Chester announces Jan. 2027 start for lead-inspection enforcement, outlines $1.35M in remediation funding

Dr. Krista Motley, Chester's health commissioner, told landlords at a public outreach meeting that the city will begin enforcing its Lead Poison Prevention and Lead Hazard Control ordinance (Article 17-16, passed April 2023) in January 2027 and that rental registration will require a lead-free or lead-safe certificate.

Motley said the certificate may come from either a state-certified lead risk assessor or a certified lead-dust sampling technician and that inspections are required every three years.

"No one should ever have any lead in their body," Motley said, stressing that lead is a neurotoxin with irreversible effects on developing brains and that exposure is especially dangerous for children and pregnant people.

Why this matters: Chester has a large stock of pre-1978 housing and long-standing industrial emissions, which Motley said create multiple exposure pathways including paint dust, contaminated soil and legacy plumbing. She linked lead exposure to learning and developmental delays, higher special-education and suspension rates, and elevated infant mortality in the community.

Inspection and options: Under the planned rollout, property owners must produce a lead-safe or lead-free certificate for rental registration. A certified lead risk assessor performs a more extensive evaluation and typically costs several hundred dollars; a lead-dust sampling technician requires shorter training and cheaper sampling (Motley cited technician fees in the range of $125'$250 and risk-assessor work that can cost several hundred to $700 or more).

Remediation funding: Motley said the city has budgeted roughly $1.35 million in philanthropic grants to support renovation and remediation'listing $350,000 from the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative and $1,000,000 from the William Penn Foundation'and that she had budgeted approximately $30,000 per home for remediation of 47 homes. She described a parallel HUD funding pathway: HUD can provide up to $20,000 for eligible households, and the city has set aside funds to cover costs beyond HUD support up to roughly $30,000 per property. For households that do not qualify for HUD assistance, Motley said local grant money may cover remediation up to $30,000.

County and agency details: Laura Warner, director of the Delaware County Health Department, said county grant eligibility requires a child under 6 (or a pregnant resident) and income limits (about 80% of area median as applied through the program formula). Warner said the county can provide free blood lead screening at its clinics for families who cannot obtain testing from their primary care provider. Motley and Warner both noted administrative documentation and income verification are program requirements that can slow enrollment.

Community Action Agency condition: Motley said Community Action Agency'administered HUD funds include a five-year lien on properties, decreasing by 20% each year, a condition applicants should consider.

Water infrastructure and service lines: Jeff, a representative of the Chester Water Authority, described a PennVest funding pathway to replace lead service lines and said the authority has an active inventory effort. He said the authority knows of roughly 150 lead service lines on the utility'owned side and estimated replacement cost at about $15,000 per service line; authority staff said additional customer-side investigation is needed to complete the inventory and support PennVest applications.

Implementation and outreach: Motley invited landlords to join a working team to help design rollout details, qualification rules and allocation of funds, and she offered sign-up via a QR code and contact information. She said enforcement would not begin until January 2027 to give property owners time for inspection and remediation. The health department also announced a public event that includes testing and other services.

Questions and compliance example: Robert, the code enforcement officer and council vice president for the Borough of East Lansdowne, described his borough's ordinance (implemented Jan. 1, 2023) and reported high compliance rates after proactive outreach: he said 92% of rentals, 95% of houses for sale and 100% of day cares were compliant in that borough after two years.

Work practices: Motley reminded contractors and landlords that remodeling must follow EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) requirements to avoid creating lead dust and endangering workers and occupants.

No formal vote was taken at the meeting. Staff and county representatives said program rules and funding terms determine eligibility and that details will be set by the implementation team and program administrators.

What's next: The city plans to tie certificate verification to rental registration beginning January 2027, continue outreach and signups for the implementation team, and coordinate with county and utility partners on testing, funding and service-line replacement.