The federal lead paint disclosure form for New Jersey rentals

Nov 4
2026

Every lease of pre-1978 housing must include the federal lead disclosure: a signed disclosure attachment plus the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (42 U.S.C. § 4852d). This is a separate obligation from the NJ lead-safe inspection, and one does not replace the other.

The two documents, with official PDFs

1. Lessor’s disclosure of information. EPA publishes a sample lessor’s disclosure form (PDF). It goes into the lease as an attachment or inserted language, in the same language as the lease, signed by both sides, and states any known lead-based paint or hazards in the unit.

2. The EPA pamphlet. Give every renter a copy of Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (PDF). EPA publishes it in multiple languages.

Disclosure is not the inspection

The federal rule (42 U.S.C. § 4852d). Paperwork at lease signing: disclose what you know, hand over the pamphlet, keep the signed copy. No physical visit is involved.

The NJ lead-safe law (P.L. 2021, c.182). A physical visual inspection of the unit by a certified lead evaluation contractor or the municipality, producing a certificate valid three years.

Both apply to the same buildings. Pre-1978 rental housing in New Jersey answers to both regimes at once. Doing one does not excuse the other.

What to do at each lease signing

Disclose what you know. Any known lead-based paint or lead hazards, plus available records and reports. A current lead-safe certificate is exactly such a record.

Attach and sign. The disclosure language goes into or onto the lease with signatures from both parties, confirming the pamphlet was received.

Keep the signed copy for three years. EPA’s rule: retain the signed disclosure for three years after the lease begins. The 10-day inspection window you may have read about applies to home buyers, not renters.

Short answers

Which properties are exempt from the federal lead disclosure rule?

Housing built in 1978 or later is exempt, as are elderly or disability housing and 0-bedroom units like studios unless a child under 6 lives or will live there. Leases are also exempt if a certified inspector found the housing free of lead-based paint, if they run 100 days or less with no renewal possible, or if they renew a lease already fully disclosed with nothing new known. Foreclosure sales are exempt too (40 CFR 745.101 and 745.103; 24 CFR 35.82).

Disclosure questions

Does my lead-safe certificate replace the disclosure form?

No. The federal form is still required at every lease. The certificate belongs in the same packet though: at tenant turnover, NJ separately requires giving the tenant evidence of a current certificate.

My building is newer than 1978. Do I need any of this?

No: housing built in 1978 or later is outside both the federal disclosure rule and the NJ lead-safe law. The exemptions page covers how to document that.

Who enforces the disclosure rule?

It is federal law, enforced with federal civil penalties, and it sits on top of the state and municipal enforcement of the inspection itself. The penalties page covers both layers.

Handling the lease is on you. The inspection is on us.

Certificates from NJ DCA-certified contractors, booked within 48 hours.

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