Lead paint in Buffalo, NY

2 rules apply — the local one first, then the county and state rules that bind alongside it.

Research, not legal advice

These summaries are compiled from ordinance text and public sources and are dated at the point they were last checked. Rules change between checks — Newark replaced its whole registration regime in a single month — so confirm anything you are about to underwrite against the primary source or the municipal office named in the citation.

Buffalo rental inspections include lead hazards

Buffalohigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 1 day ago.

The city's three-year proactive inspection of non-owner-occupied one- and two-unit rentals checks lead hazards; lead hazards can block a Certificate of Occupancy.

A separate state overlay reaches pre-1980 properties with two or more rental units only in specified Erie County community-of-concern ZIP codes. Confirm the address before applying that overlay.

Construction: Built before 1978

Sources

Erie County lead registry is ZIP-code and building-class dependent

Erie Countyhigh confidence

Verified on 2026-08-18 — 1 day ago.

The state proactive lead-rental registry reaches pre-1980 buildings with two or more rental units only in listed Erie County community-of-concern ZIP codes.

Two or more rental units, and only inside the state's listed community-of-concern geography.

This is not Buffalo-only and not county-wide. Confirm the full ZIP/geographic qualifier, including partial-ZIP boundaries, before applying the three-year inspection and certification regime.

Unit counts: 2+ units
Construction: Built before 1980

In effect since 2025-11-03.

Sources

Every rule for Buffalo, NY