Siding on a Pre-1978 Home: Lead-Safe Rules Explained

South Jersey Construction Consultants Inc. — reviewed October 2026

If your home was built before 1978, federal law treats any painted surface we disturb as if it may contain lead — and that changes how a siding tear-off must be done. The rule is the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (RRP), and it applies to paid contractors working on pre-1978 housing VERIFY: EPA RRP rule, 40 CFR Part 745. Much of Haddonfield, Moorestown, Collingswood and older Cherry Hill falls into this category. The rule isn’t red tape for its own sake: lead dust is a genuine health hazard, especially for kids. Here’s what it means for your project, in plain terms.

What does the EPA RRP rule actually require?

Three things matter most to you. First, the company must be an EPA-certified firm, and a certified renovator — someone trained in lead-safe work practices — must be assigned to your job VERIFY: EPA RRP rule, 40 CFR Part 745. Second, the crew must contain the work area so paint chips and dust don’t spread to your yard, your soil or your neighbor’s property. Third, you must receive the EPA’s “Renovate Right” pamphlet before work starts, and you sign an acknowledgment that you got it. That pamphlet explains the risks and the safeguards in homeowner language.

What does lead-safe work look like on a siding job?

On an exterior tear-off, lead-safe practice means plastic sheeting on the ground extending out from the wall VERIFY: EPA RRP rule containment distances, warning signs posted, windows and doors in the work area closed, and no open-flame or high-speed grinding of painted surfaces. Crews mist painted materials to keep dust down, collect chips daily, and finish with a cleaning verification — a visual and wipe check that the area is clean before the plastic comes up VERIFY: EPA RRP rule work practice standards. Records of all of it are kept on file.

Why does this affect tear-off cost?

Lead-safe work adds labor and materials: the plastic, the slower tear-off, the daily chip collection, the cleaning verification and the record-keeping. That shows up as a real line item on pre-1978 jobs VERIFY: SJCC price book, current rev. If one quote on your older home is dramatically cheaper, ask whether the company is an EPA-certified firm and ask for the certification number. Skipping RRP isn’t a favor to your budget — it’s a federal violation, and contractors have been fined after neighbors reported dusty tear-offs.

One more stop rule: if your home has old cement-board shingles that might contain asbestos, we stop and have them tested rather than breaking them up VERIFY: NJ asbestos rules / licensed abatement requirements.

Who is responsible for following the rule?

The contractor, not you. Certification, containment, training and record-keeping are the company’s obligations when it works for pay on a pre-1978 home VERIFY: EPA RRP rule, 40 CFR Part 745. Your part is simple: keep kids and pets out of the contained area, and keep the pamphlet and paperwork we hand you.

How do you know if your home counts as pre-1978?

The rule keys off the year the house was built, not the year it was last painted. If you’re unsure, town tax records usually list the build year, and we flag it at the estimate. A certified renovator can also test suspect paint. Either way, the answer is known before a contract is signed — it’s part of our standard inspection, described on our process page. And if hidden damage turns up mid-job, the same documented approach applies: see what happens if we find rot.