§ 8.01-226.7.Owner and agent compliance with residential lead-based paint notification; maintenance immunity.

Chapter 3. Actions · Article 21. Miscellaneous Provisions · Last amended 2007 · Last verified July 16, 2026

In one sentenceSection 8.01-226.7 shields an owner or agent of a residential dwelling from personal-injury or wrongful-death liability for lead poisoning if they complied with the federal Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act’s disclosure requirements and, where they had maintenance responsibility, kept painted surfaces up to the applicable property-maintenance code.

Full Text of § 8.01-226.7

Text sizeJump to: (A) (B) (C) (D)

A. As used in this section, the following definitions apply:

"Agent" means any party who enters into a contract with a seller or lessor, including any party who enters into a contract with a representative of the seller or lessor, for the purpose of selling or leasing a residential dwelling. This term includes all persons licensed under Chapter 21 (§ 54.1-2100 et seq.) of Title 54.1. This term does not apply to purchasers or any purchaser's representative who receives compensation from the purchaser.

"Lead-based paint" means paint or other surface coatings that contain lead equal to or in excess of 1.0 milligram per square centimeter or 0.5 percent by weight.

"Lead-based paint hazard" means any condition that causes exposure to lead from lead-contaminated dust, lead-contaminated soil, or lead-contaminated paint that is deteriorated or present in accessible surfaces, friction surfaces, or impact surfaces that would result in adverse human health effects as established by the appropriate federal or state agency.

"Lead-based paint maintenance" means ensuring that the painted surfaces are maintained in accordance with the provisions of the International Property Maintenance Code adopted as part of the Uniform Statewide Building Code.

"Residential dwelling" means a structure or part of a structure that is used as a home or residence by one or more persons who maintain a household, whether single family or multifamily.

B. Any agent who has complied with the requirements of the United States Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. § 4851 et seq.) shall not be liable for civil damages in any personal injury or wrongful death action for lead poisoning arising from the condition of a residential dwelling, provided that before the purchaser signs any contract to purchase the residential dwelling or the tenant signs any lease for an initial term to rent the residential dwelling:

1. An EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet was provided to the purchaser or lessee;

2. The agent disclosed to the lessee the presence of any known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards and any additional information or reports about which the agent had actual knowledge concerning the known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards;

3. The purchaser or tenant signed a written statement acknowledging the disclosure and receipt of the literature;

4. If the agent is a public housing authority, it has complied with all applicable federal laws and regulations. Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to require compliance with the federal laws and regulations that are applicable to federal housing authorities by owners or agents who are not a public housing authority; and

5. The disclosure requirements in subsection B shall continue during the term of the tenancy for any new information in the possession of the agent or about which the agent has actual knowledge concerning the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. The agent shall make a written disclosure of any new information and provide the tenant with a copy of a summary thereof, advising the tenant that the full package of information and any report is available for inspection and copying if requested by the tenant.

However, if the agent is responsible for lead-based paint maintenance on the residential dwelling, the agent shall not be entitled to immunity unless the agent has also met the requirements of subsection C of this section. For purposes of subsection B, an agent is responsible for lead-based paint maintenance if the agent is a party to a written agreement that requires the agent to be responsible for the maintenance of the painted surfaces in accordance with the International Property Maintenance Code adopted as part of the Uniform Statewide Building Code.

C. An owner of a residential dwelling, or agent responsible for the lead-based paint maintenance of a residential dwelling, who has complied with the requirements of the United States Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. § 4851 et seq.) shall not be liable for civil damages in a personal injury or wrongful death action for lead poisoning arising from the condition of the residential dwelling, provided that before the purchaser signs any contract to purchase the residential dwelling, or the tenant signs any lease for an initial term to rent the residential dwelling:

1. An EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet was provided to the purchaser or lessee;

2. The owner or agent responsible for the lead-based paint maintenance of a residential dwelling disclosed to the lessee the presence of any known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards and any additional information or reports about which the owner or such agent had of their own actual knowledge concerning the known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards;

