Pressure washing an older painted house: lead paint rules and risks
Updated · KeystoneProGuide editorial team
Does the lead paint rule apply to pressure washing?
Yes, when a company is paid to wash painted surfaces on a home built before 1978. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires anyone paid to perform work that disturbs painted surfaces in such homes to be certified, and their workers trained, in lead-safe work practices. On washing in particular, the EPA's archived answer says pressure washing is not a prohibited practice under the rule but is subject to the same containment requirements as other permitted work.
That answer was published in the EPA's frequent questions, last updated in November 2024. The same page on the live EPA site could not be opened when this guide was written; the copy cited here is the EPA's own archived snapshot.
Why is old paint a concern when washing?
Because the EPA treats deteriorating old paint as the hazard, and washing is work that can disturb it. The EPA says the federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for homes in 1978, that about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before then still contain some, and that paint which is not maintained can peel, chip or crack and become a hazard, producing chips and dust that are dangerous when inhaled or swallowed.
The EPA's concern is above all for children. It says the key is to keep children from coming into contact with lead, and its do-it-yourself guidance says its practices are needed to protect family members, especially children.
How many Pennsylvania homes are old enough?
More than the Census figures can show. The Census Bureau's profiles give only the share of homes first built in 1939 or earlier: 25.0 percent for Pennsylvania and 39.9 percent for Philadelphia. Every one of those homes pre-dates 1978, but so do many built in the decades after, and the profiles do not give a 1978 figure. The EPA's own advice for a house whose age you cannot establish is to assume the area you are working on has lead-based paint.
What must a certified firm do when it washes?
The EPA's archived answer sets out three duties:
- Isolate the work area before starting, so that no dust or debris, including in the waste water, leaves it while the work is going on.
- Keep the containment intact, making sure plastic or other impermeable sheeting is not torn or displaced, and taking any other steps needed to keep dust and debris in.
- Leave a way out. The containment must not block occupants' or workers' exit in an emergency.
It adds that it is important to dispose of the waste water properly, and to check with the local water treatment authority for more information. That matters because, as Penn State Extension explains, separate storm sewers in Pennsylvania carry water to streams without treatment, and municipalities in the state's program must find and stop discharges that are not stormwater. In Philadelphia, the Water Department's rule of thumb is that only rain should go in storm drains.
Does the rule cover you if you wash your own house?
Generally not, says the EPA, but with exceptions. The rule does apply if you rent out all or part of your home, run a child care center in it, or buy, renovate and sell homes for profit. If you rent a pre-1978 home, the landlord or property manager must follow the rule whenever work disturbs paint.
Even where the rule does not apply, the EPA urges lead-safe practices for do-it-yourself work: find out whether lead-based paint is present, set up safely, protect yourself, minimize dust, leave the area clean, control your waste and clean once more. It lists dirty water among the waste to be collected and controlled.
How do you find out whether the paint contains lead?
The EPA recommends hiring a certified lead inspector or lead risk assessor to test the surfaces you plan to work on. It also says an EPA-recognized lead test kit, used by a trained professional, can reliably show that regulated lead-based paint is not present when the result is negative. If neither is done, the EPA's fallback is to assume the paint contains lead.
Is washing the same as lead abatement?
No. The EPA describes abatement as a separate program, with different certifications, designed to permanently address lead-based paint hazards, while its renovation rule covers ordinary work that disturbs paint. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Labor and Industry lists lead removal contractors and workers among the few trades it certifies itself. A washing company with lead-safe renovation certification is not, by that alone, an abatement contractor.
What should you ask before an older house is washed?
- "Is your firm lead-safe certified?" The EPA says the requirement covers all firms, even sole proprietorships, and keeps a search for certified contractors on its program page.
- "How will you contain the work and collect the water?" The answer should match the EPA's three duties above.
- "What will you do about loose or flaking paint?" If the house needs paint removal, that is a different job from washing, and the same rule applies to it.
Suspected violations can be reported to the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-5323. How to choose a pressure washing company covers the other checks, what Pennsylvania requires covers state registration, and what happens on the day describes a careful visit. Businesses that offer the service are listed on the pressure washing directory page.
Sources
- 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)
- Lead-Safe Renovations for DIYers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Contractor Licensing, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- 2020-2024 ACS 5-Year Narrative Profile: Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, U.S. Census Bureau
- Taking Care of Storm Drains, Philadelphia Water Department
- What is an MS4?, Penn State Extension