A compiled reference of 40 statistics on rental lead-safe certification in the United States: the federal baseline, the four states and the cities that require a lead check of older rentals, how long each certificate lasts, what the check involves and costs, how many rentals actually comply, and how short-term rentals are treated. Every rule comes from the statute, ordinance or agency page that sets it, and the Philadelphia compliance figures are our own count of the city's property-level open data. Every figure was checked against its source before publishing.
Key statistics
5 highlights from this report
Key statistics
Key takeaways
Lead-safe certificates for rentals are a patchwork of four state laws and a handful of city ordinances, with nothing underneath them at the federal level. Where the certificate is a condition of the rental license, most registered rentals have one. Where a city has to find unregistered rentals on its own, compliance with the lead or wider rental rules runs from 14% to about 42%.
86.8% of Philadelphia's licensed rental units that need a lead certificate hold a current one.
Detroit: 14% of an estimated 85,000 one and two family rentals comply with its rental certificate rules.
Cleveland: 29,116 certified units of an estimated 90,000 (about 32%).
New York's registry covers an estimated 282,000 units in 25 communities.
No federal rule requires periodic lead inspection of private rentals.
A certificate lasts 3 years in New Jersey, 4 in Philadelphia and 5 in Toledo; a lead-free one never expires in Philadelphia.
How we built this report
Every figure was compiled in November 2026 from the law that sets it or the agency that measures it, and checked against that source before publishing.
- Rules from the law itself
Coverage, triggers, certificate life, test methods, fees and penalties come from state statutes, city codes, enacted ordinances, the eCFR and the agencies that run each program, including amendments passed in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
- Compliance from the people who count it
Compliance figures come from city presentations to council, a city auditor, a state legislative audit and city press releases, each with its date and its denominator. We do not compare a rate without saying what it is a share of.
- One count of our own
For Philadelphia we queried the city's property-level lead certification layer, which joins every parcel's certificate status with its rental license, and counted units and properties by status. Those figures are labeled Computed.
- Independent review
Written by one co-founder, reviewed by the other before publishing.
This is a reference, not legal advice. Lead rules change often (Cleveland, Maryland, New Jersey and New York all amended theirs in the last two years), and a town inside a covered state may add its own rules. The compliance rates use different bases (licensed units, registered units, estimated rental stock) and are not a ranking; each is labeled with its base. Confirm any requirement with the city or state that enforces it before relying on it.
Rental lead-safe certification, by the numbers
All 40 figures, grouped into six themes: the federal baseline, the state laws, the city laws, how many rentals comply, how the rules are enforced, and how short-term rentals are treated.
Where a lead check is required for rentals, at a glance
Scroll sideways for all columns| Place | Rentals covered | When a check is due | Certificate lasts | What the check involves | Government fee | In force since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| States: periodic or turnover check | ||||||
| New JerseyStatewide | Built before 1978; seasonal 1 to 2 family rentals under six months a year exempt | Every three years or at tenant turnover, whichever comes first | 3 years (2 before the 2024 amendment) | Visual check, or dust wipes in 51 higher-risk towns (or when an owner who hires the inspector chooses them) | Town inspection fee plus $20 per unit | July 2022 |
| New York25 communities, outside NYC | Built before 1980, two or more units | Every three years, certification due by October 1 (law set to expire November 3, 2028) | 3-year cycle | Visual check of paint and soil plus dust wipe samples | No state fee found | November 3, 2025 |
| MarylandStatewide | Built before 1978 | Every change in occupancy, plus registration | Each turnover | Risk reduction standard and a lead-dust inspection by an accredited inspector | $75 per unit every 2 years | Pre-1978 since 2015 |
| Rhode IslandStatewide | Built before 1978; temporary housing of 100 days or less exempt | At turnover or every 24 months, whichever is longer | 2 years or next turnover | Independent clearance: visual inspection plus dust testing | No registration fee | November 2005 (registry 2024) |
| Cities: certificate to license or rent | ||||||
| Philadelphia | Built before March 1978 | Each rental license, renewal and new lease | 48 months lead-safe; lead-free never expires | No deteriorated paint, plus interior dust samples | No separate filing fee found | October 2020, citywide April 2022 |