3. The purchaser or tenant signed a written statement acknowledging the disclosure and receipt of the literature;

4. With regards to lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards, the painted surfaces of the residential dwelling were maintained in compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code of the Uniform Statewide Building Code; and

5. The disclosure requirements in subsection C shall continue during the term of the tenancy for any new information in the possession of the owner or about which the owner has actual knowledge concerning the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. Further, the disclosure requirements in subsection C shall continue during the term of the tenancy for any new information in the possession of such agent or about which such agent has actual knowledge concerning the presence of lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. The agent shall make a written disclosure of any new information and provide the tenant with a copy of a summary thereof, advising the tenant that the full package of information and any report is available for inspection and copying if requested by the tenant.

D. An owner or agent claiming immunity under this section may assert such immunity in responsive pleadings and request a hearing, after discovery on issues related to immunity, before the court to determine entitlement to such immunity prior to further proceedings in the case.

End

Plain-English Summary

Federal law requires sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead-based paint hazards before a sale closes or a lease begins. This section builds a Virginia liability shield on top of that federal disclosure framework, but assigns different obligations to different actors. Subsection A defines the key terms — agent, lead-based paint, lead-based paint hazard, lead-based paint maintenance, and residential dwelling — anchoring “lead-based paint maintenance” to Virginia’s International Property Maintenance Code standard.

Subsection B protects an agent — generally, a licensed real estate professional retained by a seller or lessor — who has complied with the federal Act’s requirements: providing the EPA-approved lead hazard pamphlet, disclosing known lead hazards and related information, obtaining the purchaser’s or tenant’s signed acknowledgment, meeting public-housing-authority requirements where applicable, and keeping disclosure obligations current throughout a tenancy as new information comes in. An agent who also carries maintenance responsibility for the property, though, only gets this immunity if the property was maintained consistent with subsection C’s maintenance standard.

Subsection C protects the owner, or an agent responsible for lead-based paint maintenance, on similar disclosure terms, but adds the substantive requirement that the painted surfaces were maintained in compliance with the International Property Maintenance Code. Subsection D gives an owner or agent invoking this immunity a procedural tool: they can raise it in a responsive pleading and ask for a hearing, after discovery limited to the immunity issue, to resolve entitlement to immunity before the rest of the case proceeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does complying with federal lead-paint disclosure rules protect a landlord from a lead-poisoning lawsuit in Virginia?

It can, if the landlord, or an agent with maintenance responsibility, also kept the painted surfaces maintained consistent with the International Property Maintenance Code, and met the disclosure steps in subsection C — the EPA pamphlet, hazard disclosure, signed acknowledgment, and ongoing updates.

What is the difference between the protection for an “agent” and for an “owner”?

An agent without maintenance responsibility only needs to meet the disclosure requirements in subsection B. An agent who does have maintenance responsibility, and an owner, need to meet the disclosure requirements and show the property was maintained under the applicable property-maintenance code standard in subsection C.

What has to be given to a tenant or buyer before immunity applies?

An EPA-approved lead hazard information pamphlet, disclosure of known lead-based paint or hazards and related information, and a signed written acknowledgment of that disclosure and receipt of the literature, all before the lease or purchase contract is signed.

Does the disclosure obligation end once the lease is signed?

No. Both subsections B and C require continuing disclosure of any new information about lead-based paint or hazards that comes to light during the tenancy, with a written summary provided to the tenant.

How does an owner or agent invoke this immunity in a lawsuit?

Subsection D lets them assert it in their responsive pleading and request a hearing, after discovery limited to the immunity question, so the court can decide entitlement to immunity before the case moves forward on the merits.

Amendment History

2000, c. 1071; 2006, c. 855; 2007, c. 255.

Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: lead paint disclosure immunity virginialandlord lead poisoning lawsuit virginiaresidential lead-based paint hazard reduction act virginialead paint maintenance code virginia liability