Toledo, OH Building Safety: Lead Paint (2026)

Chapter 1759, Toxic Substances, defines a lead-based paint hazard as any interior or exterior surface coated with lead-based paint that is readily accessible to and chewable by a child under six, whether or not the paint's surface integrity is broken. 02(b) bars any owner or occupant from applying lead-based paint or another toxic substance to any surface in a dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house, dormitory, or accessory structure. Owners of dwellings, child care facilities, and businesses that sell paint, toys, furniture, or kitchenware must keep those spaces free of lead hazards, and simply ending someone's occupancy does not satisfy the requirement.

Permanent abatement calls for scraping lead paint to bare wood at least one inch past the damaged edge (five feet up on doors and door frames) before repainting, or removing and replacing the surface outright. Where soil testing finds lead, the code requires removing contaminated soil to a six-inch depth in 24-inch strips, or turning and sodding the area, or paving it over. A confirmed emergency health condition, two blood tests within 30 days at or above 30 micrograms of lead per deciliter, or an erythrocyte protoporphyrin level of 50 micrograms per deciliter or more, triggers a Commissioner's emergency abatement order.

If the responsible owner or occupant does not comply, the Commissioner may abate the hazard directly and recover the full cost, including labor, materials, and notice costs, through a civil action or by certifying the charge to the Lucas County Auditor as a lien on the property's tax bill.