Lead Rental Registry
New Lead Rental Registry Law is scheduled to go into effect in November 2025.
The nation-leading law will address lead-based paint hazards in rental homes before a child experiences the harmful effects of lead.
Peeling and chipping lead paint and dust remains the primary source of childhood lead poisoning. The Lead Rental Registry Program will launch in 25 communities of concern with the highest number of childhood lead poisonings and older rental properties. It requires landlords to remove sources of lead in pre-1980 residential rental housing with two or more units.
The Department will publish revised regulations in the State Register later this summer for another round of public review and comment.
The Department revised the proposed regulations based on extensive feedback from various groups and subject matter experts including, the New York State Lead Advisory Council, health associations, lead and healthy homes coalitions, local health departments and the general public. The Department is also developing guidance to support training for landlords, contractors, and local code enforcement officers.
The 2023-2024 New York State Capital Budget made available an annual allocation of $20 million for the purposes of lead hazard remediation.
The New York State Homes and Community Renewal Housing Trust Fund Corporation is awarding funds to help provide technical and financial assistance to landlords to address lead hazards in rental properties.
Before the regulations go into effect, landlords and contractors should use this time to get EPA certified in lead renovation, repair, and painting.
Older homes increase risks of lead poisoning.
Lead poisoning is extremely dangerous, especially for young children. There is no safe level of lead. Once in the body, lead can cause lifelong brain damage, permanent injury, and disabilities. Pre-1980 homes remain the leading cause of lead exposure from peeling and chipping lead paint and dust. Yet, these exposures are preventable.
The Lead Rental Registry Program 25 Communities of Concern
The Lead Rental Registry Program will address rental units built before 1980 in these communities of concern, which include Albany, Amsterdam, Auburn, Binghamton, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Elmira, Gloversville, Jamestown, Kingston, Middletown, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Rome, Schenectady, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, Watertown, and Yonkers.
Requirements
- Pre-1980 housing with two or more rental units must be inspected and documented as free of lead paint hazards before they can be issued a lead safety certification.
- Landlords must oversee prompt cleanup and lead safe repairs when hazards are identified. Compliance will be tracked, monitored, and enforced.
Regulations will be finalized after a second-round of public comment period ends later this summer.
The Lead Rental Registry Program is expanding local health department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Programs in Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Dutchess, Erie, Fulton, Jefferson, Monroe, Montgomery, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Rockland, Schenectady, Ulster, and Westchester.
Local Health Department programs can support:
- Training and certification programs to increase the number of EPA Certified lead risk assessors and contractors to identify and remove lead hazards from rental properties.
- Outreach activities to landlords about the upcoming Lead Rental Registry Program requirements.
- Outreach and education efforts about tenant rights as well as what families can do to prevent childhood lead exposure.
Landlords and contractors across the State and in the Lead Rental Registry communities must be EPA certified in lead renovation, repair, and painting.
Lead-safe certification is federally mandated when projects disturb paint in a pre-1978 rental property.
