Lowe’s to Pay $12.5M for Lead Paint Violations During Home Renovations

Lowe’s must pay $12.5 million over renovation work performed by its contractors at hundreds of homes across the country.

The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed nationwide settlement with Lowe’s Home Centers LLC to resolve alleged violations of the EPA’s Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.

The violations stem from renovation work performed by Lowe’s contractors at hundreds of homes across the country, primarily between 2019 and 2021. As part of the settlement, Lowe’s must pay a $12.5 million penalty and improve its compliance program for renovations in homes that may contain lead-based paint.

The settlement agreement requires Lowe’s to implement a corporate-wide program to ensure the firms and installers it hires to perform work are qualified to use lead-safe work practices.

The EPA reportedly found that Lowe’s failed to implement the compliance terms of a 2014 settlement with the EPA, resulting in the alleged violations of the RRP rule. The EPA discovered some of the alleged violations after investigating problems disclosed by Lowe’s in periodic compliance reports required under the terms of a 2014 consent decree. The agency reportedly found additional alleged violations after responding to a tip from a member of the public concerning renovations by a firm hired by Lowe’s to do work in California.

Residential lead-based paint use was banned in 1978 but remains in many older homes and apartments across the country. Lead dust hazards can occur when lead paint deteriorates or is disrupted during home renovation and remodeling activities.