| Rochester | Built before 1980 | Every certificate of occupancy inspection; 2+ unit buildings in the high-risk area need a valid certificate by October 1, 2026 and every three years | 3 years for dust-wipe results | Visual check of paint and bare soil; dust wipes in the high-risk area | Not compiled | December 2005 |
| Syracuse | Built before 1978 | Every code inspection, including rental registry | 3 years for dust-wipe results | Visual check; dust wipes in the high-risk area for 5 units or fewer | Not compiled | October 1, 2020 |
| Cleveland | Built before 1978, not owner-occupied | To register the rental | 2 years (3 to 20 from March 2027) | Clearance exam: visual check plus dust samples | No application fee; $70 per unit registration | Phased in 2021 to 2023 |
| Toledo | Built before 1978, 1 to 4 units | To rent; deadlines by census tract through June 30, 2029 | 5 years (20 after abatement) | Visual assessment plus dust samples, usually at least 12 | $25 per unit filing fee | Rewritten April 22, 2025 |
| Detroit | All rentals except owner-occupied single family; lead check for pre-1978 | Certificate of compliance to rent | 3 years | Visual check; dust wipes in high-risk areas, citywide from 2031 | $195 one unit, $225 duplex, plus $20 | Lead clearance since 2010 |
| Triggered by a child, a one-time test or an owner statement | ||||||
| MassachusettsStatewide | Built before 1978, any home | When a child under six lives there | No cycle | Inspection by a licensed lead inspector, then deleading or interim control | None found | Mass. Gen. Laws c.111, s.197 |
| VermontStatewide | Rental "target housing" | Owner files a compliance statement; regular checks of painted surfaces and specialized cleaning at tenant turnover | No certificate | Maintenance practices done or supervised by a trained person | Not compiled | 18 V.S.A. 1759 |
| New York City | Pre-1960 buildings with 3 or more units, and more | One-time XRF test of every unit by August 9, 2025, plus paint repairs and owner certification at every turnover | One-time test | XRF paint test by an EPA-certified inspector | None found | Local Law 1 of 2004 |
| Washington DC | Built before 1978 | Before leasing to a household with a child under six or a pregnant woman | Report within 12 months | Clearance exam | None found | D.C. Law 17-381 |
Each row is sourced in the stat cards below. "Government fee" is what the city or state charges, not the inspector's price. Where a cell says not compiled or none found, we did not find the figure in the primary source.
The federal baseline: disclosure, not inspection
According to the federal regulations published in the eCFR (ecfr.gov), a landlord renting housing built before 1978 has to disclose known lead paint and hazards and give the tenant the EPA pamphlet, but has no duty to test. The rule says so in as many words: "Nothing in this section implies a positive obligation on the seller or lessor to conduct any evaluation or reduction activities." Inspection duties enter only for housing that receives federal money.
Statistic 1
Federal lead disclosure rules cover leases of housing built before 1978 but create no obligation to test for or reduce lead.
eCFR, 40 CFR 745 Subpart F and 24 CFR 35 Subpart A (2026)
Statistic 2
The maximum civil penalty for a disclosure violation is $22,263 for penalties assessed on or after January 8, 2025.
eCFR, 40 CFR 19.4 (2026)
Statistic 3
HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule, which adds visual assessments at periodic inspections, applies only to housing that is federally owned or receives federal assistance.
eCFR, 24 CFR 35 Subparts B and M (2026)
Statistic 4
EPA's renovation rule has required certified firms for paid renovation work in pre-1978 housing since April 22, 2010; it sets work practices, not inspections.
eCFR, 40 CFR 745 Subpart E (2026)
What this means: a private landlord with no federal assistance meets federal law by disclosing. Every lead-safe certificate on this page exists because a state or city added it.
The four states that require an independent lead check of rentals
According to the New Jersey Legislature (njleg.gov) and the state Department of Community Affairs (nj.gov), New Jersey requires every pre-1978 rental to be inspected at the earlier of every three years or tenant turnover. New York's Department of Health (health.ny.gov) runs a registry in 25 "communities of concern". Maryland's law, published by the General Assembly (mgaleg.maryland.gov), ties the check to every change in occupancy, and Rhode Island's, published by its General Assembly (rilegislature.gov), to turnover or every 24 months. Massachusetts, under statutes published by its Legislature (malegislature.gov), acts only when a young child lives in the home, and Vermont, under statutes published by its Legislature (vermont.gov), relies on an owner-filed compliance statement. Our Baltimore rental license guide shows how Maryland's rule stacks on a city license.
