May 1 2008 1:25PM | Permalink | Email this | Comments (0) |
Blog This! using: Blogger.com | LiveJournal |

At the NAHB board meetings this morning, NAHB staff gave a thorough presentation on the new lead paint regulations that were officially published last week. (You can get the details here from Mike Morris's blog when the rules were initially issued.)

Here's some key things you need to know:

• The law takes effect April 22, 2010
• It applies to all pre-1978 homes, but if there are no children under 6 in the home, the homeowner can sign a waiver excusing the remodeler from meeting the remediation standards.
• In order to work on these homes, the remodeler must have a certified lead paint specialist on staff.
• The new federal pamphlet on the law will be available in June. Beginning in December of this year, remodelers must use this one in place of the current one. Homeowners will need to sign that they have received it and remodelers will need to keep that for their records.
• In April 2009, training programs can be submitted for federal approval. That means if you intend to take training, that's the earliest it can happen.
• Starting in October, remodelers can apply for certification to the EPA after they've completed training.
• Violations will carry up to a $25,000 fine

NAHB is currently exploring options for training, to figure out if its better for the group to offer it or just partner with another group to offer training.

It also appears as if the group will not be suing to block the law's implementation. In fact, it's more likely that NAHB will join in potential lawsuits on the EPA's side, legal staff said today. Why? Because it could have been a lot worse and NAHB wants to make sure it doesn't get more restrictive. Several groups are planning to sue the EPA, saying the law isn't tough enough. These groups wants post-project clearance tests and third-party oversight of contractors, which would drastically increase the burden on remodelers.