How to Choose a Lead Removal Contractor in California

BySoCal Removal

Choose a lead removal contractor whose credentials fit the job: an EPA RRP-certified firm for renovation that disturbs paint in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities, or CDPH-certified lead supervisors and workers for abatement. In California, abatement means work designed to reduce or eliminate lead hazards. Whichever applies, look for an active CSLB license, a written containment plan, Cal/OSHA worker protection and clearance testing by an independent CDPH-certified inspector/assessor.

What’s the difference between RRP work and lead abatement?

The difference is the purpose of the work. RRP covers renovation that happens to disturb lead paint. Abatement is work meant to reduce or eliminate lead hazards. Each has its own rules and its own credentials.

EPA RRP: renovation in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities

The federal RRP rule (40 CFR Part 745, Subpart E) applies to paid renovation, repair and painting that disturbs painted surfaces in two kinds of buildings:

  • Target housing: housing built before 1978. Housing for the elderly or people with disabilities and zero-bedroom units are exempt, unless a child under 6 lives there or is expected to.
  • Child-occupied facilities: pre-1978 buildings, or parts of buildings, that the same child under 6 visits regularly, such as a day care or kindergarten.

EPA runs the RRP program in California, so the firm must be certified by EPA, and a certified renovator must direct the work. Owners and occupants get EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts. The rule requires warning signs, containment and a cleaning check at the end. It bans open-flame burning. It also bans high-speed sanding or grinding unless the tool has a shroud and a HEPA vacuum, and it allows heat guns only below 1,100°F. Small jobs are exempt: 6 square feet or less per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside. The exemption doesn’t cover window replacement, demolition of painted surfaces or the banned methods. RRP doesn’t cover abatement at all.

California abatement: CDPH-certified supervisors and workers

In California, the Department of Public Health (CDPH) regulates lead-related construction in residential and public buildings under Title 17, Division 1, Chapter 8 of the California Code of Regulations. Title 17 defines abatement as any set of measures designed to reduce or eliminate lead hazards or lead-based paint in public and residential buildings. Public buildings include schools, day care centers, hospitals and government facilities.

For abatement designed to last 20 years or more, Title 17 requires:

  • CDPH-certified lead supervisors and lead workers only. A certified supervisor must be on site during setup and final cleanup.
  • A written abatement plan prepared by a certified supervisor, project monitor or project designer.
  • CDPH Form 8551, Abatement of Lead Hazards Notification. It must be posted at every entrance to the work area and delivered to CDPH at least five days before work starts.
  • A clearance inspection after the work is done.

Shorter-term measures, called interim controls, don’t require certified workers. They still require containment, no lead dust left in the work area and the CDPH notice.

Lead-related construction work

Title 17 also uses a broader term. Lead-related construction work is any construction, alteration, painting, demolition, salvage, renovation, repair or maintenance of a residential or public building that may cause significant lead exposure. It includes prep and cleanup. Anyone doing this work must use containment and leave no visible dust or debris. In California, untested paint on a building constructed before 1978 is presumed to be lead-based paint.

Two examples. Replacing windows in a 1960s house is RRP work, and Title 17’s work practices apply too. Stripping lead paint from a day care’s door frames to eliminate a hazard is abatement. That job needs CDPH-certified workers, the Form 8551 notice and clearance.

What does Cal/OSHA require to protect workers?

Any construction employer whose workers may be exposed to lead must follow Cal/OSHA’s Lead in Construction standard, 8 CCR 1532.1. Revisions took effect January 1, 2025. The permissible exposure limit is now 10 µg/m³ and the action level is 2 µg/m³, both as 8-hour averages.

The standard names “trigger tasks,” including manual demolition, manual scraping, heat gun use, sanding, power tool work, abrasive blasting, welding and torch cutting. Until the employer measures actual exposure, workers doing those tasks get interim protection: respirators, protective clothing, change areas, regulated areas, training, and medical surveillance that includes blood lead testing.