Statistic 5
New Jersey requires a lead inspection of pre-1978 rentals at the earlier of every three years or tenant turnover, and since a 2024 amendment a lead-safe certification is valid for three years (it was two; state guidance pages still say two).
New Jersey P.L.2021, c.182 as amended by P.L.2024, c.74
Statistic 6
Of 564 New Jersey municipalities on the state's 2025-26 list, 51 must inspect by dust wipe sampling and 513 by visual inspection.
RapidEye Research count of the NJ DCA 2025-26 inspection methodology list
Statistic 7
New Jersey towns charge an inspection fee plus $20 per unit, and a landlord who does not comply faces a penalty of up to $1,000 per week.
New Jersey P.L.2021, c.182 and P.L.2024, c.74
Statistic 8
New York's Lead Rental Registry took effect November 3, 2025 for pre-1980 buildings with two or more units in 25 communities, with certification every three years. The law is set to expire November 3, 2028.
New York State Department of Health (2025); N.Y. Public Health Law 1377
Statistic 9
The registry covers an estimated 282,000 rental units, and about 74% of New York's lead-poisoned children live in those 25 communities.
New York State Register, April 8, 2026; NYS Department of Health
Statistic 10
New York estimates a third-party registry inspection at $250 to $450 per rental unit.
New York State Register, April 8, 2026
Statistic 11
Maryland has covered rentals built before 1978 since January 1, 2015, requires a lead-dust inspection at every change in occupancy, and charges $75 per unit every two years to register.
Maryland Environment Article 6-801, 6-815 and 6-843
Statistic 12
A 2026 Maryland law adds rooming houses and shared housing, bringing an estimated 37,500 more rental units into registration from October 1, 2026.
Maryland Department of Legislative Services, fiscal note for SB 872 (2026)
Statistic 13
Rhode Island has required a lead certificate for pre-1978 rentals since the first change in ownership or tenancy after November 1, 2005, renewed at turnover or every 24 months, whichever is longer.
R.I. Gen. Laws 42-128.1-4 and 42-128.1-8
Statistic 14
Massachusetts makes a home's owner abate or contain lead paint whenever a child under six lives there, with no periodic certificate.
Mass. General Laws c.111, s.197
Statistic 15
Only about 10% of Massachusetts housing built before 1978 had been inspected and confirmed free of lead hazards, leaving over 1.8 million units not considered lead safe.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health data brief (December 2019)
What this means: only New Jersey, Maryland and Rhode Island put a statewide clock on rental lead checks, and New York covers 25 communities. The Massachusetts figure is for all older housing, not only rentals, and is the most recent statewide figure we found.
The cities with their own certificate
According to the City of Philadelphia (phila.gov), no rental license is issued or renewed and no lease signed without a lead-safe or lead-free certificate. Rochester (cityofrochester.gov) and Syracuse (syr.gov) fold the lead check into their rental inspections. Cleveland (clevelandohio.gov) ties it to rental registration, Toledo (toledo.oh.gov) to a certificate for small rentals, and Detroit (detroitmi.gov) to its certificate of compliance. New York City (nyc.gov) and Washington DC (dccouncil.gov) work differently. See our guides to Rochester's certificate of occupancy, New York City rental inspections and DC rental licensing.
Statistic 16
Philadelphia's lead certificate requirement for rentals built before March 1978 phased in by zip code region from October 1, 2020 and reached the whole city on April 1, 2022.
Philadelphia Bill No. 180936-A; Phila. Code 6-802
Statistic 17
A Philadelphia lead-safe certificate is good for 48 months (it was 24); a lead-free certificate never expires.
Phila. Code 6-802; Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Statistic 18
A Philadelphia landlord without a valid certificate faces up to $2,000 per offense and may not collect rent or evict for the period of noncompliance.
Philadelphia Bill No. 180936-A; Phila. Code 6-803
Statistic 19
Since December 20, 2005, every Rochester certificate of occupancy inspection includes a visual check for deteriorated paint and bare soil; dust-wipe results are valid three years.
