[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":156},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-nyc-lead-paint-apartment-turnover-en-US":3},{"guide":4,"related":136},{"title":5,"seoTitle":6,"description":7,"summary":8,"sections":9,"faq":98,"cta":111,"date":113,"updated":113,"service":114,"order":115,"sources":116,"slug":134,"locale":135},"Lead Paint Work Required at Apartment Turnover in NYC","NYC Lead Paint Turnover Requirements","What NYC owners of pre-1960 rentals must do at each turnover under Local Law 1: friction surfaces, XRF testing, dust clearance limits and records.","Each time a unit in a pre-1960 New York City rental building becomes vacant, the owner must complete specific lead paint work before the next tenant moves in, whether or not a child will live there. The work covers peeling paint, door and window friction surfaces, and floors, windowsills and window wells, all done with safe work practices. The owner certifies the work on the lease notice and keeps the records for at least 10 years. A unit that passed XRF testing with no lead-based paint can avoid most of these obligations through an HPD lead-free exemption.",[10,21,45,58,83,93],{"heading":11,"paragraphs":12,"list":14,"after":19},"Covered rentals",[13],"Local Law 1 of 2004 requires owners to presume that paint is lead-based in the following buildings, unless HPD has granted an exemption based on testing.",[15,16,17,18],"Multiple dwellings (three or more residential units) built before 1960.","Multiple dwellings built from January 1, 1960 to January 1, 1978, if the owner knows there is lead-based paint.","Tenant-occupied units in one- and two-family houses built before 1960.","Co-op and condominium units that are rented out and not occupied by the owner or the owner's family.",[20],"Owners of two-family houses often assume the rules skip them because the building is not a multiple dwelling. [HPD lists tenant-occupied units](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fsite\u002Fhpd\u002Fservices-and-information\u002Flead-based-paint.page) in pre-1960 one- and two-family houses among the covered dwellings, and the XRF testing requirement applies to them as well.",{"heading":22,"paragraphs":23,"table":26},"XRF testing and the deadlines to track",[24,25],"Under [Local Law 31 of 2020](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fhpd\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdfs\u002Fservices\u002Flocal_law_31_xrf_testing_requirement_faq.pdf), every rental unit and common area in a covered building had to be tested for lead-based paint at the 0.5 mg\u002Fcm² action level by August 9, 2025. The test must be performed by an EPA-certified lead inspector or risk assessor who is not the owner, the owner's agent, or a contractor involved in lead paint remediation. Failure to test can bring a Class C immediately hazardous violation and civil penalties of $1,500 per unit or common area.","When testing finds no lead-based paint, or after lead-based paint has been permanently removed or encapsulated, the owner may apply for a lead-free exemption through HPD's Lead Exemption Online Portal (LEOP). Exemptions are granted only for testing with an XRF device whose Performance Characteristic Sheet is issued at the 0.5 mg\u002Fcm² level. Exemptions granted under the former 1.0 mg\u002Fcm² standard are revoked automatically at the next turnover, and the owner should file an Affidavit of Turnover with HPD.",{"caption":27,"head":28,"rows":32},"Lead paint deadlines as of October 2026",[29,30,31],"Requirement","Deadline","Notes",[33,37,41],[34,35,36],"XRF testing of all units and common areas (Local Law 31 of 2020)","August 9, 2025, now passed","Buildings not yet tested should be tested without delay.",[38,39,40],"Abatement work in units where a child under six resides","The earliest of the next turnover, July 1, 2027 for a child residing as of January 1, 2025, or three years after a child begins to reside","Applies regardless of whether peeling paint is visible.",[42,43,44],"Annual notice to tenants","Deliver January 1 to 16 and collect by February 15; from February 16 to March 1, inspect apartments that did not respond, and notify the Health Department only where access could not be obtained","Repeats every year in covered buildings without an exemption.",{"heading":46,"paragraphs":47,"list":49,"after":56},"Work required before the next tenant moves in",[48],"[HPD requires the following at every turnover](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fsite\u002Fhpd\u002Fservices-and-information\u002Flead-based-paint-correction-child-under-6-unit.page) in a covered unit, regardless of whether the incoming tenant has a child.",[50,51,52,53,54,55],"Repair all peeling paint and the underlying defects, such as leaks. At a minimum, wet scrape and repaint.","Remove lead-based paint from chewable surfaces with bite marks, or encapsulate them with an approved