Santa Ana, CA Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

California Health and Safety Code Sec. 17920.10 classifies a residential building as substandard if it contains lead hazards including deteriorated lead-based paint, lead-contaminated dust, lead-contaminated soil, or disturbed lead-based paint without proper containment. Lead hazards are triggered when deteriorated paint or uncontained disturbance affects an area of 2 or more square feet in any interior room, or 10 percent or more of the surface area of small components such as window sills, baseboards, and trim. Smaller areas may qualify as hazards if a building occupant has a blood lead level at or above the threshold set by the California Department of Public Health. Santa Ana enforces these standards through its Code Enforcement Division in coordination with the Orange County Health Care Agency. The city adopted the International Property Maintenance Code which requires habitable spaces to be free from lead hazards. Federal law (EPA 40 CFR 745) requires lead-safe work practices and certified renovators for any work disturbing more than 6 square feet of lead paint in pre-1978 housing. Landlords must provide the federal lead disclosure pamphlet to tenants under the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992.