HUD Housing Notice § 2026-03

                 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
                                        WASHINGTON, DC 20410
 OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PLANNING
   AND DEVELOPMENT
 OFFICE OF LEAD HAZARD CONTROL
   AND HEALTHY HOMES
 OFFICE OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING
   PROGRAMS
 OFFICE OF PUBLIC AND INDIAN
  HOUSING


                                         February 27, 2026

NOTICE CPD 2026-02
NOTICE H 2026-03
NOTICE OLHCHH 2026-01
NOTICE PIH 2026-03

SPECIAL ATTENTION OF: All Regional Administrators; All HUD Regional Offices; All HUD
Field Offices; All CPD Division Directors; All HOME Participating Jurisdictions; All Continuum
of Care Grantees; All Emergency Solutions Grant Grantees; All Housing Opportunities for Persons
with AIDS Grantees; All Multifamily Regional Center/Satellite Office Directors; All Multifamily
Regional Center Directors; All Multifamily Satellite Office Directors; Multifamily Asset
Management Division; All Multifamily Operations Officers; All Multifamily Field Counsel; All
Multifamily Contract Administrators; All Project-Based Rental Assistance Target Housing Property
Owners; All Multifamily Target Housing Project Owners; All Office Directors of Public Housing;
All Regional Public Housing Directors; All Public Housing Agencies; All Housing Choice Voucher
Property Owners; All Project-Based Voucher Property Owners; All Federally Recognized Tribes;
All Tribally Designated Housing Entities, State-recognized Tribes with Indian Housing Block
Grants; All Healthy Homes Enforcement Analysts

Effect: This notice remains in effect until amended, superseded, or rescinded.

Cross References: Section 1012 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
of 1992 (42 U.S.C. §§ 4822; Lead Safe Housing Rule (24 CFR part 35, subparts B – R); Modifying
HUD's Elevated Blood Lead Level Threshold for Children Under Age 6 Who Are Living in Certain
HUD-Assisted Target Housing Covered by the Lead Safe Housing Rule (90 FR 5975); Notice PIH
2017-13

SUBJECT: Implementation of the Reduced Elevated Blood Lead Level Triggering Response
in Certain Assisted Target Housing

Purpose:
This notice provides general guidance on when:
    • Owners of certain assisted target housing (where “target housing” (most housing
        constructed prior to 1978) is defined below), and
    • HUD staff (and their support contractors) managing certain target housing

must undertake response actions when they are notified by a public health department or other
medical health care provider that a child under age 6 residing in such a housing unit has been


                                            www.hud.gov
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identified as having an elevated blood lead level (EBLL) at or above the threshold level of
3.5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (µg/dL).

Required Actions:
Specifically, covered owners and HUD staff, as discussed below, must use the EBLL definition
given in the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes’ (OLHCHH’s) Federal Register
notice, Modifying HUD's Elevated Blood Lead Level Threshold for Children Under Age 6 Who
Are Living in Certain HUD-Assisted Target Housing Covered by the Lead Safe Housing Rule
(90 FR 5975, January 17, 2025). That notice changed the EBLL response threshold for assisted
target housing covered by the Lead Safe Housing Rule (24 CFR part 35, subparts B–R) for a child
under age 6 from its previous value of 5 µg/dL to 3.5 µg/dL. That notice set a date of no later than
July 16, 2025, for compliance with the reduced threshold. This Notice reminds covered owners of
this compliance information including the July 16, 2025, compliance deadline. It further advises
owners that the reduced threshold will be enforced starting on June 1, 2026.

The Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH) issued Notice PIH 2017-13 on August 10, 2017,
citing the EBLL threshold then of 5 µg/dL. That notice remains in effect for the Public Housing,
Housing Choice Voucher, and Project-Based Voucher programs, except for the change in the
threshold to 3.5 µg/dL per this notice.

“Target housing” is defined by the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992
(Title X) (42 U.S.C. § 4851b(27)) as any housing constructed prior to 1978, except housing for
the elderly or persons with disabilities or any 0-bedroom dwelling (unless any child who is less
than 6 years of age resides or is expected to reside in such housing).1

Coverage:
Target housing covered by the Lead Safe Housing Rule under the programs below must respond as
follows to the case of a child under age 6 residing in a unit identified as having an EBLL at or above
the reduced, 3.5 µg/dL, threshold:

    •   Target housing covered by project-based assistance, including through project-based rental
        assistance, project-based vouchers, or by the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
        (HOPWA) Program, Continuum of Care Program, Emergency Solutions Grants Program
        project-based rental assistance or sponsor-based rental assistance components:
            o Comply with the EBLL response procedures at 24 CFR 35.730.
            o This is required by section 35.700(b), and by either 35.715(e) for assistance over
                $5,000 per housing unit per year or by section 35.720(c) for assistance up to $5,000
                per housing unit per year.




1
  Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) should note that an approved Designated Housing Plan for
public housing does not serve as documentation of this exception and does not relieve a PHA from
lead-based paint testing or other applicable requirements under the Lead Safe Housing Rule. PHAs
must ensure compliance with that Rule.
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   •   Target housing that is a HUD-owned multifamily property or a multifamily target housing
       property for which HUD is identified as mortgagee-in-possession:
          o Comply with the EBLL response procedures at 24 CFR 35.830.
          o This is required by section 35.800.

   •   Target housing that is public housing:
          o Comply with the EBLL response procedures at 24 CFR 35.1130.
          o This is required by section 35.1100.

   •   Target housing for which the family is receiving tenant-based rental assistance under the
       Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, HOME program, Shelter Plus Care program,
       HOPWA program, or Indian Housing Block Grant program:
          o Comply with the EBLL response procedures at 24 CFR 35.1225.
          o This is required by section 35.1200.

If you have questions on implementing this requirement in your program, please contact your HUD
assistance program representative.

If you have technical questions on the Lead Safe Housing Rule, please contact either your HUD
assistance program representative or the OLHCHH’s Lead Regulations hotline at
LeadRegulations@HUD.gov.