Lead Regulationslead protection laws

If you’re not familiar with Local Law 31 of 2020, here’s what you need to know in order to avoid costly violations in accordance with New York City’s newest lead paint rules.

Over the past few years, New York City has made several important updates to the NYC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Act (Local Law 1 of 2004), strengthening existing lead laws and expanding inspection requirements for landlords and building owners.

Local Law 31 of 2020 is the most recent update, which went into effect on August 9, 2020 and mandates X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) lead inspections by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified inspectors to test for the presence of lead-based paint in old residential “multiple dwelling” buildings.


THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS THAT XRF LEAD PAINT INSPECTIONS ARE NOW REQUIRED FOR ALL UNITS: LOCAL LAW 31 OF 2020 – EFFECTIVE AUGUST 9, 2020


Apartments with children under the age of 6 residing there must be inspected much sooner — within one year of the law — by August 9, 2021. If a family with a child under the age of 6 recently moved into an apartment, lead testing must be completed within 1 year of their move-in date.

[Updated February 11, 2021] These new lead paint rules also apply to smaller landlords and vacation rental owners, unlike in previous years. Per Local Law 29 of 2020, the definition of buildings with “multiple dwellings” now includes one and two-family house rentals except the units occupied by the owners’ family.

[Updated July 1, 2021] Per Local Law 66, the new threshold for defining lead-based paint will be lowered from 1.0 mg/cm2 to 0.5 mg/cm2 — starting on December 1, 2021. HPD has confirmed that XRF lead inspections performed prior to December 1st may still use the old 1.0 mg/cm2 threshold and will NOT need to be re-tested for Local Law 31 compliance.

Local Law 31 also includes a 5-year testing requirement, meaning that all residential building owners in NYC must have all dwelling units inspected for lead paint by August 9, 2025.

The most notable requirement is for building owners to conduct certified lead-based paint inspections for all dwelling units in pre-1960 residential buildings within a specified timeframe.

NYC lead Inspections provide EPA certified assistance with Local Law 31 compliance and the following services for both Commercial & Residential properties.

Contact one of our lead experts to schedule an inspection to ensure your safety. Call Today: 508-280-2758