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District of Columbia Lead-Based Paint Inspector — Requirements & Free Practice

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Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification

Individual certification to conduct lead-based paint inspections and permitted clearance examinations in the District of Columbia.

Licensing authority: District of Columbia Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE) · Application information

Initial certification by training and examination

All of the following:

Accepted prior exam score
DOEE accepts a passing third-party certification score from an EPA-, DOEE-, or EPA-approved-state-accredited program instead of another sitting. A different jurisdiction’s examination is a condition; the registered EPA Inspector exam remains a leaf for the accepted EPA examination.
Application
Submit a complete application and documentary evidence of relevant education, experience and training (§§ 3306.2 and 3307.2(a)).
Certification term
An inspector certification under § 3307 expires two years from issuance.
Clean hands
The DOEE checklist directs all applicants to obtain an Office of Tax and Revenue Certificate of Clean Hands and submit it with the application.
Exam retake window
The official FAQ permits three retakes within six months of certification training. Failure to pass the discipline and D.C. law exams within six months requires retaking the accredited course.
Experience
Document assisted inspections at twenty different addresses, including units, activities, dates, certified inspectors, detailed assistance and signed dated inspector references (§ 3307.3(b)).
Experience waiver
DOEE may waive the twenty-address experience documentation when alternative prior work experience is sufficiently comparable (§ 3307.3(b)).
Fee
Pay the applicable § 3322 fee; § 3306.3 waives it for an applicant applying as a District agency employee.
Initial training
Complete an accredited initial lead-based paint inspector course through an EPA-, DOEE-, or EPA-approved-state-accredited provider and submit the completion certificate (§ 3307.3(a)).
Refresher training
Complete required refresher training and submit course certificates, as stated in the DOEE checklist.
Recertification after failure to complete timely refresher training
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply for recertification with the appropriate training documentation under § 3306.4.
Clean hands
The DOEE checklist directs all applicants to obtain an Office of Tax and Revenue Certificate of Clean Hands and submit it with the application.
Fee
Pay the applicable recertification or renewal fee; the District agency employee waiver applies.
Prior certification
The applicant was previously certified as an inspector.
Training
When refresher training was not completed before expiration or within ninety days afterward, retake the accredited initial course to become certified again (§ 3306.7).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Reapplication for certification after suspension, revocation or denial

All of the following:

Accepted prior exam score
DOEE accepts a passing third-party certification score from an EPA-, DOEE-, or EPA-approved-state-accredited program instead of another sitting. A different jurisdiction’s examination is a condition; the registered EPA Inspector exam remains a leaf for the accepted EPA examination.
Application
Submit a complete application and documentary evidence of relevant education, experience and training (§§ 3306.2 and 3307.2(a)).
Certification term
An inspector certification under § 3307 expires two years from issuance.
Clean hands
The DOEE checklist directs all applicants to obtain an Office of Tax and Revenue Certificate of Clean Hands and submit it with the application.
Disciplinary review
Reapplication does not guarantee approval; DOEE retains its authority under D.C. Code § 8-231.14 and 20 DCMR § 3321.
Disciplinary wait
After suspension, revocation or denial, wait ninety days after the effective date before applying for any certification (§ 3321.4).
Exam retake window
The official FAQ permits three retakes within six months of certification training. Failure to pass the discipline and D.C. law exams within six months requires retaking the accredited course.
Experience
Document assisted inspections at twenty different addresses, including units, activities, dates, certified inspectors, detailed assistance and signed dated inspector references (§ 3307.3(b)).
Experience waiver
DOEE may waive the twenty-address experience documentation when alternative prior work experience is sufficiently comparable (§ 3307.3(b)).
Fee
Pay the applicable § 3322 fee; § 3306.3 waives it for an applicant applying as a District agency employee.
Initial training
Complete an accredited initial lead-based paint inspector course through an EPA-, DOEE-, or EPA-approved-state-accredited provider and submit the completion certificate (§ 3307.3(a)).
Refresher training
Complete required refresher training and submit course certificates, as stated in the DOEE checklist.
Certification by reciprocity based on EPA or EPA approved program certification

All of the following:

