LeadSafe Lookup

Does your New Jersey rental need a lead‑safe certificate?

Pick the town. See the rule, the inspection method the town uses, when the inspection is due and which certified firms work nearby. Every fact links to the state document it came from.

Answer it for one property

Do I need one? asks four questions about the building and tells you whether the law covers it. When is it due? works out the next inspection date from your last certificate and tenant move-outs.

The rule in short

Which rentals
Single-family, two-family and multi-unit rentals in New Jersey built before 1978.
Exemptions
Built in 1978 or later; certified lead-free; a single- or two-family seasonal rental let for under six months a year without back-to-back renewals; a multi-unit building registered with DCA for ten years or more with no open lead violations; a unit with a valid lead-safe certificate. Check a property.
When
The first inspection was due by July 22, 2024, or at an earlier tenant turnover. A lead-safe certificate is valid for three years (raised from two by a 2024 amendment), and the next inspection is due when it runs out. Tenant move-outs while it is valid need no new inspection. Work out a date.
Who inspects
The town's inspector, or a certified lead evaluation firm you hire yourself. Towns must let owners hire their own certified firm, and an owner who hires one can choose dust-wipe sampling even where the town uses a visual assessment.
Cost
Each town sets its own inspection fee, and the state adds $20 per unit.
Penalty
Up to $1,000 a week if a violation isn't fixed within 30 days of notice.
Afterwards
Fix any lead hazards found, report tenant turnovers to the town, and pass the certificate and rules on to a buyer if you sell. If one unit in a two- or three-unit building has a hazard, the other units must be inspected too, unless they already have a lead-safe certificate.

Towns by county

All 564 New Jersey municipalities. 51 of them use dust-wipe sampling.