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South Carolina Lead-Based Paint Inspector — Requirements & Free Practice

US-SC · License preparation

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EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification (South Carolina)

Individual inspector discipline of the EPA-administered program in South Carolina. EPA is the certification authority; South Carolina is the jurisdiction of practice. The state childhood-lead statute separately authorizes departmental hazard investigations. Risk assessor is a separate discipline rather than a form of inspector certification.

Licensing authority: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · Application information

Certification based on a valid EPA authorized program certificate
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit an electronic EPA application with a PDF of the valid certificate, passport photograph, and applicable fee.
Existing certificate
Hold a valid inspector-discipline lead-based paint activities certificate or equivalent from an EPA-authorized state or tribal program. This route designates and researches no other jurisdiction.
Firm certification
EPA separately requires the firm, including a sole proprietorship, that performs or offers evaluation activities to be certified. This business authorization is not an individual inspector licence type.
Practice scope
Inspector certification applies to lead-based paint activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under 40 CFR 745.220(b), the owner working in their own residential dwelling is exempt unless others outside the immediate family occupy it during the activity or a resident child has an elevated blood-lead level.
Waiver
EPA expressly requires neither its accredited initial training nor its third-party examination for this certificate-based issuance route.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

  • epa-sc-administration

    Question 23002-37009, EPA-administered jurisdictions and applications

  • cfr-745-226-evaluation

    40 CFR 745.226(a)(1)-(3), certification pathways

  • epa-individual

    Requirements for Certification if Already Certified by an EPA-Authorized Program

  • epa-firm

    Abatement Rule Requires Firm Certification, separate firm requirement

Initial certification reapplication after expiration
EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam
Application
Submit the initial application materials electronically and pay the applicable fee; the initial examination and course timing and attempt limits apply.
Firm certification
EPA separately requires the firm, including a sole proprietorship, that performs or offers evaluation activities to be certified. This business authorization is not an individual inspector licence type.
Practice scope
Inspector certification applies to lead-based paint activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under 40 CFR 745.220(b), the owner working in their own residential dwelling is exempt unless others outside the immediate family occupy it during the activity or a resident child has an elevated blood-lead level.
Prior certificate
Prior inspector certification expired before EPA completed recertification; practice is prohibited after expiration.
Training
EPA requires retaking the appropriate accredited course and reapplying for initial certification, including the inspector third-party exam.
Initial certification by training and examination
EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam
Application
Apply electronically to EPA; provide the course certificate, a passport photograph, any applicable qualification evidence, and the applicable fee.
Application timing
EPA recommends applying within 30 days of course completion to finish the examination and certification before interim authorization expires.
Examination attempts
Pass the inspector certification exam and receive certification within six months after course completion; at most three attempts are allowed in that period. Otherwise retake the accredited course before reapplying.
Firm certification
EPA separately requires the firm, including a sole proprietorship, that performs or offers evaluation activities to be certified. This business authorization is not an individual inspector licence type.
Practice scope
Inspector certification applies to lead-based paint activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under 40 CFR 745.220(b), the owner working in their own residential dwelling is exempt unless others outside the immediate family occupy it during the activity or a resident child has an elevated blood-lead level.
Training
Successfully complete an accredited initial inspector course and obtain a course completion certificate. Inspectors have no additional education or experience requirement. Course assessments are training conditions.
Recertification (every five years)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply electronically with the course completion certificate, passport photograph, and applicable fee; obtain recertification before the current certificate expires.
Cycle
Recertify every five years under 40 CFR 745.226(e)(1), applicable to qualifying training with a proficiency test.
Firm certification
EPA separately requires the firm, including a sole proprietorship, that performs or offers evaluation activities to be certified. This business authorization is not an individual inspector licence type.
Page statement
EPA individual certification instructions state: "You must be recertified every three years." The controlling 40 CFR 745.226(e)(1)(ii) also specifies five years for proficiency-test training; that regulatory condition is retained.
Practice scope
Inspector certification applies to lead-based paint activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under 40 CFR 745.220(b), the owner working in their own residential dwelling is exempt unless others outside the immediate family occupy it during the activity or a resident child has an elevated blood-lead level.
Third party examination
EPA explicitly requires no third-party exam for recertification, including when an initial course substitutes for refresher training.
Training
Complete an appropriate accredited refresher course and submit its valid completion certificate. If no refresher course can be found, EPA permits successful completion of a whole accredited initial course instead. Course assessments are training conditions.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Recertification (every three years)
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Apply electronically with the course completion certificate, passport photograph, and applicable fee; obtain recertification before the current certificate expires.
Cycle
Recertify every three years under 40 CFR 745.226(e)(1), applicable to qualifying training with a course test and hands-on assessment.
Firm certification
EPA separately requires the firm, including a sole proprietorship, that performs or offers evaluation activities to be certified. This business authorization is not an individual inspector licence type.
Page statement
EPA individual certification instructions state: "You must be recertified every three years." The controlling 40 CFR 745.226(e)(1)(ii) also specifies five years for proficiency-test training; that regulatory condition is retained.
Practice scope
Inspector certification applies to lead-based paint activities in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under 40 CFR 745.220(b), the owner working in their own residential dwelling is exempt unless others outside the immediate family occupy it during the activity or a resident child has an elevated blood-lead level.
Third party examination
EPA explicitly requires no third-party exam for recertification, including when an initial course substitutes for refresher training.
Training
Complete an appropriate accredited refresher course and submit its valid completion certificate. If no refresher course can be found, EPA permits successful completion of a whole accredited initial course instead. Course assessments are training conditions.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

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