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

US-SD · License preparation

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Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification

EPA individual inspector certification applicable in South Dakota for regulated inspections and post-abatement dust-lead testing. EPA is the certifying authority for this jurisdiction.

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

Certification by existing EPA authorized program credentials
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit a recent passport photograph and payment of the applicable fee through EPA's electronic application.
Exam Waiver
EPA Individual Certification instructions explicitly waive the EPA-accredited initial course and third-party examination for this pathway.
Existing Certification
Hold a currently valid inspector certification or equivalent from an EPA-authorized state or tribal program, and submit a PDF copy with the electronic EPA application. The other jurisdiction's credential is an applicant condition; its examinations are not examined or referenced here.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Initial certification after expiration or incomplete recertification
EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam
Application
Submit an electronic EPA application through CDX with the course completion certificate, a recent passport photograph, and payment of the appropriate certification fee.
Completion Deadline
Pass the inspector certification examination and receive certification within six months after the course completion certificate; no more than three examination attempts are permitted during that period.
Credential Term
40 CFR 745.226(e)(1) requires recertification every three years following a course test and hands-on assessment, or every five years following a proficiency test. EPA Individual Certification instructions state: "You must be recertified every three years. Your EPA certificate will indicate when your certification expires." The regulation controls; the applicant should also see EPA's stated implementation.
Education And Experience
40 CFR 745.226(b)(1)(iii)(A) imposes no additional education or experience requirement on inspectors.
Expired Certification
If recertification is not completed before expiration, stop regulated lead-based paint activities, repeat the appropriate accredited initial course and reapply for initial certification, including the inspector third-party examination.
Late Completion
40 CFR 745.226(b)(7) requires repeating the accredited course before reapplying if certification is not received within six months.
Training
Successfully complete an accredited inspector training course and obtain its course completion certificate; training-provider course tests and hands-on assessments are training conditions.
Initial certification by training and examination
EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam
Application
Submit an electronic EPA application through CDX with the course completion certificate, a recent passport photograph, and payment of the appropriate certification fee.
Completion Deadline
Pass the inspector certification examination and receive certification within six months after the course completion certificate; no more than three examination attempts are permitted during that period.
Credential Term
40 CFR 745.226(e)(1) requires recertification every three years following a course test and hands-on assessment, or every five years following a proficiency test. EPA Individual Certification instructions state: "You must be recertified every three years. Your EPA certificate will indicate when your certification expires." The regulation controls; the applicant should also see EPA's stated implementation.
Education And Experience
40 CFR 745.226(b)(1)(iii)(A) imposes no additional education or experience requirement on inspectors.
Late Completion
40 CFR 745.226(b)(7) requires repeating the accredited course before reapplying if certification is not received within six months.
Training
Successfully complete an accredited inspector training course and obtain its course completion certificate; training-provider course tests and hands-on assessments are training conditions.
Timely individual recertification
No examination is required for this applicant pathway.
Application
Submit the refresher course completion certificate, recent passport photograph and applicable fee electronically.
Current Certification
Complete refresher training, submit the application and receive recertification before the current inspector certification expires; EPA recommends applying at least 90 days beforehand.
Recertification Period
The regulatory period is three years for training with a course test and hands-on assessment, or five years for training with a proficiency test, under 40 CFR 745.226(e)(1). EPA Individual Recertification instructions state: "When your application for recertification is approved, EPA will issue you a certificate that begins on your current expiration date and expires three years from that date." The regulation controls; the implementation statement is retained for the applicant.
Training
Successfully complete the appropriate accredited inspector refresher course; an accredited initial inspector course may substitute if a refresher course is unavailable. Training assessments are applicant conditions.

Official no-examination sources

Effective from 2026-09-22.

Interim Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification

The accredited inspector course completion certificate serves as interim certification pending the EPA certification examination, with a six-month maximum term.

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

Interim certification through an accredited inspector course
EPA Lead-Based Paint Inspector Certification Exam
Examination Treatment
The currently offered EPA inspector examination is retained because this pathway involves it after issuance; interim authorization does not waive completion of the examination.
Immediate Practice
The course completion certificate permits work immediately as interim certification pending the next available examination opportunity.
Time Limit
Interim certification expires six months after issuance. Complete the EPA certification application and inspector examination within that period to receive ordinary certification; the examination occurs after interim authorization.
Training
Successfully complete the EPA-accredited initial inspector course and receive its course completion certificate.

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