement inspection report.

HUD-Assisted Housing

When a child under age six resides in HUD-assisted housing and has an elevated blood level, the housing provider will have to test the home and other potential sources of the child's lead exposure within 15 days, and ensure that hazards from lead-based paint, dust, or soil are controlled within 30 days. The housing provider must also report the case to HUD so that HUD can ensure that follow-up is completed on time. For more information, click here.