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…