Pre-1978 paint worry? Lead test kit vs hiring an inspector

Most U.S. housing built before 1978 — “target housing” under federal lead rules — may contain lead-based paint. You cannot tell by looking. This page summarizes EPA and HUD consumer guidance. It is not medical, legal, or real-estate advice.

Federal definition of lead-based paint in housing is paint with lead equal to or greater than 1.0 milligram per square centimeter (mg/cm²) or 0.5% by weight (5,000 ppm). A color-change swab that looks “positive” is not the same thing as that measurement.

Sources: EPA, Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards; EPA, Lead Test Kits. Retrieved 2026-09-01.

Pre-1978 housing and the HUD/EPA disclosure rule

The federal Lead-based Paint Disclosure Rule applies to most pre-1978 private, public, federally owned, and federally assisted housing. Before a buyer signs a contract or a renter signs a lease, sellers, landlords, real estate agents, and property managers must:

• Give the EPA/HUD pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.
• Disclose known lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards, and share available records and reports.
• Include a Lead Warning Statement in the contract or lease.
• Give homebuyers a 10-day opportunity to have a certified inspector or risk assessor check the housing (parties may agree in writing to a different period; buyers may waive it).

The rule does not itself require the seller or landlord to test. It requires disclosure of known information. If you are buying pre-1978 housing and you care about lead, use the 10-day window — or negotiate a longer one — and hire a certified professional rather than relying on a hardware-store swab.

Source: Real Estate Disclosures about Potential Lead Hazards (retrieved 2026-09-01). Pamphlet: Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (PDF, 2026).

A kit is a screen, not a full inspection

EPA recognizes three lead test kits for use under the Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule: LeadCheck™ (now made by Luxfer Magtech), D-Lead® (ESCA Tech), and a Commonwealth of Massachusetts kit. They meet the negative-response criterion only. EPA states that, to date, no kit has met both the negative- and positive-response criteria in 40 CFR 745.88(c).

What that means in practice:

• EPA recognition applies when a trained professional (a certified renovator, inspector, or risk assessor) uses the kit on the surfaces EPA evaluated.
• LeadCheck™ and D-Lead® are recognized on wood, ferrous metal, drywall, and plaster. The Massachusetts kit is recognized on drywall and plaster only — not wood or ferrous metal.
• A negative result, used that way, can support a finding that regulated lead-based paint is not present on that tested surface. A positive result, a kit used on some other surface, or a homeowner swab is not a lead-based paint inspection.
• You may still assume lead is present in pre-1978 paint and follow lead-safe work practices without testing.

Source: EPA Lead Test Kits (retrieved 2026-09-01).

1. EPA-recognized color-change kit (screen)

LeadCheck™ swabs are crushed, shaken, and rubbed on a painted surface. A pink or red color indicates lead. EPA’s recognition is for a negative finding by a trained professional on listed surfaces. Homeowner use is a screen only.

2. Mail-in sample to an NLLAP laboratory

A paint chip, dust wipe, or soil sample analyzed by an EPA-recognized NLLAP lab is a laboratory result for that sample, not a whole-house inspection. Schneider Laboratories, Inc. (Richmond, Virginia) appears on the NLLAP list retrieved 2026-09-01. Consumer mail-in kits sold under that lab’s name are not EPA-recognized RRP test kits. They are sample-collection kits whose analysis is done at a lab.

3. Certified inspector or risk assessor

A certified inspector uses X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and/or paint-chip sampling to map where lead-based paint is. A certified risk assessor samples deteriorated paint, dust, and bare soil to identify current hazards and recommend control options. A combination inspection and risk assessment does both. EPA: Where can I find a qualified professional to conduct an inspection?

When to hire a certified inspector or risk assessor

Hire a certified professional when:

• You are buying or selling pre-1978 housing and want the 10-day inspection opportunity to mean something.
• A child under 6, a pregnant person, or someone with a lead-related medical concern lives or will live in the housing.
• Paint is peeling, chipping, chalking, or will be disturbed by renovation, and you need to know whether it is a hazard — not just whether a swab changed color.
• You need a report that maps lead-based paint (inspection), current hazards (risk assessment), or both.
• A kit result is positive, inconclusive, or was used on a surface EPA did not evaluate.

This index lists 104 unique NLLAP labs and 218 Michigan certified inspectors. Verify a certified lead professional.

In Michigan, use this index’s transcribed MDHHS lists (218 people). In every other state, use EPA’s Lead-based Paint Professional Locator or your state lead program. Always verify the certificate is still current before you hire.

If the report says to take samples of paint, dust, or soil, ship them to an NLLAP-recognized laboratory accredited for that matrix.

Related

After you know when a DIY screen is enough, compare swab kits against lab-confirm options. swab screen vs lab confirmation lead paint kits.

What this site does not do

Lead Paint Index does not rank contractors, take referral fees, or sell inspections. Amazon Associates links appear only on this how-to page. There are no tracking phone numbers and no click-to-call buttons. Always verify a professional’s credential with EPA or the state program that issued it.

National Lead Information Center: 1-800-424-LEAD (1-800-424-5323). That is EPA’s public number, printed here as text.