EPA Lead Paint Pamphlet: Where to Download in 2026
The EPA lead paint pamphlet — officially titled “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home” — is the document that landlords, sellers, and renovators of pre-1978 housing must deliver to tenants, buyers, and homeowners under federal lead-paint disclosure rules. This guide summarizes EPA, HUD, and CDC lead-safety guidance current as of 2026 — consult a certified lead inspector for testing and your physician for blood-lead screening for children. The practical questions readers most often have are where to download the current pamphlet, what languages it is available in, and what the federal distribution requirements actually look like in 24 CFR 35 (HUD’s lead-safe housing rule) and 40 CFR 745 (the EPA’s lead-based paint regulations).
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Where to download the EPA lead paint pamphlet
The current pamphlet is hosted by the EPA at epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-lead-your-home. The page provides PDF downloads in multiple languages and the EPA publication identifier for the current edition. Downloading the PDF is the fastest and most reliable way to obtain the current version. Print copies are available at no charge by calling the EPA’s National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD; the Center will ship the requested number of printed copies to any address in the United States.
HUD also hosts the pamphlet on its website, and many state health departments mirror the PDF for their state-specific lead-program pages. The substantive content is the same regardless of where the PDF is sourced, but downloading from the EPA’s primary page is the simplest way to ensure the file is current; mirror sites occasionally lag behind EPA revisions. The where to get the pamphlet guide covers the sourcing channels in additional detail.
Available translations
The EPA maintains the pamphlet in English plus more than a dozen additional languages. The current language list includes Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Tagalog, Somali, French, Haitian Creole, Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, and others depending on the current revision. Landlords and sellers serving non-English-speaking tenant or buyer populations should provide the translated edition appropriate to the recipient’s primary language; the disclosure obligation is satisfied by providing any EPA-approved version of the pamphlet, but providing a translated version when the recipient cannot read English is both the right thing to do and the practical way to ensure the recipient actually receives the information the federal rule intends them to have.
The translated editions are direct translations of the same substantive content as the English edition. A landlord or seller does not have to choose between an English and a translated version; many distribute both copies side by side to maintain a clear paper trail of the disclosure.
Distribution requirements under 40 CFR 745
The EPA’s lead-based paint regulations live in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 745. Subpart F of 40 CFR 745 contains the disclosure of known lead-based paint hazards upon sale or lease of residential property — the implementing regulation for Title X’s disclosure obligation. The regulation specifies the form of the disclosure, the timing of the disclosure, the records that must accompany the disclosure, and the duration of recordkeeping requirements (the disclosure form and records must be retained by the seller or landlord for three years after the closing or lease execution).
The disclosure timing rule is particularly important. The pamphlet and disclosure must be delivered to the prospective tenant or buyer before they become contractually obligated to purchase or rent the property. A landlord delivering the pamphlet at lease signing is satisfying the timing rule; a landlord delivering the pamphlet after the tenant has already moved in is not. The same logic applies to sales: the disclosure must be made before the buyer signs the purchase contract, not at closing.
Subpart E of 40 CFR 745 contains the Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, which requires distribution of a different pamphlet (“Renovate Right”) to homeowners and tenants before renovation work begins on pre-1978 housing. The two pamphlets are related but distinct, and a contractor performing renovation work on pre-1978 housing distributes the Renovate Right pamphlet under the RRP Rule rather than the Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home pamphlet under Title X.
HUD requirements under 24 CFR 35
HUD’s lead-safe housing rule lives at 24 CFR Part 35. The rule applies to housing receiving federal financial assistance — public housing, Section 8 voucher tenancies, HOME-program-funded properties, and various other federally assisted programs. The rule layers additional obligations on top of Title X for these properties: visual lead-hazard assessments at unit turnover, deteriorated-paint stabilization on identified hazards, and clearance testing after any lead-hazard reduction work.
The HUD rule also requires distribution of the EPA pamphlet to tenants and applicants in federally assisted housing. The distribution requirement under 24 CFR 35 is broader than the Title X requirement because it captures additional points of interaction (recertification, transfer, and other tenancy events) beyond just initial lease signing. Landlords operating federally assisted units typically build the pamphlet distribution into their standard tenant-event documentation packets to ensure the obligation is satisfied at each required point.
What the pamphlet contains
The sixteen-page document is organized into nine sections covering the practical questions a household receiving the pamphlet is likely to have. Section one identifies who the pamphlet is for. Section two covers the health effects of lead exposure with emphasis on children under six and pregnant women. Section three identifies where lead-based paint is commonly found in pre-1978 housing. Section four describes paint inspection and risk assessment services and how to commission them. Section five covers household precautions for living safely in pre-1978 housing. Section six covers the RRP Rule for any renovation work. Section seven addresses non-paint sources of lead exposure including drinking water, soil, and certain consumer products. Section eight provides contact information for the EPA’s National Lead Information Center, HUD, the CDC, and state and local lead-poisoning prevention programs. Section nine includes a copy of the federal lead-based paint disclosure form. The lead paint pamphlet overview covers the substantive contents in additional detail.
