If your home was built before 1978, your next repaint likely falls under lead paint rules. A lead paint repaint still ends with two fresh coats. What changes is everything around them: how the crew sets up, how old paint comes off, how the site gets cleaned and what paperwork you receive.
Below, you'll see which homes are in scope, what lead-safe prep looks like and how to check a painter's certification in Washington.
Why a Lead Paint Repaint Follows Different Rules
For a repaint, lead-based paint becomes an RRP issue when prep disturbs it. Scraping, sanding and cutting turn old layers into dust and paint chips that can spread past the work area. That's why the rules govern how painters prep and clean up.
The federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for use in homes in 1978. EPA estimates about three-quarters of US homes built before then still contain some lead-based paint. Lead exposure from renovation dust can harm anyone, especially children. EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, known as the RRP rule, exists to keep those lead hazards inside the work area.
In Washington, the Department of Commerce runs the Renovation, Repair and Painting program. It certifies firms that paint or renovate homes built before 1978 and child-occupied facilities, such as daycares.
Does a simple repaint count as renovation? Once prep disturbs paint, yes. EPA lists painting preparation as a covered activity alongside carpentry and window replacement, so EPA RRP painting rules apply to a repaint too.
Which Homes Are in Scope, and How Do You Check?
Your home is in scope if it was built before 1978 and the work will disturb painted surfaces beyond a small minimum. The build year is the first thing to confirm on any older home. Your county property record or closing papers usually list it.
If your home in Seattle or Snohomish County predates 1978, old paint may sit under newer coats. Where it loosens on trim, sills or siding, a repaint has to scrape it.
Homes and Buildings the RRP Rule Covers
- Houses and apartments built before 1978
- Child-occupied facilities built before 1978, such as daycares and kindergartens
Common Exemptions From the RRP Rule
- Homes built in 1978 or later
- Jobs that disturb 6 square feet or less per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, with no window replacement, demolition or banned methods
- Surfaces documented as free of lead-based paint by a certified professional
How to Tell If Paint Is Lead-Based
You can't tell by looking. Lead paint looks like any other paint, so the build year matters more than the surface. EPA's contractor guidance says to presume lead-based paint is present unless documentation shows otherwise.
What Lead-Safe Work Practices Look Like on Site
On site, the rule comes down to three jobs: contain the dust, limit how paint comes off and clean until the area passes a check. In Washington, Commerce enforces each of these under Chapter 365-230 WAC.
Interior Containment on an Older Home
Furniture moves out of the room or gets fully covered. Taped plastic covers the floor 6 feet past the work, and doors are closed and sheeted. Vents are sealed under plastic so lead dust can't travel through the ducts.
Our interior painting process already protects what isn't being painted. Under the RRP rule, that protection becomes a sealed work area with warning signs at the entry. Before leaving the work area, crews trained in RRP work clean dust off themselves, their tools and anything they carry out, so lead dust doesn't leave the site.
Exterior Containment and Daily Debris
Plastic sheeting covers the ground at least 10 feet past the work area to catch paint chips and debris. Debris is collected and contained at the end of each work day, so chips stay out of the soil.
On exterior painting jobs, that daily cleanup includes the ground along the foundation, where chips fall.
Why Prep Is the Part That Changes Most
Prep changes most because the rule bans several fast removal methods. On an older home, scraping and sanding still happen, just with slower, cleaner methods. Some tools are off the table entirely.
Methods the RRP Rule Prohibits
- Open flame burning or torching
- Power tools that sand, grind, plane or blast without HEPA exhaust control (a high-efficiency particulate air filter that captures fine dust)
- Heat guns running above 1,100°F
How Each Prep Step Changes
Our exterior painting process already includes scraping loose paint, sanding down ridges, spot priming and recaulking split gaps. On a home built before 1978, a certified firm keeps those steps and changes the method.
💡 Pro Tip: Ask how loose paint will come off your trim and window sills. If the answer is a power sander with no HEPA hookup, that bid isn't following lead-safe rules.
Painting Over Lead Paint: When It Works
New paint can go over old lead paint when the old coat is intact and well bonded. The rules apply once the surface needs scraping or sanding.
Paint won't hold on peeling lead paint, so loose paint has to come off first. Above the size limits, that scraping is covered and follows lead-safe methods.
