Lead-safe painting and renovation for pre-1978 Austin homes

If an Austin home was built before 1978, a painting or renovation project can be more than a finish-selection job. Disturbing old painted surfaces may create lead-contaminated dust. Federal Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rules can apply to paid work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities.

The key is the surface disturbance, not whether the project is called painting, carpentry, window replacement, or repair.

When the federal RRP rule generally applies

EPA guidance covers firms performing compensated renovation, repair, or painting that disturbs painted surfaces in covered pre-1978 properties. The common minor-repair threshold is more than six square feet of painted surface per room for interior work or more than twenty square feet for exterior work, with additional rules and exceptions.

Window replacement, demolition, and prohibited practices can trigger requirements even when the disturbed area seems small. Do not split a project into artificial pieces to evade the rule. Confirm the current EPA requirements and any applicable state or local rules for the exact property and work.

Ask the contractor five specific questions

1. Is the firm currently EPA-certified for RRP work?
2. Which certified renovator will direct this project?
3. How will occupants, belongings, soil, and adjacent rooms be isolated?
4. What dust-control and cleanup-verification steps will be used?
5. Which records will I receive at closeout?

Verify the firm's status using EPA resources. A general business registration, painting experience, or ordinary insurance certificate is not the same as RRP certification.

Before work begins

Identify the construction date and affected surfaces. EPA requires pre-renovation education for covered work; owners or occupants should receive the current lead-safety pamphlet in the required manner.

Discuss children, pregnancy, pets, HVAC returns, belongings, access, and whether temporary relocation is prudent. The contract should identify lead-safe setup, cleanup, waste handling, testing decisions, and responsibility for any damaged containment.

Testing and assumptions

A recognized test may determine whether lead-based paint is present on affected components. Testing protocols and who may perform them depend on the purpose and jurisdiction. If the work proceeds under a lead-present assumption, the scope and price should include the required lead-safe practices.

Do not use a consumer swab as a blanket clearance for a whole house. A result applies only within the limits of the method, surface, and sample.

Work practices that protect the home

The certified firm should contain the work area, control dust and debris, avoid prohibited dust-generating practices, clean systematically, and complete the required cleaning verification. Exterior work also needs soil and property protection.

Lead safety is not just a line-item fee. It affects crew workflow, setup area, access, sequencing, waste, cleanup, and documentation.

What the estimate should show

Compare estimates only after each one states:

• affected rooms, components, and square footage;
• lead-status assumption or testing plan;
• containment and occupant-protection plan;
• preparation and repair level;
• number of coats and specified finish system;
• cleanup verification and disposal;
• excluded remediation or abatement work;
• schedule and re-entry assumptions.

RRP renovation practices are not necessarily the same as lead abatement, which has a different purpose and can have different requirements.

Keep the closeout record

Save the property age evidence, EPA pamphlet acknowledgment, firm certification information, testing reports, project scope, photos, invoices, cleaning-verification records, and warranties. Future owners and contractors need to know what was disturbed and how it was handled.

Where Completa fits

Completa can capture the pre-1978 condition in the scope and preserve the contractor's review, price basis, milestones, and records. It does not certify a firm or replace EPA requirements. The professional performing covered work remains responsible for the applicable rule.