| State and local housing, property
maintenance, and building codes contain a wide array of legal
requirements pertaining to housing construction and maintenance.
Below is a provision found in model codes that addresses potential
toxins. The opening file on Housing
and Building Codes features a chart listing code
provisions on several healthy home attributes.
IPMC § 304.3: Interior Surfaces.
All interior surfaces, including doors and windows, must be maintained
in good, clean, and sanitary condition. Peeling, chipping, and flaking
paint must be removed, repaired, or covered. Defective surface conditions
also must be corrected. (Deteriorated paint can pose significant hazards
if the paint is lead-based. Ideally, the code also would require the use
of lead-safe work practices when disturbing painted surfaces in buildings
constructed prior to 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned for residential
use in this country.)
The IPMC applies to existing residential and commercial structures
and premises.
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