Renovating a pre-1978 home? What lead-safe work means for you
Most Greater Boston homes were built before 1978. Here's what the lead-safe rules require, what it looks like on site, and how to protect your family.
Mateus MagnoLicensed Construction Supervisor · October 17, 2026 · 3 min read
Most homes in Somerville, Cambridge and the older Boston suburbs were built before 1978 — the year lead paint was banned for homes. Lead paint that's intact and covered isn't the main danger. The danger is the dust that renovation creates when old paint is sanded, scraped, cut or demolished. Young children and pregnant women are the most at risk.
What the rules require
Under the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule — run in Massachusetts by the Department of Labor Standards — renovation in pre-1978 housing that disturbs more than a small amount of painted surface must be done by a certified firm using a certified renovator, following lead-safe work practices. Before work starts, you should receive the EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet.
I'm a certified Massachusetts Lead-Safe Renovator Supervisor, so this is built into how I run older-home projects — not an add-on.
What lead-safe work looks like on site
- Containment — plastic sheeting and sealed doorways around the work area, with warning signs.
- No high-dust shortcuts — no open-flame burning, and no power sanding or grinding without HEPA dust collection.
- HEPA vacuums and wet cleaning every day, not just at the end.
- Careful waste handling — debris bagged and sealed before it leaves the room.
- Cleaning verification before the containment comes down.
What you can do
- Ask your contractor for their lead-safe certification before you sign.
- Keep children and pets out of the work area until cleanup is verified.
- Ask whether testing makes sense for the surfaces we'll disturb.
Renovation isn't the same as deleading
The Massachusetts Lead Law is a separate requirement: when a child under six lives in a pre-1978 home, the owner must have lead hazards removed or covered — usually by a licensed deleader. If that applies to you, tell me early and we'll plan both together.
Planning work on an older home? Let's talk — we'll keep it safe and keep it moving.
Mateus Magno is the founder of Magno & Co — a licensed Massachusetts Construction Supervisor (CS-123658), registered Home Improvement Contractor (HIC #220484) and certified Lead-Safe Renovator Supervisor who has renovated and managed over $3 million in projects across Greater Boston.
More about Mateus →
