Redwood CityLead Paint Removal
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Lead Paint Removal in Redwood City

Older houses, flats and apartment buildings in Redwood City bring lead paint questions of their own. In the 2020-2024 American Community Survey (ACS), 64.2% of Redwood City homes were built before 1980 and 39.6% before 1960, while half of households rent. Redwood City Lead Paint Removal arranges removal, abatement and testing of lead paint on exterior siding and trim, window casings, stair parts and plaster walls from those decades.

Two agencies share the rules. CDPH certifies the inspectors and the abatement crews, and the EPA certifies renovation firms, since California never took over that program. Anything built in 1978 or after is outside the federal lead paint rules. Redwood City sits in San Mateo County, whose public health department runs a lead program for children.

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Older house porch with turned posts and a wood window, white paint peeling from the sash and sill
Lead paint inspection and testingExterior lead paint removalInterior lead paint removalLead paint window and door workLead-safe renovation and remodelingRental property lead paint work

Lead paint services

Floor plan, sample containers and a tape measure on a desk beside a painted windowPainted wood lap siding, porch post and railing with worn, peeling white paint on an older house

Lead paint inspection and testing

Before paint is stripped, sold around or demolished, a CDPH-certified Inspector/Assessor can test it. An inspection records which painted parts carry lead-based paint, and a risk assessment looks at what is hazardous today: flaking coats, dust on sills and floors, bare soil by the walls. Both end in a written report on CDPH Form 8552, and that report sets the scope for any removal.

Exterior lead paint removal

On an older wood-sided house, the lap siding, porch and trim can hold coats of exterior paint laid down over decades, and the older coats may contain lead. The plan covers ground sheeting, wall containment and a posted CDPH notice before an abatement crew starts, with wet methods or board replacement chosen once testing shows where the lead is.

Interior door frame and baseboard with layered old paint, room prepared with plastic sheetingOld wood window sash and sill with many layers of chipped, peeling white paint

Interior lead paint removal

Inside an older house the paint sits on door casings, baseboards, stair railings and plaster. Choices run from stripping, to covering a surface with new material, to sealing sound paint with a coating made for the job. In an occupied flat, rooms are sealed off and the unit is cleared before people move back in.

Lead paint window and door work

Every time a window opens or a door swings, paint on its edge scrapes the frame. Old coats there can break into dust sooner than coats on a flat wall. In a house built before 1978, window replacement counts as EPA renovation work whatever the quantity; the other route is stripping an original sash and keeping it.

Clean empty room after renovation: bare wood floor, bagged plastic sheeting and a shop vacuumTwo-story apartment building with painted wood siding, wood-framed windows and an exterior stair, two clipped trees in the front yard

Lead-safe renovation and remodeling

Opening a wall for a new bathroom, adding a unit or repainting a hallway is not abatement, but it turns old coats into dust all the same. In California the EPA rule governs this work: an EPA-certified firm, a certified renovator on site, sealed work areas and a cleaning check at the end. CDPH is still writing its own renovation regulations.

Rental property lead paint work

Half of Redwood City households rent, and about a third of its homes are in buildings of five or more units. Owners of pre-1978 buildings have disclosure duties at each lease, paid turnover repainting is EPA renovation work, and California treats a lead hazard in a dwelling as a housing-law violation that a local agency can order fixed.

Lead paint testing and removal costs

Each line is hired labor plus materials and any lab fees for a typical job in Redwood City, San Carlos and Menlo Park, one line per job size. A small, easy job sits near the low end. The open top end is for more painted parts, high or detailed work, rotten wood found under the paint, an occupied building, or a failed clearance test that means cleaning again.

Lead paint inspection and testing

  • Test of the rooms or parts a project will touch$300 – $700+
  • Whole house up to 2,500 sq ft$350 – $975+
  • Large house over 2,500 sq ft$575 – $1,250+
  • Risk assessment with dust and soil samples, one house$700 – $2,000+
  • Clearance test after lead work$250 – $700+
What is included

Readings or paint chips from each type of painted surface, or dust and soil samples for a risk assessment, and a written report of what tests positive and what does not. Rush reports and extra lab samples cost more.

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Exterior lead paint removal

  • Eaves and fascia on one side, about 100 sq ft$950 – $2,350+
  • Porch and railings, about 150 sq ft$1,600 – $4,500+
  • One-story house, peeling trim, eaves and siding or stucco$5,750 – $16,250+
  • Two-story house$11,500 – $34,500+
What is included

Plastic on the ground and around the wall, loose paint misted and scraped or stripped from eaves, fascia, trim, siding and porches, waste bagged, primer and paint on the bare wood, and a check for chips and dust at the end. Rotten wood and scaffolding cost extra.

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Interior lead paint removal

  • Small area, about 100 sq ft (stair rail, trim in one room)$950 – $2,350+
  • One room$1,850 – $5,500+
  • Whole interior, typical house$8,300 – $20,500+
  • Whole interior, large or two-story house$19,500 – $57,500+
What is included

A sealed work area, painted woodwork or plaster stripped or replaced, HEPA cleanup, bagged disposal and a clearance test. New trim, plaster repair and painting cost extra, and so does work around people living in the home.

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Lead paint window and door removal

  • One window replaced$475 – $1,425+
  • About 4 windows replaced$1,650 – $4,900+
  • About 10 windows replaced$4,800 – $14,400+
  • One or two old windows or doors stripped and restored, originals kept$700 – $2,050+
What is included

Old windows or doors taken out with plastic inside and out and new units fitted, or the originals stripped, repaired and repainted, then cleanup and a check of the sills. Custom sizes and period doors cost more.

