LEAD Safe Maintenance

Lead Safe Maintenance is the responsibility of the property owner. This requires the owner to inform new tenants of potential Lead paint when providing the required Lead disclosure AND it depends some on tenants informing the owner if paint gets damaged or starts to breakdown inside the housing unit.

Dust from lead paint is the most common cause of childhood lead poisoning in Maine. Lead paint can be found in homes built before 1978, but most lead paint is found in homes built before 1950. Renovation, repairs and painting projects in older homes can create a lot of lead paint dust. When hiring contractors, ask to see their RRP certificate. The certificate shows that they have been trained to protect your family from lead paint dust while they work.

EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (RRP Rule) requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and pre-schools built before 1978 have their firm certified by EPA (or an EPA authorized state), use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers and follow lead-safe work practices.

For more information about the RRP Rule, visit the Environmental Protection Agency website for additional details.

Once a child is confirmed with having a blood lead level above 5 micrograms per deciliter the Maine CDC will put an abatement order on the property in which the child resides. If your home is confirmed to have lead based paint and you have children under the age of 6 living in the house, an abatement order may be put on that property.

Abatement and RRP may sound like the same thing but are not. Abatement is designed to remove/conceal all the lead hazards in a home. RRP certification is necessary for contractors who wish to do work on a home which may have lead dust paint. It is the type of work landlords/homeowners can do before an abatement order is placed on the property.

Please visit the (Environmental Protection Agency’s website)  for more details about the specific differences between abatement certification and RRP certification.

A sample Lead Safe Maintenance Plan is provided here:
Lead Safe Maintenance Plan (PDF)            Lead Safe Maintenance Form (PDF)

EPA Information and Sample Forms:
EPA RRP Steps Brochure 2021 (PDF)
EPA RRP Handout booklet Renovate Right 2011 (PDF)
RRP-Jobsite Training Forms (PDF)
RRP-Lead Test Kit Form (PDF)
RRP-Sample Record Forms (PDF)