Poverty & Safety Net
Article

What it takes to become lead-safe certified

Natasha Takyi-Micah
Treuhaft Fellow for Health Planning
Additional Contributors
No items found.
June 13, 2022
Read time:
Download Fact Sheets
Register now
Share this resource
Subscribe to our Newsletter
By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download this as a PDF

Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance in 2019 requiring residential rental units built before 1978 to obtain a lead-safe certification to ensure that families, especially children, are able to live in safe environments. Landlords and property managers can engage in either one of the two inspections: a Lead Clearance Examination or a Lead Risk Assessment Inspection. A quarterly schedule shows when rental units need to be lead-safe between March 2021 and March 2023 based on zip codes.

 Cleveland City Council passed an ordinance in 2019 requiring residential rental units built before 1978 to obtain a lead-safe certification to ensure that families, especially children, are able to live in safe environments.

The landlords or property managers must work with contractors who specialize in lead-safe certification. In order to understand the lead inspection process, Zak Burkons, owner of PbFreeOhio a group from the CCS Policy Committee of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition to view one of his lead inspections.

Steps to become lead-safe certified

  1. A cleaning technician cleans sections of the property that could be lead hazardous. The cleaning technician completes this an hour before Burkons arrives to view the property.
  2. Burkons performs a visual test where he examines parts of the home that may have high levels of lead (e.g. windows, frames and porches).
  3. Another colleague conducts dust wipes tests. Those wipes are sent to an RRP (renovate, repair, paint) contractor.
  4. After the test, there will be a report detailing which parts of the property need to be remediated in order to make it lead-safe certified.
  5. Another inspection test is performed after the property manager or landlord addressed the changes required.
  6. If the property passes, then the property is lead-safe certified and the landlord or property manager will receive a certification. The certification will last for two years for those who specifically pass the dust wipes exams. There is another inspection called the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) test for homes built at a later date. That certificate lasts for 20 years.
 If the property passes, then the property is lead-safe certified and the landlord or property manager will receive a certification.

Zak Burkons explaining the window frame could possibly contain lead.

The balcony of the property where we view the lead inspection.

Fifteen-twenty percent of properties fail the first inspection

Throughout the inspection, we noticed that the rental property would fail the lead-safe test because of deteriorating window frames, broken windows and a poorly conditioned balcony. According to Burkons, 15-20 percent of properties initially fail lead tests. Even though properties have failed in the past, Burkons and his team completed over 6,500 inspections in which properties became lead safe certified since he obtained his license on July 23, 2021.

 15-20 percent of properties initially fail lead tests.

Summer is upon us and children will be on school break. This means that they will be at home more often and more likely to be exposed to lead if housing conditions are unsafe. Due to this potential danger, parents should learn about lead prevention and encourage their landlords/property managers to get their properties tested. To learn more about lead in Cleveland homes, visit the Lead Safe Resource Center or call their hotline at 833.601.5323. When all of our community is more informed, we can ensure children are at less risk of becoming lead poisoned.

Download Fact Sheets

Ohio Statewide Data

Download

Wood County

Download

Wyandot County

Download

Williams County

Download

Washington County

Download

Vinton County

Download

Wayne County

Download

Warren County

Download

Van Wert County

Download

Union County

Download

Tuscarawas County

Download

Stark County

Download

Summit County

Download

Trumbull County

Download

Shelby County

Download

Seneca County

Download

Scioto County

Download

Ross County

Download

Sandusky County

Download

Richland County

Download

Putnam County

Download

Huron County

Download

Portage County

Download

Preble County

Download

Pike County

Download

Pickaway County

Download

Perry County

Download

Noble County

Download

Paulding County

Download

Ottawa County

Download

Morrow County

Download

Muskingum County

Download

Morgan County

Download

Montgomery County

Download

Meigs County

Download

Monroe County

Download

Miami County

Download

Mercer County

Download

Marion County

Download

Madison County

Download

Medina County

Download

Mahoning County

Download

Lucas County

Download

Lorain County

Download

Logan County

Download

Licking County

Download

Lawrence County

Download

Lake County

Download

Holmes County

Download

Jackson County

Download

Knox County

Download

Jefferson County

Download

Hocking County

Download

Henry County

Download

Highland County

Download

Harrison County

Download

Hancock County

Download

Hardin County

Download

Greene County

Download

Geauga County

Download

Guernsey County

Download

Hamilton County

Download

Gallia County

Download

Fayette County

Download

Fulton County

Download

Franklin County

Download

Fairfield County

Download

Erie County

Download

Darke County

Download

Defiance County

Download

Coshocton County

Download

Delaware County

Download

Cuyahoga County

Download

Crawford County

Download

Columbiana County

Download

Clinton County

Download

Clermont County

Download

Clark County

Download

Champaign County

Download

Carroll County

Download

Athens County

Download

Ashtabula County

Download

Brown County

Download

Butler County

Download

Belmont County

Download

Auglaize County

Download

Ashland County

Download

Allen County

Download

Adams County

Download

Lake County

Download

Geauga County

Download

Cuyahoga County

Download

All Municipalities Geauga County

Download

All Municipalities Lake County

Download

All Municipalities Cuyahoga County

Download

Thompson

Download

South Russell

Download

Russell

Download

Parkman

Download
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Download report

Subscribe to our newsletter

5 Things you need to know arrives on Mondays with the latest articles, events, and advocacy developments in Ohio

Explore the fact sheets

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique.

No Related Fact Sheets

Explore Topics

Browse articles, research, and testimony.