Flooring contractors in Montgomery County, PA: condos, lead help and contracts
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Montgomery County homeowners know before a flooring job?
Two things set the county apart. It has the most homes of the four suburban counties and the largest share of them in buildings with several units, and its health department runs a lead program that can pay for repairs, including carpet replacement, in qualifying older homes. The Census Bureau counts 350,351 housing units in Montgomery County, with 26.1 percent in multi-unit structures against 21.0 percent statewide.
Does the home improvement law cover a condo or apartment floor?
Yes, for a unit. Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act applies to private residences, which the Attorney General's office defines to include single-family homes, buildings of no more than two units, and a single unit within any multifamily building, including condominiums and cooperatives. So a contractor replacing the floor in your condo must be registered, give you a written contract, respect the deposit limit and honor your three-day right to cancel. The details are in what Pennsylvania requires of flooring contractors.
The act's definition speaks of the unit. If you live in a condominium or cooperative, read the association's own rules on flooring before you choose a material and before a contractor quotes.
What does the county's lead program offer?
In October 2024 the county's Department of Health and Human Services received $1.8 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address lead and other hazards in qualifying homes. Through its Lead Hazard Control Program:
- A certified lead inspector tests the home, and a certified lead abatement contractor repairs the hazards found, at no cost to the owner. The county says the result is a lead-safe home, not a lead-free one.
- Healthy homes work can follow, and the county lists repairs to stairs and railings and the removal and replacement of carpet among its examples.
- To qualify, you must own or rent in the county, the home must have been built before 1978, a child under 6 must live there or visit regularly or a pregnant woman must live there, and household income must be under the program's limits, which for a family of four is $98,150. Landlords can apply where the tenant qualifies, and vacant properties are eligible.
The program's contact is healthyhomes@montgomerycountypa.gov or 610-278-5117. For anyone else with a pre-1978 home, the federal rule still applies: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires a paid contractor who disturbs painted surfaces in such a home to be lead-safe certified.
How old is the county's housing?
By the share built before 1940, older than Bucks or Chester and newer than Delaware County or Philadelphia. The Census Bureau estimates that 16.0 percent of Montgomery homes were first built in 1939 or earlier and 8.1 percent since 2010. The Census pages do not say how many were built before 1978, so ask the year your own house was built before any sanding or tear-out starts.
What should you ask about stair carpet?
Stairs appear in the county program's list of repairs, and the carpet trade has guidance on them too. The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), the carpet industry's association, recommends that carpet pile run up the stairs to help prevent slips and falls, and that cut pile carpet sit on a firm cushion no thicker than 7/16 of an inch. If you are replacing stair carpet, those are fair points to raise with the installer.
Who decides whether a Montgomery flooring job needs a permit?
Your township or borough. The state's code regulation does not mention floor coverings, so the answer is the local building code official's. The Department of Labor and Industry publishes a list of every municipality by county with the name and phone number of each one's building code official, and notes that some municipalities kept local amendments it has no record of.
Where do you check or complain about a contractor here?
At the state level. No county consumer office page was found for Montgomery County. With 71.4 percent of occupied homes owner-occupied and a median owner-occupied value of $436,700, most flooring contracts here are signed by owners, so check registration first on the Attorney General's contractor search, which can be filtered to the county. The steps for comparing contractors are in how to choose a flooring contractor. Businesses that serve the county are listed on the Montgomery County flooring contractors page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Lead Hazard Control Program, Montgomery County
- Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Frequently Asked Questions, The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)
- Municipal Elections and Contact Information, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General