Lead Based Paint Booklet: What the EPA Pamphlet Covers
The lead based paint booklet most often referenced in U.S. real-estate transactions is the EPA pamphlet titled Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home. The 16-page booklet was developed jointly by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Federal law requires the booklet to be delivered to buyers, renters, and renovation clients in pre-1978 housing under specific circumstances. This guide summarizes EPA and HUD guidance current as of 2026 and walks through the booklet’s actual content section by section, plus where and how to obtain a current copy.
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Lead Based Paint Booklet: What It Is and Who Wrote It
Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home is the official EPA-HUD-CPSC consumer pamphlet on lead-based paint. The current edition (revised periodically — homeowners should verify the current revision date when downloading) is 16 pages of plain-language information about lead hazards, health effects, testing, and safe-living practices in pre-1978 housing. The pamphlet is free, downloadable in 16 language translations, and intended for delivery to non-expert audiences — buyers, renters, parents, and renovation clients.
The pamphlet does not certify anything. It is informational. Its legal significance comes from federal disclosure rules that require its delivery as part of certain real-estate and renovation transactions in pre-1978 housing.
The 16-Page Structure: What Each Section Covers
The booklet follows a defined structure that has been consistent across recent revisions. Each major section answers a specific homeowner or tenant question.
Why Lead in Paint Matters
The opening section establishes the health concern. Lead-based paint, once dry on a wall, is not in itself dangerous — the danger emerges when paint deteriorates into chips and dust that enter human bodies through ingestion (typical for young children who put hands and toys in their mouths) and through inhalation of lead-contaminated dust. Children under six are especially vulnerable because their developing nervous systems absorb lead at higher rates than adult systems.
Where Lead Is Found in the Home
The second section maps the typical locations of lead-based paint in a pre-1978 home. Friction surfaces (window jambs, door frames, painted floors, stair treads) are the highest-risk locations because friction during normal use produces lead-contaminated dust. Impact surfaces (door edges, baseboards, window sills) are the second-highest-risk locations. Painted exterior surfaces and soil near the foundation can also harbor lead-contaminated dust and chips that wash inside on shoes and pets.
Health Effects of Lead
The third section summarizes documented lead-exposure health effects. In children: developmental delays, learning difficulties, irritability, weight loss, fatigue, abdominal pain, hearing loss, slowed growth. In adults: high blood pressure, cardiovascular and kidney effects, reproductive and developmental concerns. The CDC blood lead reference value (currently 3.5 μg/dL after the 2021 revision from 5 μg/dL) is referenced as the threshold at which public-health follow-up is warranted. Consult a physician for any blood-lead concerns or pediatric testing recommendations.
Lead-Safe Living Practices
The fourth section gives plain-language guidance for households with confirmed lead-based paint they cannot or have not yet abated. Wet-clean floors, windowsills, and surfaces weekly. Wash children’s hands and toys frequently. Keep paint intact — repair chipping or peeling paint with lead-safe work practices. Plant grass or ground cover near the foundation to bind soil. Remove shoes at the door to keep exterior dust outside.
Lead-Safe Work Practices for Renovation
The fifth section covers the EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule. Renovations in pre-1978 housing that will disturb more than 6 square feet of interior painted surface or more than 20 square feet of exterior painted surface must be performed by an EPA RRP-certified renovator using lead-safe work practices. The booklet explains why DIY renovation in pre-1978 housing requires special precautions and why hiring an RRP-certified contractor matters for paint-disturbing work.
Getting Your Family Tested
The sixth section explains pediatric blood-lead testing. Children at risk (living in pre-1978 housing, with siblings or playmates who have elevated blood lead, or with parents in lead-exposure occupations) should be tested by their pediatrician at ages one and two, and possibly older for ongoing concern. The booklet directs parents to talk with their child’s doctor and references the CDC’s reference value. CDC publishes the current childhood lead-poisoning prevention guidance.
Getting Your Home Tested
The seventh section covers home-level testing. Two professional approaches: a lead-based paint inspection (determines presence and concentration) or a lead risk assessment (broader hazard determination including dust and soil sampling, plus a written management plan). The booklet directs homeowners to the EPA Find a Lead-Safe Certified Firm tool at epa.gov/lead and notes that retail home-test kits are screening tools only and do not produce regulatory-grade results.
Additional Information and Resources
The closing section provides contact information for the EPA National Lead Information Center hotline (800-424-LEAD), the EPA lead website, the HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, and the National Lead Information Center email address. State-specific resources (state health departments, state lead poisoning prevention programs) are also referenced. For a companion guide to the disclosure rules around this booklet, see our lead-paint disclosure pamphlet guide.
When Federal Law Requires Booklet Delivery
The booklet’s legal significance comes from two federal rules.