Work meant to permanently end lead hazards is abatement, a separately certified discipline. We don't offer it, and a repaint is not a substitute for it.
How a Lead-Safe Repaint Runs, Step by Step
A lead-safe repaint follows the same order as any repaint. A certified firm adds steps around the prep and the cleanup.
- Estimate. The painter walks the house, confirms the build year and notes where paint is failing.
- Pamphlet. Before work starts, you receive EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet and sign to confirm it.
- Containment and prep. The work area is sealed before any scraping, sanding, spot priming or recaulking.
- Paint. The coats go on as usual, since the rule covers prep and cleanup.
- Cleanup and verification. Debris is contained daily. At the end, the area is cleaned and passes EPA cleaning verification before the warning signs come down.
- Walkthrough and records. You check the work, and the firm gives you a record showing the work practices were followed.
During the job, ask which rooms or sides are sealed off each day, so you know which areas to stay out of.
What You Should Receive in Writing
A lead-safe certified firm leaves a paper trail, and you should see part of it. EPA requires firms to hand you the pamphlet before work and a compliance record after, and to keep records for three years. Ask about the rest before work starts.
- The Renovate Right pamphlet, plus a form you sign saying you received it
- A copy of the firm's RRP certification
- The name of the certified renovator assigned to your job
- That renovator's training certificate, which must be kept on site
- A written scope that commits to RRP work methods
- Records showing the work practices were followed, once the job is done
- A contractor license number you can check with Labor & Industries
RRP certification is a different credential from a contractor license. Our guide to licensing and insurance covers the basics every painter should carry.
Why Bids for Painting a Pre-1978 House Can Differ So Much
Two bids on the same older home can be far apart because one includes lead-safe work and the other doesn't. Containment, slower prep and verified cleanup all take time and materials. A bid that skips them is cheaper for a reason.
The cheaper bid only holds up if your paint is documented as lead-free or the job stays under the size limits. Otherwise, the question to ask of any bid is simple: will this job follow the RRP rule? A clear yes from a certified firm, with a named certified renovator, is where comparing bids starts.
For what drives exterior painting costs, see our Bellevue exterior cost guide.
Where to Check a Lead-Safe Painting Contractor in Washington
Commerce publishes free lists you can check before work starts. Its lists of certified RRP companies are sorted alphabetically and by city and county. They include only firms that ask to be listed, so also ask to see the certificate.
- Look the firm up by name or by city
- Check the Commerce list of suspended and revoked companies
- Confirm the contractor license is active with Labor & Industries
- Ask to see the renovator's certificate and check the expiration date
Because Commerce runs RRP here, any firm paid for covered work on a pre-1978 home needs state certification, in Seattle or Snohomish County. Renovators who are EPA certified or certified in another state must register their certificate with Commerce, and firms need their own Washington firm certification.
Planning a Repaint on an Older Home?
On an older home, the biggest change happens before any paint goes on. Sealed rooms, limited prep methods, checked cleanup and a written record set a lead-safe job apart.
Before any work starts, confirm the firm's Commerce certificate and its license with L&I.
If you're planning a lead paint repaint in Seattle, Snohomish County or anywhere we serve, we're happy to walk the house with you and talk through the scope. Whenever you're ready, request a free estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you paint over lead paint?
Yes, if the old paint is intact and well bonded, new paint can go over it. If it's peeling or chipping, it has to be prepped first. On homes built before 1978, prep above the size limits falls under the RRP rule.
When was lead paint banned for homes?
The federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for use in homes in 1978. That's why the RRP rule covers homes and child-occupied facilities built before that year.
Does the RRP rule apply to exterior painting?
Yes, once prep disturbs more than 20 square feet of exterior paint. Indoors, the limit is 6 square feet per room.
How do I find an RRP-certified painter in Washington?
Check the Department of Commerce lists of certified RRP companies. They're opt-in, so ask unlisted firms for their certificate, then confirm the license with L&I.
What does lead paint look like?
It looks like ordinary paint, so you can't identify it by eye. The build year is the best first clue.
Does lead-safe work make a repaint take longer?
Usually, yes. Sealing the work area and checking the cleanup add time over a standard repaint.
What records should I get after the job?
The firm must give you a record showing lead-safe work practices were followed, and it keeps job records for three years.
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