Rochester City Code 90-55 (Ord. No. 2005-393)
Statistic 20
Syracuse's lead ordinance took effect October 1, 2020; dust-wipe results in its high-risk area are valid for three years.
City of Syracuse lead abatement and control ordinance
Statistic 21
A Cleveland lead-safe certification is valid for two years, with no application fee; registering a rental costs $70 per unit.
Cleveland Codified Ordinances ch. 365; City of Cleveland
Statistic 22
From March 1, 2027, Cleveland certificates will last three years as standard, five with replaced or lead-free windows, ten after a third passing test and twenty after abatement.
Cleveland Ordinance No. 1244-2026, passed October 26, 2026
Statistic 23
Toledo's certificate for pre-1978 rentals of four units or fewer lasts five years after a visual check and dust sampling (a minimum of 12 samples in homes with four or more rooms), for a $25 per unit filing fee.
Toledo Municipal Code ch. 1760, as rewritten by O-167-25 (2025)
Statistic 24
Detroit's certificate of compliance lasts three years; its inspection costs $195 for one unit or $225 for a duplex, plus a $20 processing fee.
Detroit City Code ch. 8 (2024 ordinance); City of Detroit (2025)
Statistic 25
New York City required a one-time XRF lead paint test of every covered unit by August 9, 2025, with penalties of $1,500 per unit.
NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (Local Law 31 of 2020)
Statistic 26
In Washington DC, a landlord must provide a clearance report issued within the previous 12 months before leasing a pre-1978 unit to a household with a child under six or a pregnant woman.
D.C. Code 8-231.01 and 8-231.04
What this means: certificate life runs from two years (Cleveland today) to five (Toledo), and the lead-free certificate that never expires in Philadelphia rewards owners who abate fully. Cleveland's 2027 rewrite moves it toward the same idea.
How many rentals actually comply
For Philadelphia we counted the city's lead certification layer on OpenDataPhilly, published by the City of Philadelphia (phila.gov), which joins every parcel's certificate status to its rental license. The other figures come from the City of Cleveland's February 2026 presentation to council, the City of Detroit (detroitmi.gov), the Syracuse City Auditor and the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits (dls.maryland.gov). The bases differ, so read each rate with its label.
How many covered rentals comply, by each place's own measure
Latest figure for each place; hover or tap a row for its base and date
Philadelphia and Maryland count only rentals already licensed or registered, so unregistered rentals are missing from their denominators; Cleveland and Detroit divide by estimates of the whole rental stock, and Syracuse by the city's registry list, which its auditor says undercounts. Detroit and Syracuse measure their wider rental certificate, which includes the lead check. That is why the first two run high. Not a ranking.
Statistic 27
Of 195,428 Philadelphia rental units with an active license that need a lead certificate, 169,622 (86.8%) hold a current one: 143,615 lead-safe and 26,007 lead-free.
RapidEye Research count of the City of Philadelphia lead certification layer (November 2026)
Statistic 28
Another 19,106 licensed units (9.8%) sit on an expired lead-safe certificate, and 4,038 are listed as not certified.
RapidEye Research count of the City of Philadelphia lead certification layer (November 2026)
Statistic 29
Counted by property instead of unit, 73,923 of 84,027 (88.0%) licensed Philadelphia rental properties that need a certificate hold a current one.
RapidEye Research count of the City of Philadelphia lead certification layer (November 2026)
Statistic 30
Maryland's auditors found 14,506 of 101,199 active registered rental units with no matching lead inspection record; the state says 5,258 had valid certificates on file and 6,029 were duplicate entries.
Maryland Office of Legislative Audits, audit of MDE (April 2026)
Statistic 31
Cleveland had 29,116 rental units with an active lead-safe certification on February 1, 2026, against an estimated 90,000 that need one.
City of Cleveland presentation to City Council (February 9, 2026)
Statistic 32
Of 2,463 Cleveland properties whose first certificates reached the two-year renewal point, only 455 (18.5%) had renewed by March 31, 2024, putting compliance at 10% of all rental properties.
