The lead certificate your rental needs at every turnover.
Get matched with an MDE-accredited lead inspector. We confirm the unit’s age and registration, the inspector tests and files the certificate, and we handle correction work only if it fails.
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Maryland’s Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing law makes a current lead certificate a condition of renting any unit built before 1978. Most owners meet the requirement mid-vacancy, with a lease signed and a move-in date approaching, and discover there are four certificate types with different rules. This page lays them out in MDE’s own wording, walks the turnover timeline, lists what the inspector checks and what to fix first, and puts published cost ranges next to it.
The four certificates, in MDE’s words
| Certificate | How it is earned | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Full Risk Reduction | Passing the test for lead-contaminated dust, provided any chipping, peeling or flaking paint has been removed or repainted inside and out. Dust samples from each room, analyzed by a qualified lab, below the specified levels. Source: MDE, Lead Paint Certificates for Rental Housing; Lead Registration for Landlords | Until the next change in occupancy. MDE requires a valid certificate at each tenant turnover. |
| Modified Risk Reduction | Visual inspection plus dust inspection in an occupied unit, after a written defect notice or a high blood lead level. Met by relocating tenants to compliant housing or by specific accredited lead hazard treatments plus a passing dust test. Source: MDE, Inspections for Rental Housing; Property Owner Compliance Summary | Resolves the notice; the turnover cycle continues at the next change in occupancy. |
| Lead Free | An accredited inspector certifies the unit free of lead paint: XRF readings below 0.7 milligrams per square centimeter or paint chip samples below 0.5 percent by weight. Source: MDE, Lead Paint Certificates for Rental Housing | Exempts the unit from registration fees and from further risk reduction inspection requirements. |
| Limited Lead Free | No lead paint on interior surfaces, lead paint present on the exterior, and no chipping, peeling or flaking exterior paint at inspection. Source: MDE, Inspections for Rental Housing | Two years. The exterior must pass re-inspection before the date, or the certificate is no longer valid. |
For a normal turnover the answer is the first row. Lead Free and Limited Lead Free are exemptions you can earn, not turnover certificates, and the MDE fact sheet is explicit that there is no obligation under the law to fully remove or permanently abate all lead paint in a rental property. The four underlying tests are compared on the inspections guide.
The turnover timeline
- Notice received. Book the inspector now, not at move-out. Confirm the unit is registered with MDE; owners of rental homes built before 1978 must register (MDE, Lead Registration for Landlords).
- Make-ready. Stabilize any deteriorated paint with accredited workers, replace or clean window troughs, wet clean floors and sills.
- Inspection day. Visual check of interior and exterior paint, then dust wipes from each room. The unit should be vacant and clean; MDE says the Full Risk Reduction inspection is generally conducted in a vacant unit prior to occupancy by a new tenant.
- Lab analysis. A qualified laboratory reads the wipes against the state levels. Turnaround varies by lab and week; ask the inspector for their current timing.
- Certificate filed. COMAR 26.16.02.03 gives the inspector up to 10 calendar days after receiving the lab results to submit a passing certificate to MDE, and 30 days for a failing one. You keep a copy for the lease file and give one to the tenant.
What the inspector checks
- Paint condition on every painted surface, interior and exterior. Any chipping, peeling or flaking paint has to be removed or repainted before the dust test counts (MDE, Lead Paint Certificates for Rental Housing).
- Dust wipes from each room, usually the floor and a window sill, sent to a qualified laboratory. Results must fall below the specified levels.
- Exterior surfacesincluding porches, trim and window exteriors. In winter, ask the inspector about MDE’s exterior waiver process rather than assuming.
What to fix first
Deteriorated paint, then windows, then cleaning. Paint first because the standard does not let the dust test count until chipping, peeling or flaking paint is corrected. Windows second because the trough and sill hold the heaviest dust in any pre-1978 unit; our article on old windowsexplains why they fail repeatedly. Cleaning last, and thoroughly, because MDE’s own fact sheet says a clean, well maintained property is the one most likely to pass. Any paint work in a covered rental belongs to MDE trained or accredited workers per the Property Owner Compliance Summary; we arrange that with per-component pricing from the cost guide.
What it costs
Inspector pricing in Maryland is published by a few firms and quoted by the rest. LeadProbe’s inspections page, checked September 2026, lists a dust swipe inspection at a $75 base plus $16 per swipe in the Baltimore area ($99 plus $17 in Washington, DC), and a Lead Free XRF inspection at $425 in the Baltimore area or $475 elsewhere, both including the $30 MDE fee, with larger houses running higher and multi-unit pricing on request. Our cost guide carries a working range of $250 to $500 for a turnover inspection with dust wipes and lab fees, and $300 to $600 for an XRF survey. The inspector you are matched with sets their own price, and if the unit passes, that inspection fee is the whole cost of the turnover.
Where we match inspectors
Statewide. County pages with the local housing picture and landlord questions: Montgomery County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Prince George’s County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County.
Certificate questions, answered straight
Is the certificate a promise that the unit is safe?
No, and nobody accredited will sell it as one. Per the MDE fact sheet, the certificate indicates a reduced risk of lead exposure in the unit at the time of the test. It is the document the Reduction of Lead Risk in Housing law requires before a new tenancy, and it is what an accredited inspector issues after the paint check and dust wipes pass. The inspector decides whether it passes; we arrange the fix if it does not.
What does the inspector physically do in the unit?
Walks every painted surface inside and out for chipping, peeling or flaking paint, then takes dust wipe samples from each room, usually floors and window sills, seals and labels them, and sends them to a qualified laboratory. The MDE fact sheet notes that testing for lead-contaminated dust is most likely to be successful in a clean, well maintained property, which is why the make-ready cleaning comes before the visit.
What should I fix before the inspector arrives?
In this order: any deteriorated paint inside or out, since the dust test does not count until that is corrected; window troughs and sills, which collect the highest dust loads; then a thorough wet cleaning of floors and horizontal surfaces. Paint stabilization in a covered rental must be done by MDE trained or accredited workers per the Compliance Summary. Cleaning can be anyone.
What does the turnover inspection cost?
Published Maryland inspector pricing sets the shape of it. LeadProbe’s inspections page (checked September 2026) lists a dust swipe inspection at a $75 base plus $16 per swipe in the Baltimore area, and a Lead Free XRF inspection at $425 in the Baltimore area or $475 elsewhere, including the $30 MDE fee, with a note that larger houses can run higher. Our cost guide carries a working range of $250 to $500 for a turnover inspection with dust wipes and lab fees. The inspector you are matched with quotes their own price.
Do I get a copy, and does the tenant?
Yes to both. The Compliance Summary says the accredited inspector issues the certificate with supporting documentation to MDE through the Lead Rental Certification and Accreditation database, and the owner should request a copy for distribution to tenants and for their records. Tenants also receive the Notice of Tenants Rights and the Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home brochure at the start of the tenancy and every two years after.
Can I skip the certificate if the tenant has no children?
No. Maryland regulates the turnover, not the occupant. The Compliance Summary says all properties subject to the law must pass an inspection for lead-contaminated dust prior to every change in occupancy. Washington, DC ties clearance to a child under six or a pregnant occupant; Maryland does not. Our Maryland versus DC article covers the difference for owners with property in both.
Turnover on the calendar?
Send the address and the move-out date. We confirm registration and match you with an independent MDE-accredited inspector.
Get matched with an inspectorOr call (301) 610-3977.