Newport News, VA Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Lead threshold
- 1.0 mg/cm² or 0.5% by weight
- Immediate hazard deadline
- 10 days after notice
- All-hazard deadline
- 30 days (max 120)
- Max fine
- $2,500, per day unabated
Summary
Newport News bans using or applying paint or any substance testing at 1.0 mg/cm² or more of lead, or over 0.5% lead by weight, on dwellings, child care facilities, and their outbuildings, fences and yard soil, per City Code § 20-41.
It shall be unlawful for any person to use or apply, or cause to be used or applied, paint or any other substance when it contains 1.0 mg/cm 2 or more of lead as measured by the X-ray fluorescence analyzer, or when it contains more than 0.5 percent lead by weight in the total nonvolatile content of liquid paint or in the dried film of paint already applied as determined by wet chemical analysis, to exterior or interior surface or dwellings, dwelling units or child care facilities, and their appurtenant outbuildings, fences and yard soil.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 81).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 20, Article III bans lead-based paint or substances above 1.0 mg/cm² (XRF reading) or 0.5% by weight on the interior or exterior of dwellings, dwelling units, and child care facilities, plus their outbuildings, fences and yard soil (§ 20-41). When an inspection by the Peninsula Health District director finds a hazard, § 20-42 requires a written notice ordering immediate hazards fixed within 10 days and all remaining hazards within 30 days, with up to 120 days total at the director's discretion. Owners may cover rather than remove the paint under § 20-43, but repainting alone does not satisfy the order.
Violations & Fines
A confirmed lead hazard above the § 20-41 threshold triggers a mandatory removal notice; missing the abatement deadline is a misdemeanor with fines up to $2,500 under § 20-46, with each unabated day a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What lead level counts as a violation in Newport News?
How fast must a lead hazard be fixed once cited?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newport News
Compare Newport News to another location·View the Virginia building safety overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.