Stratford, CT Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Report of lead poisoning or child under six with abnormal lead burden
- Water abatement level
- 0.05 of one milligram per liter or more
- Soil abatement level
- 500 parts per million or greater
- Power-tool permit threshold
- More than 50 square feet of exterior surface
- Permit decision
- Within five working days of the application
- Permit penalty
- $100 per day or per occurrence
Summary
The Town of Stratford, Connecticut, requires every building used for human habitation to be kept free of cracked, chipped, flaked or peeling paint. When a child under six shows an abnormal lead body burden, the Director of Health can test paint, water and soil at the owner's expense and order abatement. Exterior abrasive paint removal needs a Health Department permit first.
I. Lead paint. ... (1) Painted portions of all buildings used in whole or in part for human habitation, as well as any accessory structures on the premises thereof, shall be kept free of cracked, chipped, blistered, flaked, loose or peeling paint. ... (2) The owners of all dwellings shall comply with the requirements of § 19a-111c of the Connecticut General Statutes concerning the removal of toxic levels of lead from dwellings, as the same may be amended from time to time. ... (3) Whenever the Director of Health receives a report of lead poisoning or otherwise determines that a child under the age of six has an abnormal body burden of lead, the Director may cause the paint, water and soil on the premises of the dwelling in which such child resides to be tested for lead content at the owner's expense. ... Similarly, abatement shall be required if the lead content of water on the premises meets or exceeds 0.05 of one milligram per liter. Abatement of soil may be required when lead levels are 500 parts per million or greater.
Full Breakdown
Subsection I of Section 120-29 of the Stratford Code, added 10-21-1993, is the Town's lead paint rule for dwellings. Paragraph (1) requires painted portions of all buildings used in whole or in part for human habitation, and their accessory structures, to be kept free of cracked, chipped, blistered, flaked, loose or peeling paint. Any such surface must be prepared and repainted with a covering that meets the standards under the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act. Paragraph (2) makes owners of all dwellings responsible for the lead-removal requirements of Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-111c, and lets the Director of Health demand evidence of compliance from qualified testing firms acceptable to the Director.
Paragraph (3) is the enforcement trigger. When the Director of Health receives a report of lead poisoning, or finds that a child under six has an abnormal body burden of lead, the Director can have the paint, water and soil on the dwelling's premises tested at the owner's expense. Abatement is required when water meets or exceeds 0.05 of one milligram per liter, and abatement of soil can be required at 500 parts per million or greater. Paint is judged against the federal standard the Town incorporates. Paragraph (4) lets the Director hire qualified firms for testing and abatement, or to certify that an abatement succeeded, all at the owner's expense.
Paragraph (5) adds permits. Before abrasive blasting, sandblasting, media blasting or similar abrasive paint removal on an exterior surface, the owner or contractor needs a permit from the Director of Health. Power grinding, power sanding, water blasting or similar work needs a permit once it involves more than 50 square feet of surface. The Director acts on a permit request within five working days, the surface must first be tested for lead, and fees are set by the Town Council on the Director's recommendation. If lead is present, the work must follow stipulated mandates, including equipment that keeps particulate matter and fugitive dust off the air, soil, water and neighboring property.
Violations & Fines
Working without the permit required by paragraph (5) carries a fine of $100 per day or per occurrence under paragraph (6). Other violations of Chapter 120 draw a fine of not more than $100 under Section 120-16. Testing and abatement the Director orders are billed to the owner. Anyone affected by a notice can petition the Director of Health for a hearing within 10 days after the notice was served, under Section 120-31.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stratford require a permit to sandblast old paint off a house?
Who pays when a Stratford child has elevated lead?
What counts as a lead hazard in drinking water or soil?
How fast does the Town act on a blasting permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stratford
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