Certificate of Occupancy - Certified Lead Paint Inspector and Work?

[Greg Baker]

Recently purchased a SFH in Rochester, NY to convert into a rental. We applied for the certificate of occupancy and got flagged in nearly every single room for the WINDOW SILL/SASH with the following code violation:

The interior was found to contain protective covered surfaces in a state of deterioration in excess of more than ten percent of the identified building component with a small surface area.  In order to have this violation removed, you must submit a clearance certificate from a Certified Lead Inspector or Risk Assessor, certifying that the unit is lead safe, as per section 90-56 of the City Code, and complete and return the attached Lead Ordinance Compliance Affidavit.

Now the kicker, it also says, "You or your agent are required to complete a certified lead safe work practice training course prior to conducting any lead paint reduction activity."  Furthermore, "Entities conducting clearance inspections must be independent from those performing hazard reduction or maintenance activities."  We called regarding a class to certify lead safe work practices and they have one in late April but it's full.

What are my options here?  When I called the inspector she said I can simply replace all of the windows in the house!!  Ya, right...Can I really NOT scrape and re-paint the windows?  For Rochester based investors, who have you used to scape/re-paint and then who have you used for certification purposes?

Thanks....

[Steve Santacroce]

I would definitely NOT scrape and repaint yourself! Chalk this up to learning the hard way. My recommendation is to hire a painter. 99% of them should be lead safe trained. But make sure you ask for their certificate. They will go and properly prep the areas so that as little lead as possible will be disturbed. When that's done, I'd get in touch with Bekka Lebowitz on here, she has a lead inspector who she's had nothing but good experiences using. She also has cleaning tips to get ready for the inspection.

In the future, before you do your C of O's make sure you either replace your windows (that's what I do) or just paint all your windows with a good thick coat of three of paint. Unfortunately till you replace your windows, this will have to be done each time they come back to check for lead. 

Good luck!!!