hard, puncture-resistant encapsulant applied by a certified contractor.","Remove lead-based paint from window sashes and window frames.","Remove lead-based paint from all door and door-frame friction surfaces, which may mean replacing the door and frame.","Make all bare floors, windowsills and window wells smooth and cleanable.","Perform all of the above using the required safe work practices.",[57],"Door and window friction surfaces must be abated even when the paint is intact, unless they were abated previously. Work missed at one turnover must be completed at the next, or sooner if a child under six moves in. Once the work is finished, the owner certifies compliance on the Lease\u002FCommencement of Occupancy Notice for Prevention of Lead-Based Paint Hazards, gives the tenant the Lead Paint Hazards in the Home pamphlet, and provides documentation of the work on request.",{"heading":59,"paragraphs":60,"table":62,"after":81},"Dust clearance and the September 2026 thresholds",[61],"After lead work, dust wipe samples from floors, windowsills and window wells must come back below the clearance thresholds. The samples must be taken by an EPA-certified firm independent of both the firm that did the work and the owner. On September 17, 2026, the [Board of Health adopted lower thresholds](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fdoh\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdf\u002Fnotice\u002F2026\u002Fnoa-art173-lead-dust-rules.pdf) and a requirement that laboratories hold both NLLAP and ELAP accreditation.",{"caption":63,"head":64,"rows":68},"NYC Health Code lead dust thresholds, in micrograms per square foot",[65,66,67],"Surface","Thresholds in the Health Code before the amendment","Thresholds adopted September 17, 2026",[69,73,77],[70,71,72],"Floors","5","4",[74,75,76],"Windowsills","40","32",[78,79,80],"Window wells","100","80",[82],"Confirm the effective date of the new thresholds with the Health Department or HPD before scheduling clearance. Lower limits mean more thorough cleaning. Old wood floors with open joints and worn finishes are the hardest surfaces to clear; sealing or covering them is often the practical way to make them smooth and cleanable.",{"heading":84,"list":85,"after":91},"Safe work practices, records and HPD audits",[86,87,88,89,90],"In a unit or common area where a child under six resides, safe work practices are required, with records kept, whenever lead-based paint or paint of unknown lead content is disturbed over more than two square feet per room, or over more than 10 percent of a small component such as a windowsill or door frame.","Work that disturbs lead-based paint must be performed by certified workers and firms. Work that corrects an HPD or Health Department violation must be performed by an EPA-certified abatement firm, not a renovation firm.","Wet methods, plastic containment and HEPA vacuums keep dust under control. Dry sanding and high-heat paint removal on old sashes and trim make clearance much harder to pass.","Replacing old windows and doors is often more practical than stripping friction surfaces, and new windows also cut drafts and heating costs.","When work cannot be done safely with occupants present, the owner must offer suitable temporary relocation in a unit without lead-based paint hazards.",[92],"Owners must keep records of turnover inspections, all work performed, contractor certifications, safe work practice documentation, annual notices and tenant responses, testing results and any exemptions for at least 10 years, and transfer them to a new owner when the property is sold. HPD selects buildings for record audits and issues a Record Production Order. In fiscal year 2025, [HPD audited close to 700 buildings](https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fhpd\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdfs\u002Fservices\u002Fjanuary-2026-lead-bulletin-for-property-owners.pdf), and almost 650 of them received violations for failing to produce the requested documents. Missing work or missing records can each result in Class C immediately hazardous violations.",{"heading":94,"paragraphs":95},"Planning the turnover",[96,97],"The cost of lead work at turnover depends mainly on the number of windows and doors, whether they are stripped or replaced, the condition of the floors, and how many clearance rounds are needed. Doing the lead work with the rest of the turnover avoids repainting and recleaning twice. Our guide on [reducing rental turnover costs](\u002Fguides\u002Frental-turnover-cost-tips) covers finishes and scheduling for the rest of the unit.","We [plan the turnover scope](\u002Fservices\u002Frental) and, as an EPA Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) certified firm, perform the turnover work with lead-safe work practices, along with the related repairs, window and door replacement and finishes. Where the work calls for certified abatement workers, such as