How to verify you have the current edition
The EPA periodically revises the pamphlet to incorporate updated CDC reference levels for childhood blood lead, updated guidance from emerging research on low-dose lead exposure effects, and refinements to the renovation guidance. The current edition is identifiable by the EPA publication identifier printed in small text at the bottom of the back cover and by the most recent revision date inside the back cover. Older copies remain in circulation among landlords and sellers; the disclosure obligation is technically satisfied by any EPA-approved version of the pamphlet, but tenants and buyers benefit from the current version because the household-precautions and contact-information sections have been updated.
Distribution by real-estate professionals
Real-estate agents and brokers representing sellers of pre-1978 property carry a separate disclosure obligation under 40 CFR 745: they must ensure that the seller complies with the Title X disclosure requirements. Agents who become aware that the seller has not provided the pamphlet or the disclosure must inform the seller of the obligation and document the steps taken to ensure compliance. Agents who fail to ensure seller compliance can be subject to EPA enforcement action separately from the seller. This is one reason real-estate agencies typically maintain standardized disclosure packages that include the pamphlet, the disclosure form, and any other state-specific addenda required at contract signing.
The same logic applies to property management companies handling rentals. A property manager facilitating a pre-1978 rental on behalf of an owner is responsible for ensuring the pamphlet and disclosure are delivered to the tenant before lease signing, and is exposed to enforcement action if they fail to do so. Property management agreements typically allocate this compliance responsibility explicitly between the owner and the manager.
What to do if the pamphlet was not provided
Tenants and buyers who realize after the fact that they did not receive the required pamphlet have several options. The first practical step is to document what was and was not provided at the time of lease signing or contract signing — retain any text messages, emails, or documents referencing the disclosure (or failing to reference it). The second step is to download the pamphlet directly from the EPA so the substantive information is no longer being withheld even if the disclosure was. The third step, for tenants and buyers who want to pursue the non-compliance formally, is to contact the EPA’s National Lead Information Center for guidance on filing a complaint. State-level lead programs (the Hawaii State Department of Health Lead Program, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment lead program, and the equivalent programs in other states) can also provide guidance.
The renovation-specific Renovate Right pamphlet
Households planning any renovation work on pre-1978 housing should be aware of a related but distinct pamphlet: Renovate Right, also published by the EPA. The Renovate Right pamphlet covers the EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, which requires that any renovation work on pre-1978 housing that disturbs more than six square feet of paint per interior room or twenty square feet of exterior paint be performed by EPA-certified renovators using lead-safe work practices. The Renovate Right pamphlet is distributed by the contractor to the homeowner or tenant before work begins, separately from the Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home pamphlet under Title X. Households commissioning renovation work should expect to receive both pamphlets if the work falls within the RRP Rule’s scope.
Civil penalties for non-distribution
The civil penalty structure for Title X disclosure violations is substantial. The EPA can assess penalties of more than twenty thousand dollars per violation, and the penalties scale based on the size of the violator and the systematic nature of the non-compliance. Private civil remedies are also available: tenants and buyers who can demonstrate harm from a non-disclosure can seek treble damages and attorney’s fees. The combination of EPA enforcement and private civil remedies has produced meaningful compliance among landlords and sellers in most U.S. markets, though enforcement gaps remain in markets where tenant awareness of the right to receive the pamphlet is low.
State-level coordination with the federal pamphlet
Federal Title X sets the floor for lead-paint disclosure obligations. Many states have layered additional state-level requirements on top of the federal floor. Massachusetts, for example, requires more extensive landlord obligations for housing with children under six in residence. New York City has its own local lead-paint ordinance that imposes inspection and remediation duties on landlords beyond what federal law requires. Maryland licenses lead inspectors and risk assessors at the state level in addition to the EPA certification. Colorado does not currently impose additional state-level disclosure obligations beyond Title X, though the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment lead program provides additional resources and outreach materials for tenants, buyers, and landlords across the state. Households in any state should familiarize themselves with both the federal floor and any state-level additions before relying on the federal pamphlet alone as their information source.
References
- EPA Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home pamphlet — Environmental Protection Agency
- HUD lead-safe housing rule 24 CFR Part 35 — Department of Housing and Urban Development
- CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention program — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Front Range homeowners or tenants who need a referral to a certified lead inspector or risk assessor for a pre-1978 property can reach out through our contact page.
Lead paint test kits
Instant swab kits flag lead on painted surfaces in minutes — useful before a renovation in any pre-1978 home.
| Product | Why | Buy |
|---|---|---|
 3M LeadCheck Swabs | EPA-recognized instant swabs. | Amazon — $205.00 |
 Lead Test Kit (lab-based) | Mail-in for a documented result. | Amazon — $19.99 |