What "deleading" and "deleaded" mean
Deleading means removing or permanently covering lead paint hazards in a home. Massachusetts' Lead Law requires the removal or covering of lead paint hazards in homes built before 1978 where any children under 6 live. People call a house "deleaded" when it has passed that process and has a Letter of Full Compliance.
The state describes the steps this way. A licensed lead inspector tests the home and records the hazards. Deleading work must be done by a trained and licensed person. Then the inspector reinspects, and a passing home gets the letter. Each of those steps is a cost, which is why the price depends on the house.
You can also have only the urgent hazards corrected and control the rest. That is Interim Control, a temporary step. You must first hire a licensed risk assessor, who shows you what work must be done and checks it afterward. A passing home gets a Letter of Interim Control, which is good for one year and can be renewed for one more year if the home is reinspected before the year ends. You can only hold one for 2 years. By then the home must be fully deleaded if a child under 6 lives there, even if the property has been sold.
Some tasks can be done by an owner or agent, but only after a licensed lead inspector has inspected the home and the owner or agent is trained and authorized. Ask the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, (800) 532-9571, before you start. Mass.gov explains deleading on your own.
What deleading costs
Massachusetts publishes no official price for deleading. One published estimate comes from MassLandlords, a landlord trade group that advocates for a bigger deleading credit. In an article first published in December 2023, it says the average price to remove lead from a dwelling is $6,000, and if windows are included it can shoot as high as $15,000. That is a rental-housing estimate, not a quote for your house. That is per dwelling, so a two- or three-family is more than one job at that price.
Three things move the price: how many windows, doors and trim pieces have lead paint, what shape the paint is in, and whether the work is full deleading or Interim Control. Windows can push it much higher.
| Path | Who does the work | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Full deleading | A licensed lead inspector tests; trained, licensed deleaders do the work; the inspector re-inspects | Letter of Full Compliance |
| Interim Control | A licensed risk assessor sets the work and checks it; urgent hazards are corrected | Letter of Interim Control (one year, renewable once), 2 years at most to reach full compliance |
Ask for at least two written quotes from licensed lead contractors, and ask each one what is included: testing, the work, cleanup and the re-inspection.
Help paying is below: a Get the Lead Out loan (maximum $30,000 to $45,000, by property type) and a state tax credit of up to $3,000. Neither is a price for the work.
Do I have to delead before I sell?
No. A pre-1978 house can be sold without deleading. What you must do is give the buyer the Property Transfer Lead Paint Notification before the buyer signs the purchase and sale agreement, plus the federal pieces. Our lead paint disclosure guide lists exactly what to hand over.
The Lead Law duty falls mostly on the buyer. Mass.gov says that if a child under 6 will live in the home, the owner must delead it or bring it under Interim Control within 90 days of taking title. Buyers with young children may ask you to credit them for it or lower the price, so know your house before you list.
Selling as-is is one way to handle a house with lead paint you do not want to fix. See selling a house as-is in Massachusetts and compare it with listing.
Ready to sell? What deleading costs on a sale
If you are ready to sell a pre-1978 house, deleading usually comes down to three choices. You can delead first and sell, offer a credit at the table, or sell as-is and leave the work to the buyer.
- Delead before you list. You pay up front. The one published estimate is about $6,000 per dwelling, up to $15,000 with windows (MassLandlords, no official price), so get written quotes. The state tax credit can offset up to $3,000 of full deleading, and the Get the Lead Out loan is deferred for owner-occupants.
- Credit or price cut. The law does not make you delead to sell. A buyer with a child under 6 may still ask for a credit or a lower price to cover the work. That is a negotiation, not a rule.
- Sell as-is. You give the lead paint notice before the buyer signs the purchase and sale agreement, and the buyer takes on the Lead Law duty after taking title. Expect the price to reflect the condition. See selling a house as-is in Massachusetts.
Not sure which fits? Tell us about the house and you choose: get a cash offer or an option on the house, or get matched with a buyer or agent. We do not promise a price or a timeline. The net proceeds calculator shows what you would keep under each route.
The Get the Lead Out loan
MassHousing runs Get the Lead Out. Its page says the loans run from $30,000 to $45,000, depending on property type, at low or no interest depending on the borrower. For owner-occupants the loan is deferred, so no monthly payments are required, and MassHousing pays the closing costs and fees on owner-occupied homes.
- Who can borrow: owner-occupants, investor-owners renting to income-eligible tenants, and nonprofit owners renting to income-eligible tenants.
- Property: 1 to 4 family homes, including condominiums.
- Income: county-based limits apply. MassHousing links the table on its page.
- Timing: the project must be finished within six months of closing the loan.
- How to apply: through a participating local rehabilitation agency. MassHousing's page lists them.
If you plan to sell soon, ask the agency how a deferred loan is handled at a sale, because it will affect your payoff.
The state tax credit
Massachusetts gives owners an income tax credit for removing or covering lead paint. On the Department of Revenue's Schedule LP instructions, the credit is the cost of the deleading or $3,000 per residence, whichever is less. Interim Control gets a credit of up to $1,000 per residence, and that $1,000 counts toward the $3,000 limit. Only the owner of the home can claim it.
These amounts are from the 2025 Schedule LP. Check the current year's form or ask a tax preparer before you count on it.
What to do next
- Find the year the house was built. Before 1978, the lead rules apply to the sale.
- Decide if you will delead, sell as-is or let the buyer handle it. Get quotes before you decide.
- Ask a local rehabilitation agency whether the Get the Lead Out loan fits.
- Compare what you would keep selling as-is with listing after prep. The net proceeds calculator lets you change the prep cost.