Michigan is filled with homes that have character, craftsmanship, and decades of history. From early-20th-century houses in established Detroit neighborhoods to older properties throughout Southeast and Mid-Michigan, buyers may encounter homes constructed long before today’s building materials and practices became standard. One consideration deserves particular attention when buying or maintaining a pre-1978 home: lead-based paint.
Older homes
If you’re purchasing a pre-1978 property, understanding the distinction between a standard home inspection and a specialized lead-based paint inspection is important. They serve different purposes—and one should not be mistaken for the other.
The federal government banned the sale of lead-based paint for consumer use in homes in 1978. That doesn’t mean every house constructed before 1978 contains lead-based paint, but age substantially increases the possibility. EPA estimates cited on its current guidance indicate that some lead-based paint is present in about 87% of homes built before 1940, 69% of homes built from 1940 through 1959, and 24% of homes built from 1960 through 1977.
Lead was historically used in residential paint, and layers of older paint can remain beneath newer coatings decades later. A remodeled or freshly painted house can therefore still have older painted materials underneath its modern finishes.
EPA states that deteriorating lead-based paint can create chips and dust, particularly on friction surfaces such as doors and window sills. Renovation activities that disturb lead-containing painted surfaces can also create hazardous dust.
This is why the construction date of a property matters.
A home built before 1978 should not automatically be considered hazardous, nor should buyers assume lead-based paint is definitely present. Instead, the property’s age is a reason to understand the possibility and determine whether specialized testing is appropriate.
A professional home inspection is a visual, non-invasive evaluation of accessible systems and components. Its purpose is to help a buyer better understand the observable condition of the property.
During an older Michigan home inspection, an inspector may observe painted surfaces as part of evaluating the home. Conditions such as peeling, flaking, cracking, damaged, or deteriorated finishes may be visible.
Those observations can be useful.
For example, deteriorated paint around older windows, doors, trim, exterior components, or other areas may give a buyer a reason to investigate further—especially when the home was constructed before 1978.
A general inspection may also provide context about other conditions affecting painted materials. Moisture intrusion, leaks, deterioration, damaged exterior materials, and deferred maintenance can all affect surfaces throughout a house.
What the home inspection provides is an observation of condition.
What it does not necessarily provide is an identification of the chemical composition of that paint.
That distinction is essential.
Looking at paint—even very old paint—cannot reliably establish whether it contains lead.
A home inspector may be able to tell you that a painted surface is peeling or deteriorated. The inspector may be able to identify the approximate age of certain components or recommend additional evaluation based on observed conditions.
But unless the appropriate specialized lead testing is being performed by a properly qualified professional, the inspection should not be interpreted as confirmation that lead-based paint is either present or absent.
EPA explains that the only way to know for certain whether a building has lead-based paint or lead hazards is through appropriate testing.
This means a house should not be considered “lead-free” simply because:
When definitive information about lead-based paint in a Michigan home is needed, buyers and homeowners should seek the appropriate specialized professional.
The terminology surrounding lead can become confusing because “inspection” can describe very different services.
According to EPA, a certified lead-based paint inspection determines whether lead-based paint is present and identifies where it is located. A lead risk assessment addresses a different question: whether lead hazards from paint, dust, or soil currently exist and what actions may be appropriate to address them.
Neither should be confused with a general home inspection.
Think of the difference this way:
| Service | What it evaluates |
|---|---|
| Home inspection | The observable condition of the house and its accessible components. |
| Lead-based paint inspection | Whether lead-based paint is present, and where. |
| Lead risk assessment | Whether lead hazards exist from sources including paint, dust, or soil. |
Understanding which question you actually need answered can help you choose the appropriate service.
One of the challenges of evaluating an older home is that buildings change.
A house constructed in 1940 may have been painted dozens of times. Original woodwork might remain in one room while another room was completely renovated. Some windows may have been replaced while others are original. An addition may be considerably newer than the primary structure.
That creates layers of history.
A freshly painted wall may look completely different from the surface underneath it. Visual observation alone cannot establish whether older coatings contain lead.
EPA specifically advises that owners of pre-1978 homes who want to determine whether lead-based paint is present can hire a certified lead-based paint inspector or risk assessor. Alternatively, EPA notes that treating pre-1978 painted surfaces as potentially containing lead and taking appropriate precautions is the simplest conservative approach when the status is unknown.
Lead becomes especially important when buyers are planning renovations.
A painted surface that has remained undisturbed for years may behave very differently once someone starts sanding, cutting, drilling, demolishing, or replacing components.
EPA warns that renovation, repair, and painting activities in pre-1978 homes containing lead-based paint can create hazardous lead dust. Its Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule requires contractors performing covered work that disturbs painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes to be appropriately certified and use lead-safe practices, subject to the rule’s provisions and exceptions.
