House painting in Delaware County, PA: lead paint, older homes and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Delaware County homeowners know before hiring a painter?
That lead paint is the first question, not an afterthought. The county's own health department says the average Delaware County home was built in 1956 and that many homes may have lead-based paint. It also tells residents that any repair disturbing paint in a pre-1978 home should be done by a lead-certified contractor. The rest of this guide covers what that means for a painting job, and where to turn locally.
How old is the housing here?
Older than in most of the region. The county's Lead Free 1-2-3 page gives 1956 as the average year built. The Census Bureau estimates that 22.1 percent of the county's 229,715 housing units were first built in 1939 or earlier, more than one in five, and only 3.5 percent since 2010, the smallest share of new housing of the five counties in and around Philadelphia.
The county's history page describes how that stock came about: considerable residential building after the First World War in Upper Darby, Drexel Hill, Havertown and Springfield, continuing after the Second World War in places such as Westbrook Park and Marple Township. Both waves predate the 1978 federal ban on lead-based paint for homes.
What does the county say about lead and painting?
Three things.
- Use a certified contractor. The health department says all home repairs that disturb paint in homes built before 1978 should be done by a lead-certified contractor. That matches federal law, which requires firms paid to disturb paint in such homes to be certified and names painting preparation among the covered work.
- Cover damaged paint while you wait. Until a professional arrives, the county says loose or chipping paint can be covered with heavy tape, paneling, heavy wallpaper or contact paper, or blocked with furniture pushed against it.
- The problem is widespread. The county reports that 37 of its 49 municipalities, nearly 76 percent, have at least one reported case of a child's blood lead level at or above the benchmark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC says no safe blood lead level in children has been identified.
The county adds that any home with a child whose blood lead level is 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or higher can now get a free lead inspection under a statewide program, and its Wellness Line is (484) 276-2100.
What if you rent?
The health department says a renter who sees peeling paint or other lead hazards should talk to the landlord first and, if the response is not satisfactory, contact the municipality's code official. The Census Bureau estimates that 30.4 percent of the county's occupied homes are rented.
How do you check a painter, and where do you complain?
Start with the Attorney General's contractor search, which can be filtered to Delaware County, and the steps in how to choose a painter. For a pre-1978 house, add the lead-safe certification check.
If a job goes wrong, Delaware County has a consumer office of its own. The Office of Consumer Affairs offers voluntary mediation, takes complaints about home repair and remodeling, and refers suspected fraud to the District Attorney or the Attorney General. It is in the Government Center Building, 201 West Front Street, Media, on 610-891-4865.
What do you do with leftover paint in Delaware County?
The Delaware County Solid Waste Authority's collection events are free for residents but by appointment only, with registration opening six weeks before each event, and they turn away latex paint, trash and electronics. They do accept the solvent side of a painting job: oil-based paint, stains, varnish, shellac, spray paint, paint thinners, turpentine, strippers and removers, and wallpaper cement.
For latex paint, the state Department of Environmental Protection allows regular trash once the water-based liquid has evaporated and the residue is packaged against leaks. Before scraping old paint into a bag, though, remember the county's starting point: in a pre-1978 house, the chips themselves may contain lead.
Painters who serve the county are on the Delaware County painters page.
Sources
- Lead Free 1-2-3, Delaware County
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Delaware County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Your County at a Glance: History, Delaware County
- Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- About Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Consumer Affairs/Weights & Measures, Delaware County
- Household Hazardous Waste, Delaware County Solid Waste Authority
- Household Hazardous Waste, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General