Oakland, CA Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

08, Article XIII ("Lead Hazard Control and Abatement," added by Ordinance No. 13719 in December 2022) governs lead hazards in Oakland dwelling units. 510 states the scope directly: the article "shall apply to all buildings and portions thereof including the premises on which they are located, including dwellings, dwelling units, hotels, motels, guest rooms, childcare facilities, buildings open to the public, yards, soil, and any premises or areas inhabited or frequented by children," and "[t]he property owner shall be responsible for the removal or the control of all lead hazards," with the scope of work set by a third-party, State-certified Lead Risk Assessor retained by the owner.

520 defines "Presumed Lead-Based Paint" as any coating on a structure built before January 1, 1978, unless tested and shown otherwise, and sets numeric hazard thresholds: lead-contaminated dust at or above 10 micrograms/sq ft on interior floors, 100 micrograms/sq ft on interior horizontal surfaces, or 400 micrograms/sq ft on exterior surfaces, and lead-contaminated soil at or above 400 ppm in children's play areas or 1,000 ppm elsewhere. 540, once the Building Official is persuaded on visual inspection that lead hazards are present, the Building Official can order the owner to retain a certified assessor and produce a risk assessment report, and may issue a stop-work order to halt further disturbance of lead-based paint without containment.

550 requires the resulting abatement work plan, including relocation plans for any tenants who must move during the work, to be submitted to the Planning and Building Department for approval and permitting before work begins. 560 makes it a misdemeanor for an owner to refuse or neglect to remove or reduce a known lead hazard after being ordered to by a Code Enforcement Inspector, or to allow readily accessible dangerous lead levels to remain in a dwelling, child care facility, or hotel guest room, and declares all lead hazards a public nuisance. 570 requires everyone performing the abatement work to hold California or EPA certification.