Scranton, PA Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

5%) lead by weight, to interior surfaces or to exterior surfaces accessible to children, in any premises, dwelling, rooming house or facility occupied or used by children. Section 278-3B separately requires the City to notify a building owner of a health hazard once interior surfaces test above one milligram of lead per square centimeter. Once the Director of Public Health confirms a hazard under § 278-6, the owner or occupant gets a 10-day notice to eliminate it, though the Director has discretion to extend that window.

Removal itself has to eliminate all loose, cracked, chipped, blistered or peeling lead paint from any chewable surface, or, short of full removal, cover the surface with an approved durable material, and the removal method can't create its own hazard from dust, fumes or vapor. Section 278-7 blocks a landlord found in violation of the removal order from evicting a family with children to avoid the corrective work, and protects that family's existing lease. A dwelling that isn't brought into compliance can be declared unfit for human habitation under § 278-8.

Separately, § 278-4 bans selling or giving children's toys or furniture coated in lead paint, and food containers or utensils with extractable lead above 7 micrograms per milliliter.