correcting an HPD or Health Department violation, a certified abatement firm carries it out within the turnover schedule. We coordinate the independent clearance testing and assemble the documentation package HPD may request. We do not perform XRF testing or clearance sampling, which must remain independent. None of the above is legal advice; HPD's Lead Information Line is 212-863-5501.",[99,102,105,108],{"q":100,"a":101},"Do these rules apply to a two-family house I rent out?","Yes, if the house was built before 1960 and the unit is occupied by a tenant. HPD includes tenant-occupied units in pre-1960 one- and two-family houses among the covered dwellings, and the XRF testing requirement applies to rental units in these houses.",{"q":103,"a":104},"Is turnover work required if the new tenant has no children?","Yes. HPD requires the turnover work every time a unit becomes vacant and a new tenant moves in, regardless of whether the new tenant has a child under six.",{"q":106,"a":107},"Can the contractor who did the work also do the clearance test?","No. Dust clearance samples must be taken by an EPA-certified firm that is independent of the firm that performed the work and of the owner. The XRF inspector must also be independent of any contractor involved in lead remediation.",{"q":109,"a":110},"Can the new tenant move in while the lead work is still in progress?","No. The turnover work must be completed before the new tenant takes occupancy, and the owner certifies it at lease signing. Scheduling the clearance test well before the move-in date leaves time to reclean and retest if a sample fails.",{"text":112},"Send the unit count, the year the building was built and the next turnover date for a written estimate for the lead-safe work, with window and door replacement and stripping priced side by side. A turnover checklist with the deadlines that apply to the unit is provided as part of the contracted work or as a paid consultation.","2026-10-25","rental",22,[117,121,124,127,130],{"title":118,"url":119,"publisher":120},"Lead-Based Paint","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fsite\u002Fhpd\u002Fservices-and-information\u002Flead-based-paint.page","NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development",{"title":122,"url":123,"publisher":120},"Lead-Based Paint Abatement and Stabilization: Required Correction at Turnover and in Child-Under-6 Units","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fsite\u002Fhpd\u002Fservices-and-information\u002Flead-based-paint-correction-child-under-6-unit.page",{"title":125,"url":126,"publisher":120},"\"Get Ahead of Lead\" January 2026 Briefing","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fhpd\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdfs\u002Fservices\u002Fjanuary-2026-lead-bulletin-for-property-owners.pdf",{"title":128,"url":129,"publisher":120},"XRF Testing Requirements: Apartments and Common Areas (FAQ)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fhpd\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdfs\u002Fservices\u002Flocal_law_31_xrf_testing_requirement_faq.pdf",{"title":131,"url":132,"publisher":133},"Notice of Adoption of Amendment to Article 173 of the New York City Health Code","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nyc.gov\u002Fassets\u002Fdoh\u002Fdownloads\u002Fpdf\u002Fnotice\u002F2026\u002Fnoa-art173-lead-dust-rules.pdf","NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene","nyc-lead-paint-apartment-turnover","en-US",[137,142,147,151],{"slug":138,"title":139,"description":140,"service":114,"date":141,"updated":113},"rental-turnover-cost-tips","Reducing turnover and maintenance costs on rental units","Practical ways for NYC and Long Island landlords to shorten vacancy and spend less on each turnover: standard finishes, durable materials and planned maintenance.","2026-10-24",{"slug":143,"title":144,"description":145,"service":114,"date":113,"updated":146},"rental-repair-vs-improvement-tax","Repairs vs Improvements on a Rental Turnover","How IRS repair and improvement rules apply to NYC and Long Island rental turnovers, the safe harbors to raise with your CPA, and how to itemize invoices.","2026-10-26",{"slug":148,"title":149,"description":150,"service":114,"date":146,"updated":146},"contractor-1099-nec-w9-2026","Paid a Contractor in 2026? Form 1099-NEC and W-9 Rules for Landlords and Small Businesses","The 1099-NEC threshold rose to $2,000 for 2026 payments. Who must file, when landlords file, which payments are left out, W-9s, backup withholding and the February 1, 2027 deadline.",{"slug":152,"title":153,"description":154,"service":155,"date":141,"updated":113},"flood-fire-damage-first-steps","First steps after a flood or fire for NYC and Long Island property owners","What to do in the first days after water or fire damage: safety, power, documentation for insurance, drying and choosing what to rebuild.","restoration",1793066401420]