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Lead-safe renovation and remodeling (add-on)

  • Small repair, one room$500 – $1,250+
  • Kitchen or bathroom remodel$1,550 – $4,500+
  • Several rooms or a whole floor$3,800 – $10,750+
What is included

What lead-safe work adds to a remodel, repair or repaint in a pre-1978 home: rooms sealed with plastic, old paint misted before it is disturbed, HEPA vacuuming, cleaning as the work goes and at the end, a cleaning check and waste bagged. The project itself is priced separately.

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Rental property lead paint work

  • Lead inspection, duplex or small apartment building$800 – $2,050+
  • One unit: peeling paint fixed (about 100 sq ft), cleaned and tested$1,800 – $4,850+
  • One unit: paint fixed and about 8 old windows replaced, with clearance$5,600 – $16,500+
What is included

Testing of a duplex or small apartment building, or one unit’s peeling paint repaired the lead-safe way with cleaning and a clearance test. The top line also covers about eight old windows replaced.

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Ranges are 2026 estimates, not quotes. Call today for a free, personalized quote.

Our process

01

Check the build year

Build year decides which rules apply. Federal law stopped lead-based paint sales for homes in 1978, so buildings from that year on sit outside the federal lead rules. Older buildings are judged by the age of the original structure; a remodeled kitchen does not make the walls around it newer.

02

Get a CDPH-certified inspection

A paid inspection, risk assessment or clearance check needs a certified Inspector/Assessor. That person may not also abate the same structure, which keeps the test result separate from the removal bid. An owner’s own samples are not a certified report for a buyer or a contractor.

03

Choose removal, sealing or lead-safe renovation

From the report you pick a path: abatement meant to last 20 years or more, an interim control that holds for less, or a renovation that proceeds with lead-safe practices and leaves paint elsewhere alone.

04

Notice, containment and clearance

Abatement has a paper trail and a clean finish. The paper trail is Form 8551, filed with CDPH five or more days ahead and posted on site. The clean finish means containment throughout and no visible dust or debris at the end, with a clearance inspection after permanent work.

Older homes in Redwood City

Of Redwood City’s roughly 32,000 housing units, the ACS puts 64.2% before 1980, 39.6% before 1960 and 18.4% before 1950. Another measure sets the city apart from its neighbors: 51% of households rent and 35% of homes are in buildings of five or more units, so a lead project here can mean an apartment building with several households, not only a single house.

The city also keeps a landmark and historic-district ordinance. Its handout says the ordinance has no effect unless a designated structure is demolished or its exterior altered, and that approval then comes from the Planning Commission, with appeal to the City Council. If a house might be designated, ask the city before planning exterior changes.

Census Reporter: Redwood City housing (ACS 2020-2024)City of Redwood City historic preservation ordinance handout

San Mateo County and California rules

The state rules are the same in every county. A lead hazard in a dwelling can be ordered fixed under State Housing Law, and Title 17 lists uncontained disturbance of lead paint as a hazard along with flaking paint and contaminated dust or soil. Redwood City follows those state and federal rules for lead paint.

For a child who may be exposed, San Mateo County Public Health runs the county’s childhood lead poisoning prevention program, listed in the state directory at (650) 573-2877. In 2023 the county announced a lead paint remediation program run with the nonprofit Rebuilding Together Peninsula, funded from a paint-manufacturer settlement. Ask the county whether it is open and who qualifies before counting on it.

CDPH: California lead statutesCDPH directory of county lead programsSan Mateo County news release on lead paint remediation, 2023

Redwood City and nearby cities

Besides Redwood City, California, Redwood City Lead Paint Removal reaches San Carlos and Menlo Park, each with a page of its own. Pre-1980 housing makes up 76.2% of San Carlos and 70.3% of Menlo Park.

Frequently asked questions

Can a homeowner remove lead paint?

An owner may work on their own home, but California’s certification rules attach to paid work. Abatement for pay needs a CDPH-certified Supervisor or Worker, and paid renovation in a pre-1978 home needs an EPA-certified firm. CDPH publishes lists of certified people. We do not give step-by-step removal instructions, because scraping and sanding are what spread lead dust.

Can you paint over lead paint?

Ordinary paint is not designed to seal lead in. A coating made as an encapsulant, applied over sound and well-bonded paint, can be a legitimate choice, and California draws a line at 20 years: a seal designed to last that long is abatement, done by certified workers, while a shorter-term one is an interim control. Loose paint has to be dealt with first, and an inspection shows whether sealing suits the surface.

How much does lead paint removal cost?

It depends on how much paint is involved, which surfaces it is on, how high or hard to reach they are, whether the building is occupied, and whether the work is permanent abatement with notice, a written plan and clearance. Testing comes first because it can narrow the job to the parts that need it.

Who certifies lead inspectors and abatement contractors in California?

The California Department of Public Health certifies inspectors and abatement workers, and the EPA certifies renovation firms. CDPH’s five certification types are Inspector/Assessor, Sampling Technician, Project Monitor, Supervisor and Worker. Testing needs the first, abatement the last two. CDPH posts lists of certified people so a name can be checked.

Does San Mateo County have a lead paint program?

San Mateo County Public Health has a childhood lead poisoning prevention program, and in 2023 the county announced a settlement-funded remediation program with Rebuilding Together Peninsula. Contact the county to ask whether it currently accepts applications and who is eligible. Nothing here is a promise of funding.

Request a free lead paint removal quote

Address and build year first, please. Helpful extras are your plan (repaint, remodel, sale or re-rent), whether it is a house or a multi-unit building, who lives there and any lead paperwork already in hand. We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.

Call (650) 649-4986

Call (650) 649-4986