Pasadena, CA Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Blood-lead trigger
- 15 mcg/dL, 2 consecutive tests
- Covered age
- children under 6
- Paint threshold
- 0.06% lead by weight banned
- Enforcing officer
- Pasadena Public Health Officer
- Workplan required
- before any lead reduction work
- Exempt housing
- built after 1978; senior housing
- 1994 screening data
- 153 of 850 children elevated
Summary
Pasadena's Childhood Lead Hazard Reduction Ordinance lets the city health officer order lead abatement whenever a child under 6 tests at or above 15 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood twice in a row. Refusing an abatement order is a misdemeanor, and property owners must submit a health officer-approved workplan before starting any lead hazard reduction work.
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a mechanism for handling identified cases of children under the age of 6 with an elevated blood lead level of at least 15 micrograms per deciliter of blood. This will entail conducting medical case management, environmental assessment and enforcement activities to eliminate the lead hazards to the child... It is declared unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person owning, leasing, occupying or having charge or possession of any premises: A.To refuse or neglect to remove or reduce known lead hazards to a child if ordered to so do by the health officer or a registered environmental health specialist.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
79, adopted by Ordinance 6646 in 1995, responds to findings that 153 of 850 Pasadena children screened in fiscal year 1994 tested with elevated blood lead levels. 020 sets the trigger as two consecutive confirmed blood-lead tests of at least 15 micrograms per deciliter in a child under 6. 050 directs the health officer or a registered environmental health specialist to inspect the premises the child frequents; if lead-containing substances are found to be the source, the inspector issues an abatement order to the property owner or the owner's agent, and may impose interim control measures, such as specialized cleaning or temporary containment, while permanent work is arranged.
060 requires the property owner to submit the plan, listing the reduction method, disposal method for lead waste, and the workers performing the job, for the health officer's approval. S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. 070 exempts housing built after 1978, senior housing, and commercial buildings apart from areas children frequent. 06 percent lead by weight on any surface accessible to children.
Violations & Fines
Refusing or neglecting a health officer's abatement order, damaging or removing an installed hazard-reduction or interim control measure, or leaving accessible lead-contaminated substances on a surface, toy, container or fixture reachable by children is declared unlawful and a misdemeanor under Section 8.79.040. The same section makes selling, applying or maintaining paint exceeding 0.06 percent lead by weight on a child-accessible surface a misdemeanor as well. The chapter does not set a separate fine schedule, so a conviction carries the general misdemeanor penalties enforced by the city's health officer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What blood lead level triggers a Pasadena abatement order?
Do I need city approval before removing lead paint from my rental?
Is a historic Pasadena home treated differently under the lead ordinance?
Which properties are exempt from Pasadena's lead hazard ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California building safety overview
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How other cities in Los Angeles County handle lead paint.