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Do New Hampshire landlords need a lead safe certificate?

Short answer: Usually not. Rentals that existed before July 1, 2024 don’t need one. You need a Lead-Safe Certificate from a licensed NH risk assessor before anyone moves in if you turn a pre-1978 building (or your own home) into a rental after July 1, 2024, or if the state orders lead work because a child’s blood lead level reached 5 µg/dL. Renting a converted unit without one can cost $500 per day. The federal lead disclosure applies to every pre-1978 lease.
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Who it covers

Existing rentals do not need a certificate. Since July 1, 2024, any unit in a pre-1978 building that is being turned into a rental from another use (a mill, an office, an owner's own house) needs a Lead-Safe Certificate from a licensed NH risk assessor before anyone moves in. Any pre-1978 rental where a child with a blood lead level of 5 micrograms per deciliter or more lives can get a state order to remove the lead hazards.

How long it lasts

Abatement certificate: no fixed term while maintained. Interim-controls certificate: 1 year, renew yearly.

What it costs

No state fee found. Risk assessors set prices; national figures run $300–$800 for a risk assessment (HomeAdvisor 2026).

If you don’t comply

Under He-P 1606.01 (as amended effective 2026-08-26): $500 per instance per day for renting a newly converted pre-1978 unit without certification; $5,000 for re-renting a unit under a lead hazard reduction order without a valid certificate of lead safe (abatement or interim controls); $5,000 for re-renting a unit under investigation after notice of inspection; $2,000 for not disclosing an existing order before leasing or selling; $500 for not giving tenants the risk assessment, work scope and certificate before they move back in; $1,000 for not keeping in-place management records. A second fine is 2x if not fixed in 30 days; 3x for later repeats or after 90 days. Under an order, the owner must abate hazards (NHPR reported a 90-day deadline when the 7.5 threshold took effect in 2019).

What you need and when

What you needWhenCost
Lead-Safe Certificate before first rental of a converted unit
Only for units newly converted to rental from another use after July 1, 2024 in pre-1978 buildings. Must be issued by a NH-licensed Lead Risk Assessor before occupancy. DHHS accepts a Certificate of Lead-Safe (abatement), Certificate of Lead-Safe Interim Controls, or Certificate of No Lead-Based Substances; a Certificate of No Lead-Based Paint is not enough. An abatement certificate stays in effect while no hazards return and in-place management records are kept; an interim-controls certificate must be renewed every year.		-No state fee found; risk assessor charges (no NH price source found).
Annual renewal of Certificate of Lead Safe - Interim Controls
Applies when interim controls (not full abatement) were used, e.g. after a state order. A licensed risk assessor or inspector does a clearance inspection each year; submit the new certificate to DHHS before the old one expires or DHHS orders full abatement (90 days). Interim controls are allowed for at most 5 years under an order.		every yearRisk assessor clearance inspection fee each year.
In-place management checks (every 6 months and before re-renting)
Required when a certificate has been issued but lead paint remains. Give tenants a written notice asking them to report damaged paint; answer reports in writing within 10 business days; visually inspect at least every 6 months, before re-occupancy and on tenant request; clean common areas (HEPA vacuum, wet wash, HEPA again) and clean before re-occupancy; keep signed records 5 years. Failing to keep these records carries a $1,000 fine.		--

Not covered

Certificate types

How to get inspected

NH-licensed Lead Risk Assessor issues certificates of lead safe; a licensed lead inspector or risk assessor may issue no-lead certificates. Health officers cannot do lead risk assessments.

Typical cost: No New Hampshire figure found. National: risk assessments $300-$800 (HomeAdvisor 2026); lead inspections $300-$700 (Angi 2026). (source). More in what a lead inspection costs.

What to give tenants

The federal lead disclosure rule applies on top of this for nearly every rental built before 1978. What it requires.

Where sources disagree: Certificate validity: the 2020 version of He-P 1608.14 (Cornell LII) had one certificate of lead safe that 'shall remain in effect for one year or as long as' hazards stay controlled. The 2025 readoption (#14230, eff. 2025-04-02, on state-rules.com) splits it: the abatement certificate has no fixed term while maintained; the interim-controls certificate lasts one year (He-P 1610.06) (law.cornell.edu vs state-rules.com). We use the 2025 text. No source supports a '3-year' NH lead safe certificate. The DHHS 5-d Q&A (2024) said fines were not yet in the rules; the 2026 amendment (eff. 2026-08-26) lists the $500/day fine; it may also have been in the 2025 version.

Keep every certificate on time

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Questions landlords ask

Do New Hampshire landlords need a lead safe certificate?

Not for rentals that already existed before July 1, 2024. You need one before occupancy only if you convert a pre-1978 building or your own home into a rental after that date, or if the state orders lead work because a child was poisoned.

How long is a New Hampshire lead safe certificate valid?

A certificate based on abatement has no fixed expiration as long as no hazards come back and you keep in-place management records. A certificate based on interim controls expires after one year and must be renewed with a new clearance inspection.

What happens if a child in my NH rental has an elevated blood lead level?

At 5 micrograms per deciliter or higher, DHHS investigates. If hazards are found, you get an order to fix them with licensed professionals and cannot re-rent without a certificate of lead safe. Re-renting under an order without one is a $5,000 fine.

Does a lead safe certificate protect a New Hampshire landlord from lawsuits?

Not as a shield. RSA 130-A:18 says owners must take reasonable care and that following lead laws may be used as evidence of reasonable care. The mere presence of lead paint is not negligence and not a breach of the warranty of habitability by itself.

What is the fine for renting a converted unit without a lead safe certificate in NH?

$500 per instance per day under the DHHS rules amended in August 2026, increasing for repeat or uncorrected violations.

Last checked November 6, 2026. Law: RSA 130-A (Lead Paint Poisoning Prevention and Control), incl. RSA 130-A:5-d (added 2024); NH Admin. Rules He-P 1600. Agency: NH Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy Homes and Lead Poisoning Prevention Program (HHLPPP).

This page sums up published rules as of November 6, 2026. It is not legal advice, and myleadsafe is not a government site. Rules and fees change, and local offices add their own steps, so confirm with your town or city and the state agency before you rely on a date or a fee.

Sources (14)