What happens during a NJ lead-safe visual inspection

August 27, 2026

Plan on 30–60 minutes per unit. The inspector walks every room and checks painted surfaces against HUD visual assessment guidelines, focusing on friction and impact surfaces: window sashes and wells, door edges and jambs, trim, stair rails. Intact paint passes. Deteriorated paint (peeling, chipping, cracking, chalking) fails.

Peeling, cracked paint on an old wooden window sash and sill, with several older paint layers visible in the damage — **Fails.** Cracking, curling chips and dust on the sash and sill, older layers showing through.

The same style of wooden window sash with smooth, intact paint and a clean sill — **Passes.** The same sash with sound paint and a clean sill.

Paint worn through to bare wood on a door edge next to the strike plate, layers of older paint visible — **Fails.** A door edge rubbed through where it meets the jamb.

Illustrative examples of the conditions an inspector looks for, not photographs of a specific unit.

Step by step

1. Paperwork check. Unit address, year built, your contact info, and any prior certificates. In Hoboken, the Chapter 125 application must already be on file, at least 24 hours ahead.

2. Room-by-room walkthrough. Every room, closet, and hallway. The inspector looks at each painted surface, with extra attention where paint gets rubbed or knocked: windows, doors, stairs, radiators, baseboards.

3. Friction and impact surfaces. Window sashes get opened and closed; wells and troughs inspected. These are the highest-risk surfaces because friction turns old paint into dust.

4. Common areas. In multi-unit buildings, hallways, stairwells, and entries the tenant uses are part of the assessment.

5. The call. Pass: the lead-safe certificate is prepared and filed with the municipality. Fail: you get a written list of the exact surfaces that need work, then a re-inspection.

What the inspector is not doing

No paint sampling, no lab work, no XRF gun; that is the lead-free test, a different product. A visual inspection also does not check water, soil, or dust unless the inspector decides dust wipes are warranted; see visual vs. dust wipe.

Process questions

Does the tenant need to leave during the inspection?

No. A New Jersey lead-safe visual inspection is non-invasive: the inspector looks at painted surfaces and takes no samples, so there are no chemicals, no dust and no furniture moving beyond reaching windows. It takes 30 to 60 minutes per unit, and the tenant can stay home throughout.

What paperwork do I get at the end?

A written report, and if the unit passes, a New Jersey lead-safe certificate valid two years. Under N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.4(a)2 a private contractor files a copy with the municipality for you, so you keep the report and the certificate, and the certificate copy reaches your municipality without a separate filing from you. Registration and turnover notices, where a town requires them, are a different duty and stay yours.

Can several units be done in one visit?

Yes, and the per-unit price drops. In Hudson County a single unit runs $150–200, while twenty or more booked together run $125–150 per unit, because the travel and paperwork happen once. Same building, back to back, one invoice: see pricing.

Book the walkthrough

One call, inspection within 48 hours.

☎ Call (551) 373-3311