If you were about to sand, scrape or strip paint in a house built before 1978, stop and find out what is in that paint first. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint, and that renovation or repair work that disturbs painted surfaces in older homes may create large amounts of lead dust. Intact paint is usually not the problem. Sanding, scraping, burning and heat stripping are, because they turn old paint into dust. The safe next step is testing by a certified professional or hiring a lead-safe certified renovator, not a sanding block.
This page explains where lead paint tends to be, why disturbing it is the danger, which methods the EPA tells homeowners to avoid, and how to get the job done without guessing. It deliberately does not walk you through removing lead paint yourself.
Lead paint in older homes: how likely is it?
The EPA's page Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home (read 2026-09-27) notes that lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, and gives these figures by construction date:
| When the home was built | EPA figure |
|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 87 percent of homes likely to have lead-based paint |
| 1940 to 1959 | 69 percent of homes likely to have lead-based paint |
| Before 1978 generally | More likely to have lead-based paint |
Those are national likelihoods, not a verdict on your house. A 1920s home may have been stripped and repainted at some point, and a 1970s home may still carry original trim paint. Older coats are also often buried under newer paint, so a fresh-looking surface tells you nothing about the layers underneath.
If you do not know when your house was built, the EPA's guidance for do-it-yourself renovators (read 2026-09-27) says it is safest to assume the area you are renovating has lead-based paint.
When lead paint is a hazard, and when it is not
This is the part that surprises people. The EPA says: "If the lead-based paint is in good shape, it is usually not a problem."
The hazard comes from two situations.
Worn and damaged paint
The EPA explains that old or worn lead-based paint, "especially on surfaces subject to constant friction like doors or window sills", can produce chips and dust that can become a hazard when inhaled or ingested by children, residents and workers. Windows are the classic case: the sash rubs against the frame every time it opens and closes, and that friction is exactly the kind the EPA describes.
Paint that is peeling, chipping or cracking on an older home is the kind worth paying attention to, especially on windows, doors, stairs and porches that get handled or walked on.
Renovation and repair
This is the case in the title. The EPA warns that "projects that create even a small amount of dust can pose health risks to your family." Sanding a door so it closes, scraping a window before repainting, cutting into a painted wall or pulling off old trim can all release dust from the paint layers, and dust does not stay in the room where it was made.
What you must not do to old paint
The EPA's guidance for do-it-yourself renovators lists methods to avoid on paint that may contain lead:
- Open-flame tools for removing paint.
- Power sanding without HEPA filtration. In practice, that means an ordinary orbital sander or grinder on old paint.
- Heat guns above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Dry scraping or dry sanding of painted surfaces.
Read that list against the jobs people most often start on a Saturday: sanding a sticky door, stripping a banister, prepping old window frames, scraping a porch. Every one of them sits right on it.
If any of those jobs is in front of you in a pre-1978 house, the stop condition is simple: do not start until you know whether the paint contains lead. That is not a job for guesswork, and it is not something this page will teach you to work around. Our position is plain: test first, and if lead is present, hand the work to a lead-safe certified renovator.
Who the EPA's renovation rule covers
The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule applies to homes, child care facilities and kindergartens built before 1978. According to the EPA, firms doing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in those buildings must be EPA- or state-certified and must use certified renovators who follow specific work practices.
The EPA's DIY page is clear that "the RRP Rule does not apply to homeowners doing RRP projects in their own home," with exceptions. It does apply if you rent out part of your home, operate child care there, or buy and renovate homes for profit. Not being covered by the rule does not make the dust any safer, which is why the EPA still recommends hiring a lead-safe certified contractor.
Rules also differ by place. Certification can be run at the state level rather than by the EPA, and state and local housing or health codes can add their own requirements. Your state or local health department, or your local building department, can tell you what applies where you live, including whether the renovation itself needs a permit.
How to find out what is in your paint
The EPA's advice is to "hire a certified lead-based paint inspector or risk assessor to perform an inspection, risk assessment or combination of the two." Broadly, an inspection looks for where lead-based paint is present, while a risk assessment looks at whether current conditions, such as deteriorating paint or dust, are creating a hazard. A certified professional can explain which one fits your plans.
The EPA's page links to its Lead-Based Paint Professional Locator Tool for finding certified inspectors, risk assessors and renovation firms.
What about store-bought test kits? The EPA's page, discussing test kits for consumer products, notes that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) does not recommend using these kits on consumer products. For a decision about renovating a room in your home, a certified inspector's result is the one to rely on.
Hiring a lead-safe certified renovator
When the work has to happen, the EPA recommends that you "hire a lead-safe certified contractor trained in lead-safe work practices" and look for the Lead Safe Certified Firm logo. A few practical questions to ask any contractor quoting on a pre-1978 home:
- Is the firm EPA- or state-certified for lead renovation, and who on the crew is the certified renovator?
- How will the work area be contained, and how will it be cleaned and checked afterward?
- Which of the methods listed above will they avoid, and what will they use instead?
A contractor who shrugs at those questions is telling you something. The EPA's DIY page also notes that you may hire a certified lead dust sampling technician to check that the area is clean once the work is finished.
If you have just moved into an older house, add "find out about the paint" to the early list; our first-time homeowner checklist covers the other things worth finding in your first month.
Living with lead paint in the meantime
Many older homes with lead paint are lived in while the paint stays intact. The EPA's page lists everyday steps that reduce lead dust without disturbing paint:
- Wipe hard surfaces such as countertops, window sills and door jambs with a damp sponge, cloth or paper towel.
- Wet mop floors and hard surfaces.
- Do not mop with a scrubber strip attached, power buff or use polishing machines or vacuums with beater bars.
- On carpet with visible paint debris, only use vacuums with HEPA filters, and do not dry sweep.
Keeping an eye on the condition of painted windows, doors and trim fits naturally into a seasonal routine; our home maintenance checklist is a good place to add it.
The EPA notes that the main concern is young children who crawl, play on floors and put their fingers, toys and other objects in their mouths. If you are worried that anyone in your home, especially a child or a pregnant family member, has been exposed to lead dust, talk to your doctor or your child's pediatrician. They are the right people to decide whether testing is needed; this page cannot.
What we cannot tell you
We cannot tell you whether your paint contains lead, and nobody can from a photo or a year of construction. We are not lead inspectors, risk assessors or medical professionals. The figures above are the EPA's national likelihoods, and the rules described are federal; your state or city may add its own. Your state or local health department is the place to go with specific questions about where you live.
FAQ
Do all homes built before 1978 have lead paint?
No, but the EPA says they are more likely to. It states that 87 percent of homes built before 1940 and 69 percent built from 1940 to 1959 are likely to have lead-based paint.
Is lead paint dangerous if it is not peeling?
The EPA says lead-based paint in good shape is usually not a problem. The hazard comes from worn, chipping paint and from work that disturbs painted surfaces.
Can I sand lead paint?
We do not recommend it. The EPA's homeowner guidance lists power sanding without HEPA filtration and dry sanding or scraping among the practices to avoid. Test first and hire a lead-safe certified renovator.
Does the EPA RRP rule apply to homeowners?
The EPA says the RRP Rule does not apply to homeowners working on their own homes, except if they rent out part of it, operate child care there, or renovate homes for profit.
How do I test my house for lead paint?
The EPA recommends hiring a certified lead-based paint inspector or risk assessor, and links to a professional locator tool on its lead pages.
