Meriden, CT Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

Meriden's Housing Code defines lead paint precisely at § 125-15A: any pigmented, liquid coating applied by brush, roller or spray whose nonvolatile ingredients contain more than 0.06% lead by weight, calculated as metallic lead. Subsection B then bars applying that paint to the interior or exterior surfaces of any dwelling, rooming house, dwelling unit or rooming unit, and extends the ban to the common areas of those buildings and to any other structure standing within the same lot line, so an accessory garage or shed on a rental parcel is covered along with the main house.

The section is a use-and-application ban rather than a removal mandate: it stops new lead paint from going on, but the abatement trigger is separate. Under § 125-15C, once the Department of Development and Enforcement determines during an inspection that defective, deteriorating paint on any premises creates a potential hazard to children, the case is referred to the Health Department, and the responsible owner or occupant must eliminate the hazard following lead-safe work practices, applicable local and state codes, and the U.S. EPA's renovation, repair and painting program rule.

Inspections that surface a lead hazard are carried out under the Chapter 125 procedures at § 125-5, and violations of the chapter generally are punishable by a fine of up to $100 per day under § 125-3, with an appeal available to the Neighborhood Rehabilitation Advisory Board under § 125-17.