Lead-Safe Renovation Rules for Pre-1978 NC Homes

Thousands of Triangle homes were built before 1978, when lead-based paint was banned for residential use. That includes nearly every house in Raleigh's and Durham's historic neighborhoods, in Chapel Hill's and Hillsborough's older streets, and in many postwar subdivisions. When paint in those houses is scraped, sanded, cut or demolished, it can create lead dust that's hazardous, especially to young children and pregnant people. North Carolina regulates how contractors handle that work.

The rule in North Carolina

North Carolina administers its own lead renovation program under Article 19B of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes. The core requirement, G.S. 130A-453.24:

• No firm may perform, offer or claim to perform renovation activities for compensation in target housing or child-occupied facilities unless it is a certified renovation firm.
• No individual may perform renovation for compensation in those places unless they are a certified renovator, or a trained worker employed by a certified firm and supervised by a certified renovator.
• Dust clearance sampling after the work must be done by properly certified people.

The definitions in G.S. 130A-453.22 incorporate the federal definitions, under which target housing generally means housing built before 1978, with some exceptions.

What counts as renovation

Almost any paid work that disturbs painted surfaces:

• exterior and interior painting prep (scraping, sanding);
• window replacement or repair;
• removing trim, doors, siding or walls;
• kitchen and bath demolition;
• cutting into painted walls for plumbing, wiring or HVAC.

What lead-safe work looks like

Ask your contractor to describe their setup. You should expect:

• warning signs and restricted access to the work area;
• plastic sheeting on floors and the ground, and over doors and vents;
• wet scraping and sanding methods instead of dry;
• no open-flame burning or uncontrolled power sanding;
• HEPA vacuums for cleanup;
• careful daily cleanup and disposal;
• a cleaning verification at the end.

Questions to ask before hiring

1. Is your firm a certified renovation firm in North Carolina? Can I see the certificate?
2. Who is the certified renovator on my job, and will they be on site?
3. How will you contain dust inside and outside?
4. How will you clean up and verify the area is clean?
5. Is lead-safe work included in your price or listed separately?

A contractor who says lead rules don't apply to a pre-1978 house, without testing, is a red flag.

Testing

You can have painted surfaces tested before work starts. If testing shows no lead-based paint on the components being disturbed, lead-safe requirements may not apply to that work. Testing must be done properly; ask how it was done and get the results in writing.

Doing your own work

Homeowners working on their own homes aren't covered by the contractor certification rule, but the hazard is the same. If you work on painted surfaces yourself:

• keep children and pregnant family members away from the work and cleanup;
• mist surfaces before scraping;
• don't dry sand or use heat guns on old paint;
• contain debris on plastic and clean with a HEPA vacuum and wet wipes;
• change clothes before leaving the work area.

How it affects your project

• Exterior painting: expect more setup time and cost on older houses. See our exterior painting guide.
• Windows: sashes and tracks are common lead sources. Restoration and replacement both need lead-safe practices. See our windows guide and our wood window care guide.
• Historic districts: many homes in places like Boylan Heights and Oakwood date to the late 1800s and early 1900s, so lead-safe work is routine there.

Budgeting for lead-safe work

Lead-safe practices add time for setup, containment and cleanup, and that shows up in bids. When you compare quotes on a pre-1978 house, check that every contractor has included it. A noticeably cheaper bid that doesn't mention containment or cleanup may simply be leaving it out. Ask each bidder to describe their setup in writing, and treat that description as part of the scope you're comparing, not an optional extra.