Cleveland Lead Safe Auditor, Q1 2024 report
Statistic 33
Detroit puts compliance at 14% of an estimated 85,000 one and two family rental properties, with a goal of 25% within 12 months.
City of Detroit (August 25, 2026)
Statistic 34
42.2% of the 8,358 Syracuse properties required to hold a rental registry certificate had one in December 2024; on the city's newer count of 10,567, it is 33.4%.
Syracuse City Auditor (January 2025)
Statistic 35
Toledo reported 4,197 lead-safe certificates as of April 14, 2025 against 28,796 total rentals, with deadlines phased by census tract through 2029.
City of Toledo presentation to City Council (April 2025)
What this means: a certificate tied to the license gets collected from the landlords the city already knows about; the hard part everywhere is the rentals nobody registered. In Philadelphia, 9.8% of licensed units sit on an expired certificate that must be replaced at the next license renewal or lease; in Cleveland, the auditor found renewals were where compliance slipped. Toledo's count is not on the chart because its deadlines are still phasing in and its count may not be per unit.
How the rules are enforced
Enforcement has picked up recently. Cleveland's tickets jumped in late 2025, Toledo had summonsed 274 owners by September 2026, Rhode Island's Department of Health (health.ri.gov) began fining in April 2026, and Maryland's auditors questioned thousands of lead-free certificates.
Statistic 36
Cleveland issued 6,038 tickets for lead certification and rental registration in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from 48 in the first quarter.
City of Cleveland presentation to City Council (February 9, 2026)
Statistic 37
274 Toledo property owners had received a summons under the lead-safe ordinance by September 2026.
Toledo City Council referral REF-127-26 (September 2026)
Statistic 38
Rhode Island fines are at least $50 per unit per month for an unregistered rental and $125 per unit per month for a pre-1978 rental with no lead certificate on file; fines began in April 2026.
R.I. Gen. Laws 34-18-58; Rhode Island Department of Health (2026)
Statistic 39
Maryland had no documented process to independently verify the 13,516 lead-free certificates that inspectors hired by property owners issued between April 2021 and July 2025, its auditors found.
Maryland Office of Legislative Audits, audit of MDE (April 2026)
What this means: a lead-free certificate ends the owner's obligation for good in several places, which makes it the certificate most worth checking. Maryland's audit is the first state review we found of how they get issued.
Short-term and seasonal rentals
Vacation rental operators ask whether these rules reach them. The federal disclosure rule and two states carve out short stays; the city ordinances above do not, as written, so check the local rule before assuming a vacation rental is exempt.
Statistic 40
Leases of 100 days or less with no possible renewal or extension are exempt from the federal lead disclosure rule; New Jersey exempts single and two family seasonal rentals rented less than six months a year, but not seasonal multiple dwellings; Rhode Island says short-term rentals such as Airbnb do not need to register.
eCFR, 24 CFR 35 Subpart A; N.J. P.L.2024, c.74 and NJ DCA guide; Rhode Island Department of Health
What this means: a vacation rental is not exempt just for being a vacation rental. The carve-outs depend on stay length and building type, and they cover only part of the rules. A lead certificate is also one more expiring document per property; it belongs on the same calendar as the rest of a portfolio's inspection schedule.
Cite this study
Academic or press use: copy a ready-made reference. RapidEye is the publisher.
Quick FAQ
Which states require lead inspections for rental properties?
Four states require an independent lead check of older rentals on a schedule or at turnover: New Jersey (pre-1978 rentals, every three years or at tenant turnover, whichever comes first), Maryland (pre-1978 rentals, at every change in occupancy), Rhode Island (pre-1978 rentals, a certificate of conformance at turnover or every 24 months, whichever is longer) and New York (pre-1980 buildings with two or more units in 25 named communities outside New York City, every three years). Massachusetts works differently: the duty to abate or contain lead paint starts when a child under six lives in the home, with no periodic certificate. Vermont has owners of older rentals file a compliance statement and follow maintenance practices, including specialized cleaning at tenant turnover, without a third-party certificate.
Which cities require a lead-safe certificate for rentals?