For someone buying a fixer-upper, this is worth considering before closing.
That beautiful original trim you plan to refinish, the old windows you intend to replace, or the wall you want removed may involve more planning than the cosmetic project initially suggests.
A standard home inspection report is not a substitute for the lead-related determinations required for renovation work.
If you’re planning work that will disturb painted materials in a pre-1978 house, discuss the project with appropriately qualified lead-safe professionals before work begins.
EPA recommends that homeowners planning renovation, repair, or painting projects in pre-1978 homes hire contractors certified and trained in lead-safe work practices.
While visual observations cannot determine whether paint contains lead, the condition of painted surfaces still matters.
EPA notes that older or worn lead-based paint can produce chips and dust, particularly on surfaces exposed to repeated friction.
For homeowners, that makes routine property maintenance valuable regardless of whether lead has been confirmed.
Pay attention to painted windows and sills, doors and frames, stairs and railings, trim, porches, and other surfaces that experience frequent contact or weather exposure. New peeling, cracking, chipping, or deterioration deserves attention rather than simply being ignored.
If lead status is unknown in a pre-1978 property, avoid assuming that aggressively sanding away old paint is the appropriate first step. Disturbing the material can change the exposure conditions and may require lead-safe procedures.
Lead-based paint is only one consideration when purchasing an older Michigan house.
An older property’s electrical system, plumbing, roof, foundation, drainage, heating and cooling equipment, attic, insulation, basement, sewer lateral, and other components may each have their own histories.
Some may be original. Others may have been replaced recently. Still others may represent multiple generations of renovations.
That’s why buyers should think about the property as a whole.
A professional Home Buyer Inspection can establish a broader understanding of visible and accessible conditions. Depending on the property, buyers may also consider additional services such as Sewer-Scope Inspections, WDO Inspections, Mold Inspections and Testing, and Radon Gas Testing.
When a specific concern falls outside the scope of a general inspection—such as determining whether paint contains lead—the appropriate specialist can provide the additional evaluation needed.
An older home does not have to be avoided simply because it was built before 1978. Age is information, and information helps buyers ask better questions.
Find out when the home was constructed. Review available seller disclosures and property records. Ask about major renovations and replacement components. Pay attention to deteriorated painted surfaces during your inspection. If knowing whether lead-based paint is present matters to your purchase or renovation plans, arrange for the appropriate specialized evaluation.
Most importantly, understand what each inspection can—and cannot—answer.
A standard home inspection can tell you a great deal about the observable condition of an older property. It can identify conditions that deserve attention and help you become better acquainted with the home before closing.
It cannot turn visual observation into laboratory or specialized lead testing.
For Michigan buyers, recognizing that boundary is not a limitation to work around. It is part of building a smarter inspection strategy.
Older houses can offer distinctive architecture, established neighborhoods, mature landscaping, and decades of history. They can also contain materials and systems that deserve additional consideration.
When purchasing a pre-1978 home, start by understanding its overall condition through a professional inspection. Then use the property’s age, observed conditions, available documentation, and your renovation plans to determine whether specialized lead evaluation or other additional services are appropriate.
Trademark Inspection Services provides Home Buyer Inspections, Home Seller Inspections, Home Maintenance Inspections, Commercial Inspections, Sewer-Scope Inspections, WDO Inspections, Mold Inspections and Testing, and Radon Gas Testing throughout Southeast and Mid-Michigan.
No. A standard home inspection is visual and non-invasive. It can note paint that is peeling, chipping or deteriorated, but it cannot determine whether that paint contains lead. That takes a lead-based paint inspection or a lead risk assessment by a certified professional.
Under federal law, sellers of most housing built before 1978 must disclose any known lead-based paint or lead hazards, share any records or reports they have, give the buyer the EPA pamphlet Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home, and include a lead warning statement in the contract. Buyers must also be offered 10 days to arrange a lead inspection or risk assessment, which the two sides can change or waive in writing. A disclosure covers what the seller knows. It does not mean the house has been tested.
A certified lead inspector or lead risk assessor. In Michigan these professionals are certified through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which lists certified inspectors and risk assessors on its MiLeadSafe website. Some hold both certifications.
Not as a first step. Sanding, scraping or cutting painted surfaces in a pre-1978 home can create hazardous lead dust if the paint contains lead. Until testing says otherwise, EPA advises treating that paint as if it does and taking lead-safe precautions, and it recommends contractors certified in lead-safe work practices for renovation, repair and painting.
A good inspection does not claim to answer questions outside its scope. It helps you understand what was observed, what deserves attention, and when the right next step is to bring in a specialist.
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