Real Estate Notification and Disclosure Rule (40 CFR 745 Subpart F)
Sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing must deliver the booklet (or an EPA-approved equivalent) to buyers and tenants before they enter a purchase contract or lease. The seller or landlord must also disclose any known lead-based paint or lead hazards, provide any available reports, and give buyers a 10-day opportunity to conduct a lead inspection at the buyer’s expense. Renters do not get the 10-day window — they only get the disclosure and booklet. Failure to comply with the rule can result in EPA civil penalties of up to several tens of thousands of dollars per violation as of 2026.
Pre-Renovation Education Rule (40 CFR 745 Subpart E)
Renovators performing paint-disturbing work in pre-1978 housing (above the 6-square-foot interior or 20-square-foot exterior threshold) must deliver the booklet to owner-occupants before beginning work, or post a notice in common areas for multi-family housing. The renovator must also be EPA RRP-certified. EPA publishes the full text of both rules and the firm and renovator certification requirements.
Where to Download the Booklet
The current PDF is available free at epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-lead-your-home. The page includes the primary English edition and 16 additional language translations: Spanish, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese, and several others. Sellers, landlords, and renovators who serve non-English-speaking households should deliver the booklet in the language the household reads.
Print copies are available for bulk order from the EPA National Service Center for Environmental Publications. Bulk orders are typically free for nonprofits, public-health agencies, and qualified resellers; modest fees may apply for commercial bulk orders. Real-estate agents and landlords can also obtain pre-printed copies from many state real-estate associations.
The pamphlet should be the current EPA edition. Older editions are not invalid for general informational purposes but may not satisfy the federal disclosure rule if regulations require a current revision. Check the publication date on the cover before delivery.
Documenting Delivery: What Sellers and Landlords Must Keep
Federal rules require not just delivery of the booklet but documentation of delivery. The Lead-Based Paint Real Estate Notification and Disclosure Rule specifies that sellers and landlords must retain records of disclosure and booklet delivery for at least three years from the date of sale or lease commencement. Records typically include the signed disclosure form, the lead-based paint disclosure addendum, and the buyer or tenant’s signed acknowledgment that they received the booklet.
Most state real-estate associations publish a standard lead-based paint disclosure form that combines all the required elements into a single signed document. The Colorado Association of Realtors, for example, uses a state-specific form that real-estate agents include in pre-1978 housing transactions. The form has a clear acknowledgment line where the buyer signs to confirm they received the EPA booklet at or before contract signing.
Landlords renewing leases with existing tenants do not have to re-deliver the booklet at every renewal — the original delivery at the start of the tenancy satisfies the rule. Landlords renting to new tenants must re-deliver. Sellers selling to investors who acknowledge they will gut-renovate may still owe booklet delivery; the rule does not contain a buyer-sophistication exemption.
Common Misunderstandings About the Booklet
Several patterns appear repeatedly in homeowner and tenant questions.
The booklet is not a substitute for an inspection. A buyer who receives the booklet at contract signing has received the federally required disclosure document but has not received any property-specific information about lead-based paint in the home being purchased. Buyers who want property-specific information must commission their own EPA-certified Lead Inspector or Lead Risk Assessor.
The booklet does not certify anything. It is a public-education document, not a regulatory certification or a property report.
The booklet is required even when the seller says the home has no lead-based paint. The disclosure rule requires delivery of the booklet to any buyer or tenant of pre-1978 housing, regardless of what the seller knows or says about lead presence. The buyer or tenant then has the option of independent testing.
The booklet applies to pre-1978 housing — not pre-1978 buildings of all types. The disclosure rule covers residential housing built before 1978. Commercial buildings, public buildings, and zero-bedroom dwellings (studio apartments with shared facilities) are exempt or treated under different rules. Our asbestos and lead guide walks through the full disclosure framework.
The 10-Day Inspection Window in Real Estate Transactions
One specific element of the Real Estate Notification and Disclosure Rule deserves separate attention because it is often misunderstood by both buyers and sellers. Buyers of pre-1978 housing must be given a 10-day opportunity to conduct a lead-based paint inspection or risk assessment at the buyer’s expense before they become obligated under the purchase contract.
The 10-day window is the federal default. It can be lengthened by mutual agreement; it can be shortened or waived in writing by the buyer; and it runs concurrently with other contract contingencies, not in addition to them. Buyers who waive the lead-paint inspection window should do so deliberately rather than as boilerplate. A buyer planning renovation in a pre-1978 home benefits substantially from the inspection — both as a hazard determination and as a cost-planning input for RRP-certified renovation work.
When to Call a Professional
Homeowners and tenants who have received the booklet and want property-specific lead information should contact an EPA-certified Lead Inspector or Lead Risk Assessor for testing. Renovators doing paint-disturbing work in pre-1978 housing should engage an EPA RRP-certified firm. The booklet itself is informational background; the certified professional produces the property-specific report.
References
- EPA lead-based paint resources and pamphlet download — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- HUD Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- CDC childhood lead poisoning prevention — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Colorado state lead poisoning prevention program — Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Front Range buyers and renters concerned about lead-based paint in a pre-1978 home can reach out through our contact page for a referral to a credentialed lead inspector or risk assessor.
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 |