City of Cleveland Introduces Legislation to Update Cleveland’s Lead Safe Certificate System and Strengthen Protections for Children and Tenants

Proposed legislation is the result of a year-long amendment development process drawing from across the lead-safe ecosystem.

Monday, October 12, 2026 - CLEVELAND - The Bibb Administration today introduced legislation to update the City's Lead-Safe Certification program and strengthen requirements related to lead safety.

Cleveland was a national leader on lead safe rental registries when it passed a lead safe certificate program in 2019. The goal of the lead-safe certificate law is to proactively test rental properties before a child is poisoned. "Children should never be our lead detectors," says Director of Public Health Dr. Dave Margolius, "We won't stop until we have the most effective lead-safe rental registry in the country and we see a corresponding drop in our lead poisoning rates."

The initial 7 years of bill implementation have resulted in tens of thousands of properties getting their lead safe certificate. The Bibb Administration engaged in a year-long amendment drafting process to address concerns and better capture the tens of thousands more that still remain "in the shadows."

The bill's key feature is moving away from a one-size-fits-all model that slotted most rental properties into a 2-year certificate program.

Instead, the new bill will reward investments that best protect kids by offering 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year options that scale with specific home improvements like replacing windows, doors, or the porch.

"The science tells us that it is friction and impact surfaces like windows, doors, and porches that create the dust that harms kids," stated Rebecca Maurer, Senior Advisor for Lead Accountability, "Rewarding these key investments with longer certificate cycles acknowledges the improvement to lead safety and gives the City capacity to go after bad-actor landlords who haven't engaged with the process at all."

The bill includes other amendments as well:

• Following Toledo's model of moving to "local" lead inspection licenses so that the city can make sure the risk assessments are standardized, consistent, and predictable
• Exempting pre-1978 properties that can be certified as lead-paint-free from the certificate requirements
• Allowing low-risk properties built between 1960 and 1978 to get a 10-year certificate right away
• Making administrative fixes that improve administrability, like adding a retaliation defense for tenants and exempting college dormitories from the bill.

The Bibb Administration notes that the proposed legislation is the result of deep collaboration. It is built on the recommendations of the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, the Lead Safe Advisory Board, and dozens of conversations with tenants, landlords, and advocates. "We are proud to have worked alongside a lead-safe ecosystem here in Cleveland that is committed every day to preventing lead poisoning prevention," added Maurer.

The next step for the proposed package is a hearing at the Health, Human Services and the Arts Committee of Cleveland City Council. That committee is currently scheduled for October 19 at 9:30 a.m.