S. 5455: Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2026

This bill would change federal lead-safety rules for certain housing so that families with children under age 6 get stronger protections against lead-based paint hazards.

What housing is covered

The bill applies to certain target housing that is:

• seeking federally backed mortgage insurance or housing assistance,
• receiving tenant-based rental assistance such as Section 8 vouchers,
• receiving public housing assistance, or
• receiving more than $5,000 in project-based federal housing assistance.

New lead-risk inspection requirements

For covered housing where a family with a child under 6 will live or is expected to live, the bill would require the owner to do an initial lead-based paint risk assessment within specific timeframes. For Section 8 voucher housing, the assessment would have to happen no later than 15 days after the family and owner request approval of the tenancy or lease renewal, whichever comes first. For public housing or project-based assistance, it would have to happen within 15 days after a physical inspection. For other covered housing, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development would set the deadline.

The bill says a visual check alone would not be enough; a formal risk assessment would be required.

What happens if lead hazards are found

If the assessment finds lead-based paint hazards, the owner would have to control those hazards within 30 days. The bill also requires the hazards to pass clearance standards after the work is done. The 30-day deadline could not be extended.

Owners would also have to notify residents and post notice in common areas, using accessible formats for people with disabilities and language-access requirements. The notice would have to say that lead hazards were identified and will be addressed within the required time.

When the new inspection rule would not apply

The bill would allow some exceptions. For example, the risk assessment requirement would not apply if the owner can show:

• a lead risk assessment was already done within the previous 12 months and any related hazard-control work passed clearance,
• a lead inspection found no lead-based paint, or
• all lead-based paint has already been removed and clearance was achieved.

There is also an exception if hazards are found in an unoccupied unit, but the owner immediately offers the family another unit in the same housing that has no lead hazards and whose common areas are also safe.

Emergency relocation right for affected families

If a family with a child under 6 is living in covered housing where lead hazards were identified and not fixed as required, the bill would let that family move on an emergency basis without:

• being placed on a waitlist,
• facing penalties, including rent obligations tied to the unsafe unit, or
• losing assistance during the move.

The family could move to a unit built in 1978 or later, or to another unit in covered housing with no lead hazards. The relocation would have to follow existing federal relocation, civil rights, fair housing, and nondiscrimination rules.

Federal rulemaking and funding

HUD would have to write regulations within one year after enactment to carry out these new requirements. The bill also authorizes whatever appropriations are needed for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

Relevant Companies

None found.