Connecticut State Department of Public Health

Beginning Nov. 20, 2023, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered to their home by visiting COVIDTests.gov. If you did not order tests this fall, you may place two orders for a total of eight tests. Additionally, before you discard any “expired” test kits you have, please check here to see if the expiration dates of your COVID-19 tests have been extended.

Landlords and Lead Paint

 

Housing Built Before 1978

Housing built before 1978 may contain lead paint. If you are a landlord, it is important that you know the laws relating to lead in Connecticut. 

Landlords have the responsibility to ensure that all painted surfaces remain intact. If landlords need to complete renovations, repairs and/or painting, it is important to follow the state and federal rules relating to lead-based paint.

Landlords are prohibited from:

  • Dry scraping or sanding painted surfaces
  • Power washing painted surfaces

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule), which requires landlords to take protective measures during renovations, repairs and painting activities. These activities can create hazardous lead dust when surfaces with lead paint are disturbed.

 

Renovations, Repair and Painting

The RRP Rule requires landlords to hire an EPA RRP-certified renovator to complete renovations and repairs on pre-1978 housing. For more information, a landlord may visit the EPA’s website to locate an EPA RRP-certified renovator, click here. 

For more information on hiring an EPA RRP-certified renovator, click here.

If a landlord prefers to complete their own renovations or repairs, they must become an EPA RRP-certified renovator. For more information, click here.

If a landlord believes that an EPA RRP-certified firm and/or renovator is violating the RRP rule, click here to submit a tip or complaint to the 

EPA.

 

Lead Abatement

If a child under the age of 6 is determined to have an elevated blood lead level, the local health department will be required to complete an epidemiological investigation (the completion of a comprehensive lead inspection and child related questionnaire).

 

Epidemiological Investigation Steps:

  1. The local health department will contact the child's parents to schedule a comprehensive lead inspection.
  2. The local health department will conduct a comprehensive lead inspection, which includes testing of all painted surfaces (interior, exterior, and common areas), along with dust, soil and water sampling.
  3. If lead hazards are discovered, the local health department must issue a lead abatement order to the landlord. This lead abatement order will outline the lead hazards that were discovered during the comprehensive lead inspection and require the landlord to contact the local health department.
  4. The landlord must post signs at the entry of the home within 2 days of receiving the lead abatement order letter. For a sample of the signage, click here

Lead Abatement Steps:

  1. The landlord must submit a written lead abatement to the Director of Health upon receipt of the lead abatement order. For a sample lead abatement plan, click here
  2. The local health department must review and approve the lead abatement plan and notify the landlord that the plan is acceptable as submitted.
  3. Lead abatement can only begin once the local health department has approved the lead abatement plan.

Post-abatement Steps

  1. Upon completion of abatement and prior to reoccupancy, the local health department shall complete a visual assessment of the property to ensure that abatement is complete.
    1. The local health department shall complete clearance dust wipe sampling to ensure that no dust hazard are present.
  2. Following the above, the local health department shall issue a letter of compliance indicating that lead abatement has been completed satisfactorily.

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