How Much Does a Lead Paint Inspection Cost?

Lead Paint Test Cost

Lead-based paint testing costs an average of $300. Costs can range from $250 to as much as $700 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, depending on where you live.

Pros use a fluorescent X-ray analyzer to detect levels of the substance in the paint. They take pictures and notes and run a report that indicates affected areas. It takes about three hours because inspectors test every interior and exterior surface.

Hire a local home inspector:

• To understand a potential home's health risks before buying

• Before major renovations to avoid releasing harmful dust

• If you suspect your children have been exposed to harmful lead levels

Exterior Lead Testing Cost

Pros charge around $300 to test the exterior and interior of a standard three-bedroom home. It’s uncommon to test separately as the rate may not decrease. Siding and trim often contain the substance in older homes, while exterior paint can flake and enter the soil around the house.

If needed, the cost to paint the home exterior after lead paint removal is around $1,770 to $4,360.

Lead-Based Paint on Interior Walls or Windows

How much does lead testing cost? The $250 to $700 cost range includes testing interior surfaces that may contain paint in the home, such as the following:

• Walls

• Windows

• Doors

• Molding

• Railings

If needed, the cost to paint the home interior after lead paint removal is around $950 to $2,920.

Home Lead Risk Assessment Cost

Risk assessments range between $800 and $2,000. Assessors investigate the source and severity of the problem. Then, they create a strategy of appropriate solutions for your safety and budget.

Assessments and inspections differ in several ways:

• Assessments usually occur after you’ve found lead poisoning in children. It’s a lengthy and specialized process, as assessors research the source and recommend the best abatement strategies for each home.

• Inspections occur mostly before real estate transactions. These differ because inspectors only tell you if the problem exists and where.

Lead Paint Abatement

Lead paint abatement removes the danger from your home and makes it safe to live there.  Lead paint abatement costs around $3,000 and ranges between $1,100 and $5,000.

Mitigation: 

• Reduces exposure by sealing old paint in affected areas with new siding or drywall

• Homeowners mostly mitigate

• Costs more than $1,000

Elimination:

• Pros strip and dispose of paint and remove and replace affected walls, windows, doors, and soil

• Sometimes required of subsidized housing property managers by the government 

• Costs more than $10,000

Removal and abatement pros must comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-approved procedures, adding about $36 to $380 per project. This is the only way companies may legally remove the substance from your home.

DIY Test Kits vs. Hiring a Certified Inspector

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission determined that many consumer test kits didn’t detect lead when it was there. EPA-approved kits for consumers cost about $25 for eight swabs and will likely require multiple kits.

Hiring a pro to inspect your home will cost around $300, but it's the best way to get an accurate reading. They use state-of-the-art X-ray tools, know where to find affected surfaces, and know how to inspect for buried old paint layers.

How to Hire a Pro

Hiring a pro to test your home for lead is straightforward. Search for lead testing pros near you and get quotes from at least two. Talk with the pro about what their fees include, and choose the pro that seems most aligned with your needs. 

How Do Pros Test for Lead?

Pros usually test for lead using a special X-ray machine, which measures how much lead is in old paint. They do so by aiming high-energy beams at different painted surfaces and then letting the machine analyze the presence of lead, which measures the amount of lead per square centimeter. 

Some pros also use paint chip sampling to test for lead. They test paint samples removed from the home with a special machine in the lab. This sort of test reports the percentage by sample weight.