Philadelphia, Rochester, Syracuse, Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit each require older rentals to pass a lead check before they can be rented or licensed. Philadelphia ties it to the rental license and every new lease, Rochester and Syracuse to their rental inspections, Cleveland to rental registration, Toledo to a certificate for 1 to 4 unit rentals, and Detroit to its certificate of compliance. New York City instead required a one-time XRF lead test of covered units by August 9, 2025, plus lead paint repairs at every turnover, and Washington DC requires a clearance report only when a child under six or a pregnant woman will live in the unit.
How long is a lead-safe certificate valid?
Two years in Cleveland today, and two years or until the next turnover, whichever is longer, in Rhode Island. Three years in New Jersey since a 2024 amendment (it was two), and three for Detroit's certificate of compliance and for dust-wipe results in Rochester and Syracuse. Philadelphia's lead-safe certificate is good for 48 months and Toledo's for five years. A lead-free certificate does not expire in Philadelphia, and Toledo grants twenty years after full abatement. From March 1, 2027, Cleveland moves to a range of three to twenty years.
What percent of rentals have a lead-safe certificate?
It depends on whether the certificate is tied to a license. In Philadelphia, where the law bars a rental license without one, 86.8% of licensed rental units that need a certificate held a current one in November 2026, by RapidEye's count of the city's open data. Where cities must find unregistered rentals themselves, the rates are far lower: about 32% of an estimated 90,000 rental units in Cleveland hold a lead-safe certification (February 2026). Two cities report broader rental compliance that includes the lead check: Detroit puts compliance with its rental certificate rules at 14% of an estimated 85,000 one and two family rentals (August 2026), and 42.2% of the Syracuse properties on the city's registry list held a rental registry certificate (December 2024).
Is there a federal law requiring lead inspections of rental properties?
No federal rule requires periodic lead inspection of private rentals that receive no federal assistance. For housing built before 1978, federal rules require the landlord to disclose known lead paint and hazards and hand over the EPA pamphlet, and the disclosure rule states that it creates no obligation to test or reduce lead. Visual assessments during periodic inspections apply only to federally assisted housing such as voucher units under HUD's Lead Safe Housing Rule. Every lead-safe certificate requirement is state or local.
Do short-term or vacation rentals need a lead-safe certificate?
Sometimes not. The federal disclosure rule exempts leases of 100 days or less where no renewal or extension can occur. New Jersey exempts single and two family seasonal rentals rented for less than six months a year to tenants without consecutive lease renewals, but not seasonal multiple dwellings. Rhode Island's health department says short-term rentals such as Airbnb and summer rentals do not need to register, and its lead law exempts temporary housing rented for no more than 100 days a year to the same tenant. Other places do not carve out short stays, so check the local rule.
Data sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these public sources, each checked against the original before publishing.
eCFRFederal lead disclosure, renovation and assisted housing rulesecfr.gov
New Jersey Legislature and DCARental lead inspection law, amendments and municipal methodology listnjleg.gov / nj.gov
New York State Department of HealthLead rental registry program, owner guidance and rulemakinghealth.ny.gov / dos.ny.gov
Maryland General AssemblyReduction of lead risk in housing statute and 2026 fiscal notemgaleg.maryland.govMaryland Office of Legislative AuditsFiscal compliance audit of the state environment departmentdls.maryland.gov
Rhode Island General AssemblyLead hazard mitigation and rental registry statutesrilegislature.gov
Rhode Island Department of HealthRental registry questions and answershealth.ri.gov
Massachusetts Legislature and DPHLead law and childhood lead exposure data briefmalegislature.gov / mass.gov
Vermont General AssemblyLead poisoning prevention statute, maintenance practicesvermont.gov
City of PhiladelphiaLead disclosure and certification law, health department guidance and lead certification open dataphila.gov
City of RochesterCity code, lead-based paint poisoning preventioncityofrochester.gov
City of SyracuseLead ordinance and City Auditor rental registry reviewsyr.gov
City of ClevelandCodified ordinances, council legislation, council presentation and lead safe auditor reportclevelandohio.gov
City of ToledoLead-safe ordinance, council presentation and referralstoledo.oh.gov
City of DetroitRental ordinance, inspection fees and compliance announcementdetroitmi.gov
NYC Housing Preservation and DevelopmentLead paint testing requirements and annual report to the Councilnyc.gov
Council of the District of ColumbiaLead-hazard prevention and elimination codedccouncil.gov