Houses built before 1978 may have lead paint, and federal law controls how paid painters disturb it. Connecticut is not authorized to run that federal programme, so the EPA runs it here directly. This page also covers the other rules that touch a paint job around Stamford: permits, condo and HOA approvals, historic districts and storefronts.
This page is general information for homeowners in Connecticut and nearby Westchester County, New York. It is not a substitute for legal advice. The agencies named here have the final word on their own rules.
My house was built before 1978. Do I need to worry about lead paint?
Yes. In a house built before 1978, assume lead paint may be present until a test shows otherwise. Lead was banned from household paint in the United States in 1978, and older homes tend to have more of it, deeper in the layers.
Sound lead paint under newer coats is not the main hazard. The hazard is the dust and chips made by sanding, scraping and cutting. Stamford, Norwalk and the older parts of Greenwich, Darien and Westport have a great many houses from well before 1978.
How do I know if old paint contains lead?
Have it tested. A certified lead inspector or risk assessor can test the paint, and a certified renovator can use an EPA-recognized test kit on the surfaces to be disturbed. The age of a house does not prove lead is there, and the paint looks the same either way.
HomeGuide lists a lead inspection at $300 to $700 and a risk assessment at $500 to $1,500 as national figures for 2026. Store kits are listed at $20 to $30, but a home kit does not stand in for a certified test where the rules require one.
Can you paint over lead paint or must it be removed?
Lead paint that is intact and well stuck can usually be painted over, and it does not have to be removed. New paint seals it in. A thicker coating made for this job is called an encapsulant.
Painting over works only on sound paint. If it is peeling, or it sits on a surface that rubs, such as a window sash or the edge of a door, it keeps making dust. Then the loose paint has to come off with lead-safe methods. Full removal, called abatement, is a separate trade. In Connecticut, the Department of Public Health licenses lead abatement contractors.
What certification does a painter need for pre-1978 homes?
A paid painter who disturbs paint in a pre-1978 home must work for an EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm, with a certified renovator assigned to the job. This is the federal Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, or RRP, found at 40 CFR Part 745. It also covers child care facilities and schools built before 1978.
- It applies when more than 6 square feet of paint per room is disturbed inside, or more than 20 square feet outside.
- Before work starts, the painter must give you EPA's Renovate Right pamphlet.
- The work area must be contained, dust kept down, and the area cleaned and checked at the end.
- Owners working on the home they live in are generally exempt, unless it is rented out or used for child care.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health says the state is not authorized to administer the RRP rule, so EPA does. DPH offers compliance help and materials, and complaints about federal lead paint violations go to EPA Region 1. Pound Ridge, across the line in New York, is under the same federal rule.
Before work begins on an older home, ask the painter to show the firm's EPA certificate. That goes for us too.
Do lead rules change the price?
Yes, lead-safe work costs more, because containment, slower scraping methods, careful cleanup and record keeping all take time. No national figure is published for lead-safe painting itself.
HomeGuide's national range for lead paint removal and encapsulation is $6 to $17 per square foot. Within that, sealing it under an encapsulant is $6 to $10, covering it with new material is $8 to $13, and taking it off is $10 to $17. Treat those as abatement costs, which are separate from the cost of painting.
Who is responsible for lead paint disclosure on a rental?
The landlord is. Under the federal disclosure rule, landlords and sellers of most housing built before 1978 must tell tenants and buyers about known lead paint, hand over any reports they have, give them EPA's pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home, and put a lead warning statement in the lease or contract.
The RRP rule also reaches landlords and their maintenance staff whenever they disturb paint in a rental built before 1978. The owner-occupant exemption does not cover rental units. Stamford and Norwalk have many older two-family and three-family rentals where this comes up.
Do I need a permit to paint the outside of my house?
A repaint by itself rarely needs a building permit in the towns we serve. The repairs that go with it can. Replacing siding, sheetrock, trim or deck boards may need one, so ask your building department before that work.
In Stamford that is the City of Stamford Building Department. Greenwich, Old Greenwich, Cos Cob and Riverside all go through the Town of Greenwich Building Inspection Division, and Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Westport, Wilton, Weston and Pound Ridge each have their own building department. We did not find a single written rule on painting for every town, so check for your address.
Do I need HOA approval to change my exterior color, and can the HOA fine me?
If you live in a condo or a home with an association, read the declaration and rules before choosing a color. Many associations require written approval for exterior changes, and in a condo the outside walls are often common elements the owner cannot paint at all. Whether an association can fine you depends on its own documents and Connecticut law.
Condos are common in downtown Stamford, Harbor Point and along the main roads in Norwalk, and some neighborhoods in the area have private associations. Get approval in writing before the paint is ordered. We can provide color samples for the application.
Are there paint rules in a historic district?
Connecticut's enabling law for local historic districts says a commission's review does not extend to the color of exterior paint. Other changes made during a paint job can still need a certificate of appropriateness, such as replacing trim, siding, windows or doors.
Several towns in our area have local historic districts with their own commissions, and a few have their own rules on top. Call your town's historic district commission or land use office before changing anything besides color on a house in a district. Pound Ridge is in New York, where the state law differs.
Do I need a permit to paint a storefront or commercial building?
Painting a storefront usually needs no building permit on its own, but other parts of the job may need approval. A new or changed sign, or a lift or scaffold that blocks a sidewalk or street, normally needs a permit from the city or town.
In downtown Stamford, ask the city before staging goes on a public sidewalk. If the building is in a historic district, check with the commission too. Tenants should read the lease, since many need the owner's written consent for exterior changes.
For a real price on your own job, book a free estimate and get a written quote. Call or text (203) 349-9745.