Lead-Safe Inspections in Harrison, NJ

August 27, 2026

Harrison requires a visual lead inspection for pre-1978 rentals, per the NJ DCA method list. Ordinance No. 1514, adopted in 2024, prices that inspection at $250 per unit and, unusually for the county, also posts a rate for an XRF lead-free inspection. Certificates go to the Town Clerk and are good for two years. This page covers the town of Harrison in Hudson County, not Harrison Township in Gloucester County.

The newest housing stock in the county, next to the oldest blocks

45% of Harrison's housing units were built before 1980 (U.S. Census, ACS table B25034), the smallest share of any municipality on this site. The reason is recent construction rather than an old town rebuilt: 3,140 units went up between 2010 and 2019 and another 765 since 2020, so 39% of all Harrison housing has been built since 2010.

The older layer is small-building housing. 2,195 units sit in two-family buildings and 1,511 in three- and four-family ones (ACS table B25024). Those addresses are where the certificate question actually lands, and where a visual inspection finds original wood sashes, painted jambs, and porch trim. For anything with a certificate of occupancy after 1978, the age answers it.

What Ordinance No. 1514 sets

Harrison introduced Ordinance No. 1514 on June 18, 2024 and adopted it on August 6, 2024, adding the lead requirements to Chapter 8.28, the town's Property Maintenance Code. The text is published in the council agenda for the August 6, 2024 meeting, which is the source for every figure below.

$250 per unit for the visual inspection. Carried out by a contractor the town selects. That is the top of the Hudson County range, matched only by Bayonne.

$295 per unit to be re-inspected. A failed unit costs more the second time than the first. Worth reading before you decide whether to fix borderline paint ahead of the visit or take the chance; the preparation checklist is cheaper than the difference.

$25 to file the certificate, plus $20 to the state. The filing fee covers a lead-safe or a lead-free certificate. The $20 state certificate fee sits on top of the town's charges rather than inside them.

$150 per unit for an XRF inspection and lead-free. A separate line for a different test and a different certificate. It costs $100 less than the visual assessment and, if the unit comes back lead-free, it ends the periodic cycle instead of restarting the two-year clock. See lead-safe vs. lead-free before choosing.

Your own NJ DCA inspector is expressly allowed. The ordinance permits an inspector certified by the NJ DCA in place of the town's contractor. It does not waive the town's fee the way Kearny and Hoboken do, so ask what changes on the bill. The town's number for lead questions is (973) 268-2425.

What the state rule adds on top of Ordinance 1514

Ordinance 1514 sets prices and names who may inspect. The conditions attached to the result, and to what happens after a failure, come from N.J.A.C. 5:28A, and one of them bears directly on the $150 line.

The right to your own contractor is a state right, not a local favor. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.1(d) lets the owner hire any DCA-licensed lead evaluation contractor and leaves the town two narrow grounds to refuse. Ordinance 1514 restates it; the state rule is what makes it enforceable if the answer at the counter is no.

Abatement plus a clearance ends the cycle for good. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.5(e)2 moves a unit to lead-free after full abatement closed out with a clearance certificate, and lead-free units drop out of the periodic schedule. In a town charging $250 a visit and $295 a re-visit, that arithmetic is worth running once per building.

Your contractor files the copy. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.4(a)2 puts the filing on the private contractor when the certificate is issued, so the $25 town filing line is not something you carry to the counter yourself.

A hazard in one unit reaches the rest of a small building. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.4(b)1 requires the other units of a two- or three-unit building to be inspected once a hazard is found in one. With 2,195 Harrison units in two-family buildings, a failure at $250 per unit rarely stays a single-unit problem.

In a condo, the unit owner pays. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.2(c) puts the fee on the owner of the unit rather than the association. Harrison has 3,662 units in buildings of 50 or more, so this is the version of the argument most likely to reach a board.

Turnover carries three separate duties. N.J.A.C. 5:28A-3.1(a),(d) lands three obligations on the same day: show the incoming tenant the certificate, attach a copy to the lease as an exhibit, notify the town. Doing two of them is not doing it.

Where the certificate gets filed

Certificates are filed with the Town Clerk's office, at $25 per filing under Ordinance 1514. Confirm the current procedure and which contractor the town is using when you book; the town's lead line is (973) 268-2425. If we handle your inspection, filing is included.

Harrison questions

Can I use my own inspector instead of the town's contractor?

Yes. Ordinance 1514 expressly allows an inspector certified by the NJ DCA, and N.J.A.C. 5:28A-2.1(d) backs that up. Ask the town what the $25 filing fee covers in that case before you book.

What is the $150 line, and why is it cheaper than the $250 one?

It is an XRF inspection leading to a lead-free certificate: a different instrument and a different result from the $250 visual assessment. A lead-free unit stops needing periodic inspections, which is where the saving shows up over the following cycles. See lead-safe vs. lead-free.

My building went up in 2016. Is there anything to do?

No lead-safe certificate: the law reaches rentals built before 1978. That answer applies to a large part of the town, since 39% of Harrison housing was built in 2010 or later. Keep the certificate of occupancy date handy for tenants and agents.

How much does a lead paint inspection cost in Harrison?

$250 plus a $25 filing fee and the $20 state fee under Ordinance 1514, with reinspection at $295 per unit. Hiring a private NJ DCA-certified inspector instead of the town contractor is expressly allowed. See the pricing guide.