East Orange, NJ Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

Section 292-43 of the Sanitary Standards chapter, adopted in 1971, prohibits applying lead-based paint to any interior surface in the City of East Orange, with a fine of up to $500 against whoever applies it. If the Health Officer or an authorized representative finds flaking, peeling, chipped or loose paint, plaster or structural material during an inspection, the Officer can collect samples and have them analyzed for lead content. Any result above 1% lead by weight, or a diagnosis of plumbism (lead poisoning) in a child by a licensed physician after the child has lived in the unit for six months, requires the dwelling to be declared a hazard to the health and safety of its occupants.

Once that hazard finding is made, the Health Officer can order the property owner to remove leaded material from the dwelling entirely or block access to it, which can mean stripping every surface clean of lead-based paint or covering leaded surfaces with a suitable barrier material to protect residents' life and health. The rule sits alongside the City's broader Housing Standards and Property Maintenance chapter, Chapter 159, and its general Sanitary Standards enforcement scheme, and inspections and hazard orders are carried out by the East Orange Department of Health, Division of Environmental Health, under the Board of Health's authority.