Saint Paul, MN Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- New-paint lead limit
- 0.06% by weight (application ban)
- Deteriorating-paint lead limit
- 0.5% by weight or 1 mg/cm²
- Applies to
- interior and exterior residential surfaces
- Trigger condition
- blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled, or chalked
- Penalty
- misdemeanor, Sec. 34.18
Summary
Saint Paul bans applying paint with lead content at or above 0.06 percent by weight to any residential surface, interior or exterior, under Sec. 34.10(8)(a). Existing paint that's already deteriorating, blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalked away, can't legally contain lead at or above 0.5 percent by weight or 1 milligram per square centimeter.
Sec. 34.10(8) Use of paint containing lead: a.No person shall apply paint or other surface-covering material containing lead equal to or greater than six-hundredths (0.06) percent by weight of the total solids contained in such paint or surface-covering material to the interior or exterior surface of any residential structure. b.No interior surface of any residential structure or accessory thereto shall have exposed accumulated paint or surface-covering material containing lead equal to or greater than one-half of one (0.5) percent by weight, or in excess of one (1) milligram per square centimeter of surface area if such paint or surface-covering material is blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalked away. Sec. 34.09(2)c. Exterior surfaces...shall not have exposed accumulative paint...containing lead equal to or greater than one-half of one (0.5) percent by weight or in excess of one (1) milligram per square centimeter of surface area if such paint...is blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalked away.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 133 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Saint Paul Legislative Code Sec. 10(8) sets a direct, numeric lead-paint standard inside the city's Minimum Property Maintenance Standards chapter, separate from the state Lead Poisoning Prevention Act's definitions in Minn. 9501. 06%) by weight of the total solids in the product, a threshold aimed at stopping new lead paint from going on a wall in the first place. 5%) by weight, or in excess of one milligram per square centimeter of surface area, once that paint is blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled, or chalking away, the deterioration is what turns old paint into an active hazard by shedding lead dust and chips.
Sec. 5 percent / 1 milligram-per-square-centimeter threshold to deteriorating exterior surfaces specifically. Sec. 09(1) separately requires exterior wood surfaces to be protected from decay using paint that isn't lead-based in the first place. These standards are enforced through the same Chapter 34 inspection and notice-to-correct process as any other property-maintenance violation, an enforcement officer who finds deteriorating lead paint during a Sec. 19 inspection can issue a Sec. 21 notice to correct, and severe lead-paint deterioration can support condemning the unit as unfit for occupancy under Sec. 23's material-endangerment provisions for unsanitary or dangerous conditions.
Violations & Fines
Applying paint at or above 0.06 percent lead by weight to a residential surface, or letting existing paint that already exceeds 0.5 percent lead by weight (or 1 mg/cm²) sit blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled or chalking, violates Sec. 34.10(8) and Sec. 34.09(2)(c) and is a misdemeanor under Sec. 34.18. An enforcement officer can order the surface repainted or treated, and severe cases support condemnation under Sec. 34.23.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord repaint with lead paint in Saint Paul?
How much lead has to be in old, peeling paint before it's a violation?
Does this exterior lead standard apply the same way as interior?
What does the city do if it finds a lead paint violation during an inspection?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Saint Paul
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