New York Lead Paint Laws for Landlords: the 2026 Syracuse and Onondaga County Guide

New York lead paint rules for landlords changed in a big way. The state created a Lead Rental Registry, and covered owners in Syracuse must register, have the property inspected, and obtain a Lead-Safe Certificate at least every three years, with each certification submitted by October 1 of the year it is due. Since May 3, 2026, proof of compliance is also a condition of the property's certificate of occupancy. If you own a rental here, the one action to take now is to confirm whether your property is covered and line up an inspection with a licensed contractor who handles these registry inspections. Landlords may also qualify for the Syracuse Landlord Window & Door Replacement Program from Home HeadQuarters or another local program; our guide to lead paint grants names them and links each one, and each program page is the current source for amounts and eligibility. This guide is general information, not legal advice.

What the law is

New York Public Health Law Section 1377 created a statewide Lead Rental Registry with proactive inspections, for residential rental buildings with two or more units built before 1980 in designated communities of concern. The law took effect November 3, 2025, and the state's final implementing rules were published April 8, 2026. Under those rules, owners of covered properties had to register by May 1, 2026. Inspections run on a schedule the health department sets, each certification is submitted by October 1 of the year it is due, and the cycle repeats at least every three years. Since May 3, 2026, proof of compliance has also been a condition of the property's certificate of occupancy. See the New York State Lead Rental Registry and the statute at Public Health Law Section 1377, with the implementing rules at 10 NYCRR Subpart 67-5.

Is Syracuse covered?

Yes. Syracuse is one of the 25 communities of concern designated by New York State because of childhood lead exposure rates and older rental housing. The registry applies to specific designated areas within the city, not every address, so part of your job is simply confirming whether your property falls inside the covered area.

Single-family rentals are not covered by the state registry. Separately, the City of Syracuse runs its own rental registry with its own rules, which is a different program from the state law. A single-family rental in the city may still carry city obligations even though the state registry does not apply. Confirm city requirements with the City of Syracuse code office.

What you have to do, as a checklist

• Confirm whether your property is covered (two or more units, built before 1980, in a covered area).
• Register the property with the local health department or its designee.
• Get the lead inspection: local health department staff, a code enforcement officer, or an EPA-certified Risk Assessor may perform it.
• Fix any identified hazards using lead-safe work practices.
• Obtain the Lead-Safe Certificate and submit the inspection results for recording.
• Renew every three years (or sooner after a complaint or a child with an elevated blood lead level).

Registration steps and timing can vary by locality, so check the property owner requirements on NY DOH and with the Onondaga County Health Department for your specific address.

Deadlines and penalties

On penalties: missing the deadline can bring civil penalties under New York Public Health Law, and because compliance is tied to the certificate of occupancy, it can affect the ability to rent or renew occupancy until hazards are fixed. We do not publish a specific dollar amount, because the exact civil penalty figures are set by statute and the 2026 regulations. Confirm current amounts with New York State or the Onondaga County Health Department.

The exemption that ends the cycle

The state rules exempt properties that are certified lead-free or fully abated, along with the unit an owner or their family occupies. A lead-free exemption is the one path that takes a covered property out of the recurring three-year cycle, and it is earned differently from a Lead-Safe Certificate: it requires a surface-by-surface inspection using a lead paint analyzer, not the visual check and dust wipes the standard registry inspection involves. If your building has been substantially renovated, that inspection may be worth pricing once instead of paying for the cycle indefinitely. Our guide to the lead-free exemption explains how it works and who can perform the inspection.

Federal rules that still apply

The state registry sits on top of long-standing federal rules:

• Lead disclosure (Section 1018). Before leasing most pre-1978 housing, you must disclose known lead-based paint and hazards, provide records, give tenants the EPA Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home pamphlet, and include a lead warning statement in the lease.
• RRP rule. Renovation, repair, or painting on a pre-1978 unit that disturbs paint above the EPA size thresholds must be done by an EPA-certified firm. See the EPA RRP Rule and our lead-safe renovation page.
• Reactive state trigger. When a young child has a confirmed elevated blood lead level, the health department can inspect and require correction of hazards, regardless of the registry.

What to do next

Confirm whether your property is covered, then line up an inspection. A licensed, EPA-certified contractor handles registry inspections and lead-safe repairs. Nothing on this page is legal advice, and using this site does not guarantee compliance: the obligation rests with you as the owner, and the contractor performs the work. Start on our rental property lead compliance page, and for public-health questions, contact the Onondaga County Health Department lead program.