New York State Department of Health Launches Nation-Leading Lead Rental Registry Program

Lead Rental Registry Program Will Inspect, Certify and Track Pre-1980 Rentals in Communities of Concern

Local Health Departments Are Contacting Property Owners to Verify and Provide Information About Rental Properties

$40 Million Awarded to 20 Counties to Fix Lead Hazards Identified by the New Program with Additional Funding toAssist Counties with Implementation

ALBANY, N.Y. (December 3, 2025) – The New York State Department of Health today announced the launch of New York State's nation-leading childhood lead poisoning prevention program. Local health departments are currently contacting property owners with instructions for entering their data into Lead Safe NY, New York's Lead Rental Registry data system. This program is part of Governor Kathy Hochul's initiative to eliminate lead exposure in New York State. The program tackles the leading source of lead exposure – peeling and chipping lead-based paint in older rental housing in 25 communities of concern with the highest levels of lead poisonings.

"Governor Hochul's commitment to protecting the safety and wellbeing of New York State's children is fully represented in this nation-leading Lead Rental Registry program," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Lead exposure can cause brain damage, permanent injury and life-long disabilities. The Lead Rental Registry is the Department's largest undertaking in addressing childhood lead poisoning since the launch of our Childhood Lead Poisoning Primary Prevention Program. It moves the needle from reactive lead poisoning intervention to proactively addressing lead hazards in rental homes before a child is lead poisoned."

The Lead Rental Registry law protects children from the harmful effects of lead. 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. Homes built before 1980 remain the leading source of childhood lead poisoning exposures due to peeling and chipping lead-based paint and dust. These exposures are preventable.

The Lead Rental Registry law went into effect on November 3, 2025, and the revised regulations are now published. Local health departments are engaging landlords, tenants and municipalities to help prepare for compliance prior to the regulations taking effect in 2026.

The New York State Department of Health is also using this time to launch Lead Safe NY, New York State's Lead Rental Registry data system. During this time, local health departments are reaching out to property owners in the 25 communities of concern to verify and provide information on rental properties using Lead Safe NY. They are also encouraging property owners to notify tenants about the Lead Rental Registry program using this fact sheet.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, "All New Yorkers deserve homes that are safe and habitable, especially for children. Combined with our investment to assist landlords in addressing lead hazards, this Lead Rental Registry Program will help reduce lead exposure among children and give families peace-of-mind. We are thankful to Governor Hochul for her tireless commitment to helping New Yorkers thrive, as well as to our partners at the Department of Health."

New York State Chief Information Officer and Director of the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) Dru Rai said, "The Office of Information Technology Services is pleased and proud to have played a key role in creation of the data and reporting system that will keep New Yorkers and their families safe from the harmful effects of lead. I applaud the leadership of Governor Hochul and Dr. McDonald on this important health and safety issue and commend the hardworking members of the ITS Dedicated Team for Health for turning concept into reality, and for showing once again that the partnership between DOH and ITS is working for New York."

New York State has made great progress in removing lead from gasoline, pipes that carry drinking water, household products, and construction materials. Yet peeling and chipping lead paint in older homes remains the most common source of childhood lead exposure. The Lead Rental Registry program seeks to create a framework for the removal of lead paint hazards from rental housing using a combination of legal requirements and financial incentives to assist landlords with compliance.

This Lead Rental Registry program is part of Governor Hochul's plan to support tenants and improve housing supply as included in New York's FY2024 and FY2025 budgets. As regulations wind their way through the review process, landlords, local health departments, and municipalities in communities of concern can use this time to work together to ensure that the information we have on rental properties is accurate and complete.

Contractors and landlords are encouraged to become EPA certified in lead renovation, repair, and painting. Lead-safe certification is federally mandated when projects disturb paint in housing constructed before 1978. Contractors and landlords in the Lead Rental Registry communities of concern must be educated and trained to avoid creating 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 Lead Rental Registry program requires that residential 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 Certificate. It requires prompt cleanup and the completion of lead-safe repairs when hazards are identified. Property owner compliance will be tracked and compliance will be enforced.

Properties must be certified as free of lead-based paint hazards every three years starting in 2026.

The Registry includes all rental properties with two or more units located in areas identified by the Department of Health as communities of concern, as per New York State Public Health Law (PHL) § 1377. Communities of concern 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. These high-risk communities outside of New York City have the highest number of children with elevated blood lead levels. These same communities also have the highest percentages of homes built before 1980 within their municipal limits. Rental property owners with two or more units built before 1980 must comply with this law, even if one of those units is owner- or family-occupied.

To help prepare landlords and contractors for the new regulations, state and local health departments are working with state and local officials, landlords, housing associations, and other stakeholders. The public can contact their local health department to learn about trainings offered to landlords, contractors, and local code enforcement officers in their community.

The New York State Department of Health has already awarded nearly $16 million to 20 local health departments to build capacity and assist the communities of concern in their county with implementing the Lead Rental Registry.

The $16 million awarded to local health departments is being used to support:

• Staffing needs for lead hazard inspections and landlord regulatory compliance and enforcement activities.
• Training and certification programs to increase the number of EPA certified lead risk assessors and abatement contractors qualified to identify and remove lead hazards from homes.
• Outreach and education efforts about tenant rights as well as what families can do to prevent childhood lead poisoning.

The FY2024, FY2025 and FY 2026 New York State Capital Budgets each made available $20 million for lead hazard remediation. New York State Homes and Community Renewal has already awarded $40 million of that grant funding in 20 counties with jurisdiction over communities of concern to provide technical and financial assistance to landlords to address lead hazards in rental properties. The remaining $20 million is now available, and applications are currently being accepted from county and not-for-profit administrators.

Learn more about the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program at www.health.ny.gov/lead.

Learn more about the Lead Rental Registry at ;health.ny.gov/LeadRentalRegistry.