Lead-Safe Clearance Inspections

• Five (5) years for any property that passes the visual and dust wipe inspection.
• Twenty (20) years if the property has undergone a complete Lead Abatement designed for the single purpose of permanently eliminating lead hazards consistent with the provisions of Ohio law, or has been determined not to contain lead-based paint and a tested composite sample of soil from within the Dripline contains less than four hundred micrograms per gram of lead and a lead clearance examination has performed by a licensed Lead Risk Assessor. The Lead Paint Detectives performs soil inspections and this costs extra. 

Preparation Tips for a Dust-Wipe Inspection 

The Visual Assessment will begin with a thorough examination of the building exterior, checking for common paint discrepancies (peeling, chipping, flaking, crazing, cracking, chalking, abraded, etc.) on the exterior walls as well as on the window, door, and roof trim/frames.  

The inspection does provide for some discrepancy allowances:

The exterior inspection will also include the ground area within 3ft of the building perimeter to ensure that there is no bare soil present.

The Visual Assessment will then move to the building interior. All interior rooms will be inspected to determine if there is any common paint discrepancy present on the walls, ceiling, trim, cabinets, window frames/sashes, etc. Again, the inspection does provide for some discrepancy allowances:

With a “PASS” rating for all areas inspected - exterior and interior, the Lead Safe Inspection can then continue to the Dust Wipe Sampling. If there are “FAIL” ratings noted for an area, the Visual Assessment will be considered a “FAIL” and the Lead Safe Inspection will be terminated. Once the discrepancies are corrected another Lead Safe Inspection can then be scheduled/initiated with the Inspector.

A critical part of the Dust Wipe Sampling is the cleaning/preparation by the owner prior to the sampling. Window sills, window troughs, and bare floors should be cleaned with a general purpose cleaner. If the room is carpeted, a HEPA vacuum should be used to clean the rug.

The Inspector will begin the Dust Wipe Sampling by determining the specific areas of rooms that will be sampled. Dust wipe samples will be taken from the floor, a window sill, and a window trough in each room depending on size and layout of the property unit. 

The Inspector will carefully determine and record the dimensions of each sample area. Using disposable gloves, the Inspector will take a dust wipe and wipe the sample area in a prescribed motion. The dust wipe will then be placed in a sealed tube for forwarding to an accredited laboratory for analysis. All sample areas will be dust wiped in this manner.

A “PASS” or “FAIL” will only be determined when the dust wipe sample report is completed by the laboratory. If a “FAIL” is indicated, the owner will have to take corrective action and then schedule/initiate a follow-up inspection with the Inspector.  

A final report package will be provided by the Inspector to the property owner. The property owner will then file the report package with the Toledo Lucas County Health Department for registration as Lead-Safe in accordance with the Toledo Ordinance.

The Clearance Examination Report package will include:

1.  Clearance Examination Report:  

2.  Assessment Report:

3.  Building Interior Floor Plan:

4.  Lab Test Report:

• Samples identified with lead readings indicated
• Certification/Verification Sheet