Pressure washing in Chester County, PA: newer homes, big houses and what to check
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
What should Chester County homeowners know before a pressure wash?
Chester County has a larger share of new housing than the state as a whole, and bigger houses. The Census Bureau estimates that 10.7 percent of the county's 212,491 housing units have been built since 2010, against 6.1 percent statewide, and puts the median home at 7.0 rooms, against 6.0 for Pennsylvania. Both facts shape a washing job here: the first decides which homes face the federal lead paint rule, and the second drives the price.
Do newer Chester County homes face the lead paint rule?
Not the ones built in or after 1978. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule on lead-safe work covers paid work that disturbs painted surfaces in homes built before 1978. A house from the county's recent building years is outside it.
The county planning commission says that in most years since 2010 about 1,500 new housing units have been added, and that new single-family detached homes have declined while twins and apartments have grown. For a newer twin or townhouse, the washing questions are about the siding, the method and the water, not lead.
The older stock is another matter. The Census Bureau counts 12.6 percent of Chester County housing as first built in 1939 or earlier, and every one of those homes pre-dates 1978, as do many built later. For a painted older house, the EPA requires a paid company to be certified, and its archived answer on washing says the work must be contained so that dust and debris, including what is in the waste water, stay inside the work area.
Why does house size matter so much for the price?
Because the surveys price by area and height. Angi gives $0.10 to $0.50 a square foot and $200 to $1,000 for a 2,000-square-foot home; Fixr gives $600 to $1,600 for the same size and $750 to $2,000 for 2,500 square feet. With a median of 7.0 rooms, a typical Chester County house sits toward the larger rows of those tables. No survey publishes a county figure, so use the cost guide to see the full ranges, and ask each company how many square feet it measured.
Where does the wash water go in Chester County?
If it reaches a separate storm sewer, into a local stream. Penn State Extension says Pennsylvania's separate storm sewers carry water to streams and rivers without treatment, and that each municipality in the program must stop discharges of anything but stormwater.
Chester County also has a role in planning for the Brandywine Creek. The Delaware County Conservation District notes that the Brandywine Creek stormwater plan is to be prepared by Chester County, under the state's 1978 Stormwater Management Act. For your own street, the municipality is the office that can say what is allowed, and the company should be able to say where its water will go.
How do you check a contractor in Chester County?
No county consumer protection office for Chester County turned up in the research for this guide, so the checks are the state's. Search the Attorney General's contractor search with the county set to Chester; it also offers "Pressure Washing" as a type of work, with a warning that the data is still limited. The Attorney General adds that registration is not an endorsement of honesty or quality, and advises checking references, getting more than one bid and looking for complaints with the Better Business Bureau.
Chester County households are mostly owners: the Census Bureau puts owner occupancy at 75.1 percent of the 204,774 occupied homes. For the 24.9 percent that are rented, the EPA's lead rule applies to the landlord and the landlord's contractor whenever painted surfaces on a pre-1978 home are disturbed.
How to choose a pressure washing company sets out the questions on method and chemicals. Businesses that serve the county are listed on the Chester County pressure washing page.
Sources
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Housing Report - Units By Type, Chester County Planning Commission
- Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- How do RRP requirements apply to pressure washing? What containment and other preparation are required?, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (January 2025 archived copy)
- How Much Does It Cost to Pressure Wash a House? [2026 Data], Angi
- How much does it cost to pressure wash the exterior of a house?, Fixr
- Stormwater Info, Delaware County Conservation District
- What is an MS4?, Penn State Extension
- Home Improvement Contractor Search, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
- Home Improvement Contractor Verification, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General