Business license
Hold a valid District business license if required (§ 3308.2(b)).
Certification term
Certification expires with the underlying certification, no more than two years from District issuance (§ 3308.3).
Clean hands
The DOEE checklist directs all applicants to obtain an Office of Tax and Revenue Certificate of Clean Hands and submit it with the application.
District examination
Pass the DOEE examination of District-specific legal requirements (§ 3308.2(a)).
Existing certification
Submit current valid inspector certification issued by EPA or an EPA-approved state program and a completed DOEE application (§ 3308.1).
Fee
Pay the applicable certification fee plus $50 to verify the existing certification (§ 3308.2(c)).
Prior examination
D.C. Code § 8-231.10(b) requires proof of a passed discipline examination. The official FAQ accepts current EPA or EPA-approved state-program certification and certification exam scores subject to verification. The registered EPA Inspector exam remains a leaf for an accepted EPA score; another state program’s own examination and existing credential are conditions.
Certification renewal
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application deadline
Submit renewal materials and fee at least five business days before expiration (§ 3306.5).
Clean hands
The DOEE checklist directs all applicants to obtain an Office of Tax and Revenue Certificate of Clean Hands and submit it with the application.
Existing certification
Seek renewal of an existing inspector certification.
Fee
Pay the § 3322 renewal fee unless applying as a District agency employee.
Renewal checklist
The official checklist limits renewal to its bolded training, course documentation and fee items; its national and D.C. law exam items are not bolded.
Training
Complete the appropriate accredited refresher course, or initial course as applicable, and submit training documentation (§ 3306.4).

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

District of Columbia (D.C.) law exam

Examination outline
  • D.C. Official Code, Title 8, Chapter 2A, Subchapter I. Lead-Hazard Prevention and Elimination.
  • 20 DCMR Chapter 33. Regulation of Lead-Based Paint Activities.
Examination sources

EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam

Provider
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); scheduled online or by phone through Meazure Learning
Format
Discipline-specific third-party certification exam, taken online or in person after EPA issues an exam letter; no more than three attempts within 6 months of receiving the course completion certificate
Exam fee
$70 for each attempt (EPA certification examination fee)
Examination outline
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — Initial Request for Inspection
    • Defining the scope of work
    • Roles and responsibilities of an Inspector
    • Difference between inspection and risk assessment
    • Difference between XRF and paint chip sampling
    • Importance of State and local requirements
    • HUD and EPA notification and disclosure regulations
    • Health effects of lead in adults and children
    • Routes of lead exposure
    • Places where lead can be found inside and outside the home
    • EPA recommended steps for reducing lead in drinking water
    • Scope and goals of HUD and EPA lead regulations and guidelines
    • Responsibilities of Public and Indian Housing Authorities
    • Information about property needed to provide proposal for inspection
    • Information about property needed to determine number of units to inspect
    • Basic building and construction technology
    • Liability issues involved in lead inspections
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — Preparation for Inspection
    • Inspection scheduling
    • Licensing and transportation of XRF
    • How an XRF analyzer works
    • Inspector and occupant safety during XRF use
    • XRF calibration checks
    • Equipment and forms needed for sampling
    • OSHA regulations applicable to lead and respiratory protection
    • Types of dosimeters
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — Pre-inspection Meeting
    • Lead uses
    • How to determine common construction history
    • Calculation of number of units to inspect using HUD tables
    • Random selection of units using HUD protocols
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — The Inspection
    • Inventory of painted surfaces
    • Testing locations in single family and multi-family dwellings
    • Number of tests per testing combination and component type
    • Field documentation: sample location, sketches, and HUD forms
    • How to take XRF readings
    • Performance characteristic sheets (PCS)
    • XRF substrate corrections
    • Interpretation of XRF readings
    • Why POS, NEG and INCONCLUSIVE ranges vary among XRF analyzers
    • Data collection from XRF testing
    • HUD decision guidelines for paint chip sampling
    • Collection of paint chip samples (ppm and mg/cm2)
    • Laboratory and chain of custody forms
    • Sample labeling
    • Methods for analysis of lead
    • Interpretation of lab results
    • Use of chemical spot-test kits
    • Soil sampling methods
    • Dust sampling methods
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — Inspection Report
    • How to summarize inspection results
    • Contents of inspection report
    • Recommendations an Inspector can make
    • Inspection record retention requirements
  • Lead-based Paint Inspector Study Topics — Clearance Testing
    • The final visual inspection of hazard control activities
    • Why pre-abatement wipe and soil samples are collected
    • Why dust samples are collected for clearance
    • The number and location of clearance wipe samples
    • How to perform clearance wipe sampling
    • Calculation of wipe sample results (ug/ft2)
    • Wipe sampling clearance standards
    • What happens when a wipe test fails
    • Compositing clearance wipe and soil samples
Examination sources