Learning Center · Safety
Lead Paint and Painting in Older Texas Homes
If your home was built before 1978, scraping and sanding old paint can make lead dust. A federal rule sets how paid painters must handle that work. This guide explains the rule in plain words and what to ask before anyone starts.
Updated October 11, 2026
Read This First
The short version
- EPA, not the state, runs the federal lead renovation rule for painting work in Texas.
- The rule covers paid work in homes built before 1978 that disturbs more than 6 square feet of paint in a room, or more than 20 square feet outside.
- A firm doing that work must be EPA certified, and the work must be directed by a certified renovator.
- On a home built before 1978, find out what the lead rule means for the work before any scraping or sanding starts.
Read EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet before work starts on an older home. For other painting questions, start with Get Help or call or text 512-575-5052.
Short version: 2 min. Full page: 5 min. Want the detail? Each section below opens with a tap, or switch to Full at the top to open them all.
Federal Law
The EPA renovation, repair and painting rule
Paid work that disturbs paint in a home built before 1978 falls under an EPA rule in Texas.
Who runs it in Texas
EPA does. Texas DSHS says the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting rule is administered by EPA in Texas, while DSHS handles lead inspections, risk assessments and abatement under state rules.
What it covers
The rule applies to renovations performed for pay in homes built before 1978. Its definition of renovation includes surface preparation such as sanding and scraping that may make paint dust. Homeowners doing their own work are generally not covered.
The size thresholds
Small jobs can be exempt. Minor repair and maintenance that disturbs 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, is outside the rule. That exemption does not apply to window replacement, demolition of painted surfaces, or work that uses a prohibited practice. Jobs in the same room within the same 30 days count as one job when the limit is measured.
By the Numbers
How likely is lead paint in your home?
The older the home, the likelier lead paint is, and about 1 in 10 Round Rock homes predates 1980.
By the year your home was built
Age is the best clue. HUD’s American Healthy Homes Survey found lead based paint in about 86 percent of homes built before 1940, about 66 percent built from 1940 to 1959, and about 25 percent built from 1960 to 1977. EPA says that if your home was built before 1978, it is more likely to have lead based paint.
Older homes in our area
Most Round Rock homes are newer. Census estimates for 2020 to 2024 put homes built before 1980 at 10.5 percent of housing in Round Rock, 9.1 percent in Georgetown, 28.3 percent in Austin and 33.2 percent across Texas. The Census groups years by decade, so 1978 itself cannot be split out.
How the Work Is Done
What lead safe work practices look like
Containment, no open flame or unshrouded power sanding, and a careful cleanup and check.
Contain the dust
Dust stays inside the work area. The rule calls for warning signs, covering the floor with taped down plastic 6 feet beyond the work inside, and closing doors and windows within 20 feet outside.
Banned methods
Some methods are off the table. The rule prohibits open flame burning or torching of painted surfaces, and prohibits high speed sanding and grinding unless the machine has a shroud and a HEPA vacuum attachment. Heat guns are allowed only below 1,100°F.
Clean and check
Cleanup is verified. After the work, the area is cleaned and checked with an EPA cleaning verification card. EPA’s 2024 dust rule also lowered the dust-lead levels used to clear lead abatement work.
Before You Hire
Questions to ask any painter about lead
Ask about EPA firm certification, the Renovate Right pamphlet and how dust will be contained.
The questions
Ask these before work starts on a pre-1978 home. Is your firm EPA certified, and who is the certified renovator on my job? Will you give me the Renovate Right pamphlet? How will you contain and clean up dust? Has the paint been tested? EPA certification lasts five years, and EPA says firms that are not certified may not use its Lead-Safe Certified Firm logo.
The pamphlet
You should get a booklet first. The rule requires the firm to give the owner EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet no more than 60 days before the work begins.
Start with the build year
The year decides a lot. For a home built before 1978, find out what the federal rule means for the work you want, including the size limits and the testing described above, before anything is scheduled. Our prep guide shows where scraping and sanding fit in a normal paint job.
Common Questions
Questions homeowners ask
Does my Texas house have lead paint?
If it was built before 1978, it may. HUD found lead paint in about 86 percent of homes built before 1940 and about 25 percent built from 1960 to 1977. Only a test by a qualified person can tell for sure.
Who enforces the lead painting rule in Texas?
EPA. Texas DSHS says the Renovation, Repair and Painting rule is administered by EPA in Texas.
Does the lead rule apply to small touch-ups?
Small jobs can be exempt: 6 square feet or less of painted surface per room inside, or 20 square feet or less outside, unless the work involves window replacement, demolition of painted surfaces or a prohibited practice. Jobs in the same room within the same 30 days count as one job.
What is the Renovate Right pamphlet?
An EPA booklet about lead hazards during renovation. A firm working on a pre-1978 home must give it to the owner no more than 60 days before work begins.
Can I scrape lead paint myself?
The federal rule covers paid work, not homeowners working on their own homes, but the dust is just as harmful. EPA’s Renovate Right pamphlet explains how to protect your family.
Keep Learning