NYS Provides an Update on Upcoming Lead Rental Registry Program

(Jan. 7, 2025) The NYS Department of Health (DOH) has provided an update on the upcoming Lead Rental Registry program, which is expected to take effect in November 2025 and will require rental properties built before 1980 with two or more units in communities of concern outside of NYC to be inspected and documented as free of lead-based paint hazards at least once every three years.

When hazards are identified, the program will require prompt cleanup and lead-safe repairs. Property owner compliance will be tracked and monitored, and compliance will be enforced. Before the program regulations go into effect, contractors and property owners are being encouraged to become Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified in lead renovation, repair, and painting. Lead-safe certification is federally mandated when projects disturb paint in a pre-1978 rental property; landlords and contractors in the Lead Rental Registry communities of concern must be educated and trained to avoid creating worse lead hazards when trying to remove peeling or chipped paint.

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has already awarded grant funding to 16 counties with jurisdiction over communities of concern to provide technical and financial assistance to landlords to address lead hazards in rental properties. Up to $40 million is available to date, and applications are currently being accepted from county and not-for-profit administrators.

The 25 communities of concern include Albany, Amsterdam, Auburn, Binghamton, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Elmira, Gloversville, Jamestown, Kingston, Middletown, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Poughkeepsie, Rochester, Rome, Schenectady, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Troy, Utica, Watertown, and Yonkers. These communities have both the highest number of homes built before 1980 and the highest prevalence of children with cases of elevated blood lead levels outside of NYC.

DOH has also awarded nearly $15 million to 20 local health departments to build capacity and assist the communities of concern in their county with implementing the Lead Rental Registry program. This includes supporting staffing needs to facilitate inspections and compliance and enforcement activities, training and certification programs, and outreach and education efforts about tenant rights and childhood lead poisoning prevention methods.

Learn more about the Lead Rental Registry program here.

Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866