House painting in Bucks County, PA: older homes, lead rules and leftover paint
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Bucks County homeowners know before hiring a painter?
Most Bucks County houses are neither very old nor new, and that middle band is exactly the one the federal lead rule covers. The county also has its own consumer office for disputes, and its household hazardous waste collections do not take latex paint. Each point is below.
How many Bucks County homes are old enough for the lead rule?
The Census Bureau estimates that 9.9 percent of the county's 257,260 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, much less than the 25.0 percent for Pennsylvania as a whole, and that 5.7 percent were built since 2010. The rest, the large majority, date from the decades between.
The Census pages do not give the share built before 1978, but a great deal of the county's mid-century housing falls before it. Levittown is the plainest case. The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia says slightly more than 17,300 houses of six models were built there between 1952 and 1958, across Bristol, Falls and Middletown Townships and Tullytown Borough. Every one of them predates 1978.
That date matters because the Environmental Protection Agency's rule applies to anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in a home built before 1978, and it names painting preparation among the covered work. Unless a certified professional has documented that the paint is not lead-based, a painter scraping or sanding a Levittown house, or any other pre-1978 Bucks home, must be a certified firm working lead-safe. The Pennsylvania Department of Health adds that homes built before 1950 are more likely to contain lead paint.
Can the county help with lead paint repairs?
Not at the moment. Bucks County's Home Repair Program listed lead-based paint removal among the repairs it would fund, alongside porch, siding, trim and window work, but the county says it stopped accepting applications on October 21, 2025, because its money was a one-time grant. The page links a list of other federal, state, local and non-profit repair programs.
How do homeowners here deal with painters?
Mostly on their own account. The Census Bureau puts owner occupancy at 77.8 percent of occupied homes, the highest share of the five counties in and around Philadelphia, and the median home has 6.7 rooms against 6.0 statewide. Larger houses mean larger quotes, so the comparison in the cost guide is worth reading before you collect estimates.
Bucks lists 54 townships and boroughs in its municipal directory. None can license a painter separately, because state registration replaced local home improvement licensing in 2009, so the check to run is the Attorney General's contractor search, which can be filtered to Bucks County. How to choose a painter lists the other checks.
Where can you complain about a painter in Bucks County?
The county runs its own office. Bucks County Consumer Protection/Weights and Measures mediates complaints against businesses, whether the business is in the county or not, and passes cases that may be criminal to enforcement agencies. The problems it lists include false statements that repairs are needed and incomplete or unsatisfactory home repairs. It is at 1260 Almshouse Road, Doylestown, on 215-348-6060, and takes complaints online.
What do you do with leftover paint in Bucks County?
Not take latex paint to the county's collections. Bucks County says its free household hazardous waste events, held in the warmer months, accept up to 25 gallons or 220 pounds per resident but cannot accept latex paint, electronics or appliances, and are not open to businesses.
For latex paint, the state Department of Environmental Protection allows trash disposal once water-based liquid has evaporated and no free liquid remains, packaged against leaks and put out in small amounts. Oil-based paint and solvents belong at a collection. Philadelphia's own events are open to residents of all five counties, Bucks included, and its list of accepted materials includes oil, latex and water-based paint.
Painters who work in the county are listed on the Bucks County painters page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Levittowns (Pennsylvania and New Jersey), Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Lead Poisoning Frequently Asked Questions, Pennsylvania Department of Health
- Bucks County Home Repair Program, Bucks County
- Consumer Protection/ Weights & Measures, Bucks County
- Municipalities, Bucks County
- Household Hazardous Waste Collections to Return April 5, Bucks County
- Household Hazardous Waste, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Drop off household hazardous waste, City of Philadelphia
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General