Lead Licensing

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates there are 1,327,626 housing units in Missouri with lead-based paint. Any housing built prior to 1978 may be considered suspect, although nationally, pre-1950 housing stock are considered most likely to contain lead-based paint.

In Missouri, an estimated 60% of dwellings built between 1960 and 1978 contain lead-based paint, with that number jumping to 80% for dwellings built between 1940-1959 and as high as 90% for pre-1949 dwellings.

The Lead Licensing Program's mission is to prevent lead poisoning from improper lead abatement activities. The program is responsible for licensing lead abatement professionals, which includes lead abatement supervisors, lead abatement workers, lead inspectors, risk assessors and project designers. Individuals must attend training by a provider that is accredited by the program in order to become licensed. These training providers are audited by the program to determine compliance with state statutes and regulations. The program also licenses lead abatement contractors, which are the companies or firms that employ the lead professionals. Random inspections of lead abatement contractors are conducted by the program to ensure that they are in compliance with state statutes and regulations, including work practice standards.