The New York State Department of Health is updating New Yorkers on progress in advancing its childhood poisioning prevention program. The agency is encouraging landlords and local health departments to review draft regulations in preparation for November when the regulations are expected to take effect.
According to the DOH, New York State is making great progress in removing lead from drinking water, construction materials and more, and yet peeling and chipping lead-based paint in older homes remains one of the largest sources of childhood lead exposure. The Lead Rental Registry regulations create safer housing throughout the state.
This Lead Rental Registry program regulations will go into effect in November and will require property owners, health departments and local governments in communities of concern to work together to identify housing-related lead hazards and remove the sources of lead.
New York’s Lead Rental Registry Regulations are available here on page 29. The public comment period will close on February 22.
Before the regulations go into effect, contractors and property owners are encouraged to use this time to become EPA certified in lead renovation, repair, and painting. Lead-safe certification is federally mandated when projects disturb paint in a pre-1978 rental property. Landlords and contractors in the Lead Rental Registry communities of concern across the state must be educated and trained to avoid creating worse lead hazards when trying to remove peeling or chipping paint. Become familiar with the program and requirements by visiting the Department’s Lead Rental Registry Program website.
The program will require that rental properties built before 1980 with two or more units are inspected and documented as free of lead-based paint hazards before they can be issued a lead safety certification. It will require prompt cleanup and lead-safe repairs when hazards are identified. Property owner compliance will be tracked and monitored, and compliance will be enforced.
Properties must be certified every three years beginning in Fall 2025. The registry will require registration, lead hazard inspections, prompt remediation or abatement where necessary, certification, and tracking of property owner compliance.
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