The nearest Cal/OSHA district office must receive written notice at least 24 hours before trigger-task work starts. Jobs that disturb less than 100 square feet or 100 linear feet of lead-containing material don’t need the notice. Workers and supervisors doing lead-related construction work who are exposed at or above 50 µg/m³ must be CDPH-certified. Our lead safety page for demolition and renovation shows how these rules apply in the field.

What license and certifications should the contractor have?

Start with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Since January 1, 2025, a license is required for any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials. Smaller jobs need one too if they require a permit or use hired workers. Look up the license on CSLB’s website and check its status, bond and workers’ compensation. A contractor with employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance.

CSLB has no lead-specific license classification, so the license alone doesn’t show lead training. Check the lead credentials separately:

  • For RRP work, search EPA’s database of lead-safe certified firms and ask to see the certified renovator’s certificate.
  • For abatement, look up each supervisor and worker on CDPH’s list of certified professionals, which is updated monthly. If a name is missing, call CDPH at (510) 620-5600 to verify it.

SoCal Removal holds EPA RRP lead certification and CSLB license #980451. See our lead removal services.

What should you ask a lead removal contractor?

  1. Which rules apply to this job? The contractor should tell you whether the scope is RRP work, abatement or both, and which person on site holds which certificate.
  2. What is the containment plan? Ask how the work area will be sealed off, which removal methods will be used and how dust will be controlled. For abatement, ask for the written abatement plan.
  3. How will the waste be characterized, and where will it go? In California, lead waste at or above 1,000 mg/kg total lead, or 5.0 mg/L soluble lead, is hazardous waste. Ask who will sample it, which facility will take it and what paperwork you’ll get.
  4. Who does clearance testing? Clearance should be done by an independent CDPH-certified inspector/assessor or project monitor. It should not be done by the contractor that did the abatement. SoCal Removal uses independent third-party consultants for testing and clearance and doesn’t test its own work.
  5. Who files the notices? Abatement requires CDPH Form 8551. Trigger-task work may require the Cal/OSHA notice.
  6. What insurance do you carry? Ask for certificates for workers’ compensation and general liability. CSLB notes that general liability isn’t required, but it covers property damage.

What are the red flags?

  • The contractor offers to test or clear its own work.
  • It can’t give you certificate numbers, or the names on the certificates don’t match the people on site.
  • It plans open-flame burning, or power sanding and grinding without shrouds and HEPA vacuums.
  • It says lead debris can go in any dumpster without testing.
  • It wants more than 10 percent of the price or $1,000 up front, whichever is less. CSLB sets that limit on down payments. Contractors with a blanket performance and payment bond are the exception.
  • Its bid is far below the others. CSLB warns that a low bid can mean mistakes or skipped work.
  • It offers no written contract, or the contract doesn’t show the license number.

How are lead removal jobs priced?

Lead removal is priced by the square foot of painted surface. The consultant bills testing separately. These are the published 2026 budget ranges:

  • Lead-based paint removal: $15.75–$22.50 per square foot of painted surface. This covers containment, removal, cleanup and disposal.
  • Lead paint chip or dust wipe sample: $95–$120 per sample. A third-party consultant collects it, and an accredited lab analyzes it.
  • Minimum for an asbestos or lead job: $1,950.

Worked example: 160 square feet of painted trim and door surfaces at $15.75–$22.50 comes to $2,520–$3,600 for removal. If the consultant takes eight dust wipe samples for clearance, add $760–$960.

The price changes with the type of component, access and height, the size of the containment, whether the space is occupied and how the waste is classified. Some consultants test paint on site with an XRF analyzer instead of taking chip samples. The removal range doesn’t include repainting or waste characterization testing. For details, see the lead paint removal cost page and the testing cost page.

What’s the next step?

Send photos, the year the building was built and any lead report through the contact page, or call (949) 446-0000. Crews work daylight hours, and after-hours work is available on request.

References

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