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Last verified: · Confidence: medium
What lead paint rules apply to landlords in Detroit?
Short answer
Pre-1978 rentals: every compliance inspection includes a lead paint visual assessment (plus dust wipes in high-risk areas)
When: Every 3 years from the certificate of compliance inspection
For Detroit rental inspections, all paint is presumed to be lead-based and deteriorated paint is a violation. Every inspection includes a visual assessment; in the city's high-risk lead areas it also includes dust wipe samples where state law allows. Violations must be fixed and re-inspected before the Certificate of Compliance is issued. Buildings completed after January 1, 1978, and fully abated or certified lead-free properties, are exempt from the lead portion.
"all paint on the interior or exterior of any residential rental property is presumed to be lead-based and any deteriorated paint in rental property is a deteriorated paint violation." detroitmi.gov
"All inspections performed shall include a visual assessment." detroitmi.gov
"Original construction on the rental property was completed after January 1, 1978" detroitmi.gov
Pre-1978 rentals: every compliance inspection includes a lead paint visual assessment (plus dust wipes in high-risk areas) Verified
Deadline: Every 3 years from the certificate of compliance inspection
For Detroit rental inspections, all paint is presumed to be lead-based and deteriorated paint is a violation. Every inspection includes a visual assessment; in the city's high-risk lead areas it also includes dust wipe samples where state law allows. Violations must be fixed and re-inspected before the Certificate of Compliance is issued. Buildings completed after January 1, 1978, and fully abated or certified lead-free properties, are exempt from the lead portion.
Who it covers: Rental property built before 1978 (original construction completed before January 1, 1978).
"all paint on the interior or exterior of any residential rental property is presumed to be lead-based and any deteriorated paint in rental property is a deteriorated paint violation." detroitmi.gov
"All inspections performed shall include a visual assessment." detroitmi.gov
"Original construction on the rental property was completed after January 1, 1978" detroitmi.gov
Notes: Detroit City Code 8-15-82(d) and (f). Medium confidence: the official PDF shows inserted and struck-out wording, and the extracted text cannot always tell them apart. City Code Ch. 8, Art. XV, Div. 3, as amended by the rental ordinance passed Oct. 29, 2024 (official PDF posted by the City; text extracted without the margin line numbers).
Last verified 2026-10-23 · Confidence: medium · Status: verified · Report a correction
Federal lead disclosure rules that also apply
These apply to housing built before 1978 in every state, on top of the rules above.