Hoboken, NJ Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Lead paint sale ban
- Paint over 1% lead needs warning label
- Warning label authority
- Prescribed by the Health Officer
- Inspection program
- Periodic lead-based paint inspections, added 2024
- Inspection fees
- $125 to $200 by bedroom count
- State fee
- $20 to Lead Hazard Control Assistance Act Fund
- Cure period
- 30 days before penalty accrues
- Penalty
- $1,000 per week until cured
Summary
Hoboken bans the sale of paint containing more than 1% lead unless it carries a Health Officer-prescribed warning label under City Code Section 125-1, and since 2024 the City runs a periodic lead-based paint inspection program for rental dwellings under Section 125-11, following the state Lead Hazard Control Assistance Act.
§ 125-1. Metallic lead-based content restricted. No person, firm or corporation shall have, keep, offer for sale, sell or give away in the City of Hoboken any paint containing more than 1% of lead, determined as metallic lead-based on the total nonvolatile content of the paint, unless it bears a warning statement similar to the following said statement, to be prescribed by the Health Officer: "Warning — Contains Lead, Harmful if Eaten. Do not apply on any interior surfaces of a dwelling, or a place used for the care of children, or on window sills, toys, cribs or other furniture." § 125- ... ... 11. Inspections for lead-based paint. A. Inspections authorized. The Municipal Inspector shall be authorized and empowered to conduct periodic lead-based paint inspections for all applicable multiple dwelling units offered for rent to determine the presence of lead-based paint, in accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:27D-437.6 and N.J.A.C. 5:28A-1.1 et seq.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 125, Article I bars any person, firm, or corporation from having, keeping, offering for sale, selling, or giving away paint with more than 1% metallic lead content in Hoboken unless the container bears a warning statement prescribed by the Health Officer, reading in substance that the paint contains lead, is harmful if eaten, and must not be applied to interior surfaces of a dwelling, a childcare space, window sills, toys, cribs, or other furniture under Section 125-1. Section 125-6 separately bars using such paint on interior walls, ceilings, or window sills of any dwelling, and the Health Officer can order removal and refinishing under Section 125-7.
Article II, added in 2024 by Ordinance B-659, layers on a Municipal Inspector-run periodic lead-based paint inspection program for single-family, two-family, and multiple rental dwellings under Section 125-11, tied to the state Lead Hazard Control Assistance Act, N.J.S.A. 52:27D-437.16. Units built after 1978, seasonal rentals under six months, units with a valid lead-safe certification, or registered multiple dwellings with a clean cyclical inspection are exempt under Section 125-11B. Inspections cost $125 to $200 by bedroom count plus a $20 state fee, and landlords have 30 days to cure a violation before a $1,000-per-week penalty accrues under Section 125-22.
Violations & Fines
Violating the paint-sale warning label requirement under Article I brings a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days imprisonment, or both, under Section 125-8. Under the newer rental-inspection program, an owner who does not cure a lead violation, by completing the inspection or starting remediation, within 30 days faces a penalty of $1,000 per week under Section 125-22 until the work is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Hoboken require a lead paint warning label?
Does Hoboken require lead paint inspections in rentals?
How much does a Hoboken lead paint inspection cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hoboken
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