Older Paint Layers Stay in Place
Lead was added to paint for durability and color retention, which is exactly why it can remain under newer coatings for decades.
EPA-Certified Lead Paint Testing
Lead-Based Paint Inspection and Testing in Florida
If the building went up before 1978, lead-based paint is a real possibility, and you cannot rule it out by looking at it.
The federal ban on residential lead paint took effect in 1978, but paint applied before then is still in place across millions of American homes and buildings. It is often buried under later coats, which means the surface you are about to sand, scrape, or demolish may have lead underneath it.
Everest BCG provides EPA-certified lead-based paint inspection and testing for residential and commercial properties across Florida. We determine whether lead is present, where it is, and whether it currently presents a hazard, with documentation that satisfies regulatory and transactional requirements.
PresenceComponent-by-component lead paint findings
HazardDust, soil, surface condition, and exposure risk
RecordReports for disclosure, renovation, and clearance
Why the Date Matters
Why the 1978 Line Matters
Lead paint becomes a problem when age, wear, or renovation turns a stable coating into dust, chips, and contaminated surfaces.
Disturbance Creates Dust
Chipping, chalking, peeling, sanding, scraping, cutting, and demolition can all generate lead dust that normal cleaning does not reliably remove.
Friction Surfaces Matter
Windows, doors, jambs, trim, stairs, and exterior surfaces often carry the exposure risk because they wear, bind, scrape, and shed.
Children and Workers Face Different Risks
Children under six are the primary concern because of hand-to-mouth contact and higher absorption. Adults performing renovation work face occupational exposure risk as well.
Age Is a Signal, Not a Verdict
Plenty of pre-1978 buildings test negative on most components, while renovated interiors may still have original lead paint on frames, trim, jambs, and exterior surfaces.
When to Test
When Testing Is Required or Recommended
Lead testing is most useful before the surface changes, the transaction clock starts, or occupancy turns the condition into a liability issue.
Before Painted Surfaces Are Disturbed
The EPA RRP Rule applies to contractors disturbing painted surfaces in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities. Testing confirms whether lead-safe work practices are required.
During the 10-Day Window
Buyers of most pre-1978 housing have a short inspection window. Having a firm lined up before it opens keeps the deal from waiting on the calendar.
Before Disclosure Becomes a Dispute
Owners and managers can document the condition of pre-1978 rental property at a specific date.
Schools and Child Care Settings
Child-occupied facilities built before 1978 sit under the same regulatory framework as housing, with higher stakes because of who uses the space.
Find the Environmental Source
Medical questions belong with the physician. When a source investigation is needed, a risk assessment helps locate the environmental path.
Worker Protection and Waste Handling
Lead-containing materials affect safety planning, work practices, disposal, and project cost. Those decisions need test data.
Pick the Right Scope
Inspection, Risk Assessment, and Clearance Are Different Things
This gets blurred constantly, and ordering the wrong one wastes money. The right scope depends on the question you need answered.
Lead-Based Paint Inspection
Surface-by-surface testing that determines whether lead-based paint is present and on which components. It tells you what is there, not whether it is currently a hazard.
Lead Risk Assessment
Evaluation of whether lead hazards exist right now, including paint condition, friction points, dust, soil, hazard locations, and control options.
Combination Inspection and Risk Assessment
Both together, usually the right call when you need to know what exists and what to do about it.
Clearance Testing
Post-abatement verification that dust-lead levels meet current standards before a space is reoccupied.
Updated EPA Standards
The Standards Changed, and They Are Stricter Now
EPA finalized revised dust-lead standards in 2024. They became effective in January 2025, with compliance for the revised levels required in EPA-administered jurisdictions, including Florida, as of January 12, 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm project-specific requirements with the agency, owner, counsel, or regulatory professional responsible for the file.
Dust-lead reportable levels, formerly called hazard standards, are now any reportable level as analyzed by a laboratory recognized under EPA's National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program. EPA links this change to the absence of an identified safe blood lead level for children. EPA standard details
Dust-lead action level after abatement.
Lowered from the prior 100 ug/ft2 clearance level.
Lowered from the prior 400 ug/ft2 clearance level.
Practical result: dust results that would have passed under old standards may not pass now. If your property was tested or cleared before 2025, those results reflect a superseded standard.
Field and Lab
What the Testing Involves
The method depends on whether we are answering a paint inventory question, a current hazard question, or a clearance question.
XRF Analysis
X-ray fluorescence testing reads lead content in paint layers in place, without damaging the surface. It works component by component and produces immediate results across a large number of surfaces.
Paint Chip Sampling
Where XRF results are inconclusive or the substrate interferes, physical samples go to an accredited laboratory for confirmation.
Dust Wipe Sampling
Standardized wipe samples from floors, sills, and troughs are analyzed by an NLLAP-recognized laboratory. This is what determines dust hazards and what governs clearance.
Soil Sampling
Exterior soil is sampled near drip lines and play areas where deteriorated exterior paint accumulates.
Visual Condition Assessment
We document paint condition, deterioration, friction and impact surfaces, and the specific locations where hazards are developing.
How the Process Works
Clear Scope Before Anyone Disturbs the Surface
A pre-purchase inspection, a renovation clearance question, and a rental compliance file each call for different scopes.
Intake
We establish the property age, the reason for testing, and what documentation you need at the end.
