Philadelphia has one of the strictest rental lead laws in the country. If your building went up before March 1978 (and most of the city’s rowhomes did), you need a current lead-safe or lead-free certification before you can sign a lease, renew a lease, or get or renew your Rental License. Here’s what the law requires and how to stay ahead of it.
Which properties are covered?
The City’s Lead Paint Disclosure and Certification Law, Philadelphia Code Chapter 6-800, applies to “Targeted Housing.” That means property built before March 1978, even if it was renovated later, that is used as housing. The law presumes a rental was built before March 1978 unless you can show otherwise. There’s a narrow exception for student housing built by or for an educational institution for its own students only.
The law used to apply only to units where young children lived. Starting October 1, 2020, it was expanded zip code by zip code. Since April 1, 2022, it has covered pre-1978 rentals citywide, whether or not children live there (§ 6-802.1).
If your building was built later, you still have a step: the City requires you to file for an exemption when you apply for your Rental License (phila.gov: Get a Rental License).
Lead safe vs. lead free: what’s the difference?
- Lead safe means a certified inspector found no deteriorated paint, and dust wipe samples taken under EPA rules came back below the City’s lead-dust limits. The certificate must come with the lab results. A lead-safe certification is valid only if the inspection was done no more than 48 months before the date the Rental License is issued (or, if no license is issued, the date the lease is signed) (§ 6-802(15); § 6-803(3)(b)).
- Lead free means the interior and exterior surfaces contain no lead-based paint and there’s no lead-contaminated soil or dust. A lead-free certification based on an inspection done at any earlier time stays valid, so you don’t have to retest on a four-year cycle.
Who can certify? A Pennsylvania-licensed inspector or risk assessor, or an EPA-certified lead dust sampling technician (Partners in Good Housing, Sept. 2025). The Code puts the cost of certification on the landlord.
The step-by-step process
- Schedule an inspection with an approved professional. Tenants must give reasonable access for the inspection and any corrective work after reasonable notice. If they don’t, you can notify the Health Department (§ 6-803(3)(f)).
- Fix any deteriorated paint using lead-safe work practices. Renovation work in pre-1978 housing also falls under the federal EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule.
- Upload the certificate and dust wipe results to the City’s Lead Certification Submission System. You can’t submit a new or renewal Rental License application until the required certification is uploaded.
- Give the tenant a copy and have them sign for it before the lease is signed. “Lease” includes renewals, even automatic ones. You don’t need a new certificate at renewal as long as the one the tenant already has is still valid (§ 6-803(3)(a)).
- Give the tenant a written notice advising them to check painted surfaces periodically and report any cracked, flaking, or peeling paint. When they do, you must promptly inspect and correct it.
Other lead items that apply to every lease
Some lead rules apply no matter when your building was built:
- Lead water lines. Before signing any residential lease, give the tenant the City’s pamphlet on lead service lines and plumbing, and disclose any lead service line you know about (§ 6-803(3)(a.1)).
- Lease warning statements. Leases must include the City’s lead warning language in large type (§ 6-805).
- Tenant’s 10-day inspection right. Every lease must say in writing that the tenant has 10 days to get their own lead inspection at their own expense (§ 6-804).
- Federal disclosure. For pre-1978 housing, federal law separately requires the EPA/HUD lead disclosure form and pamphlet (EPA: Real Estate Disclosure).
What happens if you skip it?
The penalties are serious (§§ 6-809, 6-811):
- No rent and no possession. A landlord who doesn’t comply with the certification requirement loses the right to collect rent or recover possession for the period of noncompliance. In any eviction or rent case, you must attach the certification or proof the property isn’t Targeted Housing.
- Tenant lawsuits. A tenant can sue for an order to certify and repair, damages, exemplary damages of up to $2,000, rent abatement and refunds, and attorney’s fees.
- City fines. Fines can reach up to $2,000 per offense, and each day counts as a separate offense.
- Inspection costs. If the City inspects a unit where you didn’t provide the certification, you can be billed for the cost of that inspection.
The law also prohibits refusing to rent to families with children because of lead paint (§ 6-810).
FAQ
My tenants don’t have kids. Do I still need certification?
Yes, if the property was built before March 1978. The citywide expansion finished April 1, 2022.
How long is a lead-safe certificate good for?
It must be based on an inspection no more than 48 months before the license issuance or lease date. Lead-free certifications don’t expire the same way.
Do I need a new certificate every time a lease renews?
Only if the tenant’s current certificate is no longer valid.
Who pays for the inspection?
The landlord, under § 6-803(3)(b).
Where do I file the certificate?
Upload it, with the dust wipe results, to the City’s Lead Certification Submission System.
Let us handle the 48-month clock
Tracking certification dates across a portfolio is exactly the kind of detail that slips. At JG Real Estate, our Philadelphia property management team has been keeping rentals compliant since 2011. See how we work on our Philadelphia property management page or call 215.467.4100.
More in this series: Philadelphia Rental License and CRS guide · Renters’ Access Act tenant screening rules · Eviction Diversion Program and Good Cause · Year-round landlord compliance checklist
Sources: Phila. Code Ch. 6-800 (definitions) · Phila. Code §§ 6-802.1–6-811 · Submit lead certification (phila.gov) · Get a Rental License (phila.gov) · Partners in Good Housing (Sept. 2025) · EPA Real Estate Disclosure
