It is estimated that at least 19 million homes have lead-based paint hazards, of which at least 4 million have young children under age the age of six living in them. (HUD 1990; EPA 1995).

All sellers are required by law to make written disclosures to buyers regarding their knowledge of any lead-based paint hazards for homes built before 1978.

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have some paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Properties before 1960 have the most lead paint. Lead paint can be present on any painted surface, but it is most often found on windows, trims, doors, railings, columns, porches and outside walls.

Your risk assessment inspection report will contain site specific recommendations. In general, lead hazard reduction will require: Property owners must have had vacant units when they applied to Round 1. Contained in each owner's conditional award package are the tools to select income-qualified tenants.

Florida does not require any licensing for the removal of lead based paint. The Florida Lead Information contact is in the Florida Department of Health's Toxicology Section at 850/488-3385. You may also wish to call the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323) to answer questions about federal requirements.

The City's lead law requires owners of multiple dwellings to repair all peeling, cracking, scaling, flaking, blistering, chipping, or lose in any manner paint. The law further requires owners of such buildings to inquire whether children under the age of seven reside in the building and to visually inspect their apartments for lead hazards once a year. Lead-based paint violations must be repaired using safe work practices, within the timeframes specified by law and HPD rules.

Find out from your local landfill or EPA office about the regulations of disposal for lead-based paint in your area.

If your home was built before 1978, you are required by law to provide your buyer with a lead-based paint disclosure, along with the EPA pamphlet entitled, "Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home". This is provided on our site for your information (for Owners with homes built before 1978).

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in products found in and around our homes. In general, the older a home, the more likely it has lead-based paint. Paint- The federal government banned lead-based paint from housing in 1978, but homes built before this time may have used lead paint. Dust- Household dust can be contaminated with lead from paint, as can the soil around a house whose exterior was painted with lead paint.

Lead-based paint can be found on surfaces that children can chew or that get a lot of wear-and-tear. These areas include: Porches and fences Children can also be exposed to lead dust by parents who work in lead related industries (lead foundry, car repairs, and lead related work). Parents working in these industries often bring home lead dust in their clothing or shoes and expose children to high levels of lead dust. A shower and change of clothes are recommended before coming home.

Lead poisoning has been linked to many physical illnesses including anemia, loss of mental capacity, miscarriages, lethargy.

If you own a residential property built before 1978 in Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville or Oakland, you may be eligible for free property owner services including an In Home Consultation and a Lead Test Kit. If you plan to conduct work on your property yourself, read about reducing lead hazards and take a class! If you want to hire a lab, consultant or contractor to identify lead hazards or to conduct lead safe work at your property, refer to the Directory of Lead Hazard Reduction Services.

It is not recommended that the average homeowner attempt to correct their own lead-based paint problem, since it is very easy to make the problem worse instead of better. Many cases of lead poisoning are as a result of an inexperienced person attempting to abate a lead problem. It is often easiest to replace old doors, windows, trim, and other woodwork with new materials. The item should be wrapped in heavy plastic and kept away from children.

For publications/information about lead-based paint, contact the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) at 1-800-424-Lead or visit http://www.epa.gov/lead.

You may begin work immediately after receiving a course completion certificate from an initial training course that is accredited by EPA. This certificate serves as interim certification for six months following completion of training. This gives you time to complete the certification process, including taking the 3rd Party Exam (if required for your discipline). However, if you do not pass the exam within 6 months your interim certification will expire and you won't be able to work.

The only way to permanently reduce lead hazards is to remove or replace painted surfaces in a lead-safe manner. Never use a dry method like sanding or scraping to remove lead painted surfaces- this will create lead-contaminated dust. Repairing and/or maintaining painted surfaces (primarily windows, exteriors, and trim) will also reduce lead exposure.

The law requires you to disclose your knowledge of lead-based paint in homes build prior to 1978. The tax records will indicate the year your home was built and if necessary, we will email you the required disclosure documents and material.

If your house or building was built prior to 1978 chances are you have lead-based paint (LBP) issues. LBP was the best paint you could get, so it was used in good quality homes and commercial properties.