On-Site Testing
A certified inspector or risk assessor performs the testing. XRF results are available on site, while dust, chip, and soil samples travel under documented chain of custody to an accredited laboratory.
Report
You receive a written report identifying tested components, results, condition, and, where a risk assessment was performed, identified hazards and control options.
What You Receive
Documentation That Can Actually Be Used
The report has to satisfy the next reader, whether that is a buyer, landlord, contractor, regulator, attorney, or abatement firm.
01Component-by-component results identifying surfaces that contain lead-based paint
02Laboratory analysis for dust, chip, and soil samples
03Hazard identification when a risk assessment is included
04Condition documentation with photographs
05Control and next-step options for abatement, interim controls, encapsulation, and lead-safe work practices
06Documentation suitable for disclosure, permitting, and compliance files
Independent Testing
We Test. We Do Not Abate.
A firm that gets paid to remove lead paint has an obvious reason to find more of it. Ours is a testing fee that does not change based on the result.
That matters in a transaction, where both sides need to trust the number, and it matters on a renovation, where clearing components as negative can remove regulatory obligations and cut project cost substantially.
When Removal Is Attached
- A larger positive scope can mean a larger removal project.
- Negative results may be viewed with suspicion by the other party.
- Regulatory decisions can blur with sales decisions.
- Transactions and projects lose time arguing about incentives.
Neutral Testing Record
- No lead abatement, remediation, or paint removal performed by Everest.
- Positive and negative findings carry the same value to us.
- Reports are built for disclosure, renovation planning, clearance, and compliance files.
- Lab-backed data gives the next party something concrete to evaluate.
Who Needs Lead Testing
Before the Project, Sale, Lease, or Dispute Moves Forward
Different parties need different records, but the core question stays the same: what is present, where is it, and what does it mean?
Renovating a pre-1978 house, particularly with young children in the home.
Confirm before sanding, scraping, window work, or demolition.Using the 10-day inspection window during a transaction.
Get facts before the window closes.Managing pre-1978 rental inventory with disclosure obligations.
Document condition at a specific date.Scoping work where EPA RRP requirements may apply.
Know which components trigger lead-safe practices.Operating in older buildings used by children under six.
Locate hazards before maintenance becomes exposure.Planning renovation or demolition of older structures.
Support worker protection, waste handling, and scope decisions.Requiring documented conditions in a dispute or claim.
Use a technical record instead of competing assumptions.
Credentials
Certified Inspectors, Accredited Labs, Defensible Reports
Sample analysis is performed by independent accredited laboratories, and the field scope is handled by certified professionals.
EPA Certified Lead Inspectors
Certified personnel perform lead paint inspection, testing, and risk-assessment support.
NLLAP-Recognized Analysis
Dust, paint chip, and soil samples are analyzed by qualified independent laboratories.
XRF and Sampling
On-site XRF readings are paired with laboratory confirmation where the scope calls for it.
Dust Wipe Documentation
Clearance and risk-assessment files rely on standardized dust wipe sampling and current standards.
Environmental Team
AHERA-certified, MRSA-licensed, and OSHA-trained professionals support complex building questions when needed.
Claim and Litigation Experience
Reports are organized so findings can be read by owners, contractors, adjusters, regulators, and counsel.
Commercial and Residential
Testing is available for homes, multifamily properties, schools, child-occupied facilities, and commercial buildings.
No Abatement Contract
Everest does not profit from lead removal, so the report is not tied to a remediation sale.
Lead Paint Testing Across Florida
Search Your Florida Service Area
Our office is in Altamonte Springs, and we test properties statewide, including Central Florida, the Orlando metro, both coasts, and South Florida.
Building stock varies considerably across the state. Older neighborhoods, historic districts, pre-war commercial inventory, and coastal exposure all shape where lead paint is most likely to become a hazard.
Enter a Florida city to reveal matching lead paint inspection pages.
No matching Florida service area found. Call (844) 322-2946 and we will point you to the right office.
My house was built after 1978. Do I need testing?
Generally no. The residential ban took effect in 1978, so post-1978 construction is unlikely to contain lead-based paint.
Can I use a hardware store swab test?
Consumer swabs give a rough indication and are prone to both false positives and false negatives. They are not accepted for regulatory or disclosure purposes.
Is lead paint dangerous if it is intact and painted over?
Intact, well-maintained paint presents lower risk. The concern is deterioration and disturbance, which is why friction surfaces like windows and doors matter more than a flat wall.
How long does testing take?
Most residential inspections finish in a single visit, with XRF results available on site. Laboratory samples add a few business days.
Does a positive result mean I have to remove it?
No. Depending on condition and use, options include abatement, interim controls, encapsulation, and lead-safe work practices during renovation. The report lays out what applies.
Do you perform the removal?
No. We test and document only. Abatement is performed by separately certified contractors.
We had testing done years ago. Is it still valid?
The dust standards changed in 2025 and are stricter now. Older paint testing may still be informative, but dust results predating the change reflect a superseded standard.
How much does lead testing cost?
It depends on property size, the number of components tested, and whether you need an inspection, a risk assessment, or both. Describe the property and we will quote it.
Find Out Before You Disturb It
Testing before renovation costs a fraction of what it costs to stop a job, contain a contaminated space, and start over. Everest BCG provides EPA-certified lead-based paint inspection and testing for residential and commercial properties throughout Florida, with laboratory-backed results and documentation that meets disclosure and compliance requirements.
EPA-certified
Lab-backed
No abatement conflict