All New Yorkers deserve a home that is safe and healthy. With Election Day fast approaching, we need a mayor who will vigorously enforce the laws that protect us from lead exposure—even when that stance is unpopular with landlords and real estate interests.
Seventy-six percent of all NYC buildings were constructed before 1960, the year lead paint was banned. By law, any building built before 1960 in NYC is presumed to contain lead paint. Lead paint hazards are the leading source of lead exposure and poisoning, harming both children and adults. In 2023 alone, more than 5,000 children under the age of six were poisoned by lead. Every case of lead poisoning is a preventable tragedy.
Use the map below to start researching your building. But don’t stop there: further steps are needed to confirm the presence of lead paint.
Note: this map uses “Year Built” data provided by the Department of City Planning (DCP), which is the best available public data on building age. You must take additional steps to verify your lead paint risks. Cooper Square Committee is not liable for any deficiencies in the completeness, accuracy, content, or fitness of NYC Department of City Planning’s MapPLUTO.
My building might have lead paint—now what?
Lead-based paint hazards and lead-contaminated dust in older buildings are common sources of lead poisoning in children, with life-long health implications for all age groups.
Building age can help assess the risk of lead in your home, but it is not the only factor. The only way to know for certain if lead paint is present is to have your building tested. We’ve started compiling a list of resources to help tenants here.
Under Local Law 31 of 2020, which took effect on August 9, 2025, all NYC landlords are required to test their buildings for lead paint. To find out if your building has lead paint and where it is located, ask your landlord for a copy of the inspection report. If they have not conducted the test or refuse to provide the report, contact 311 to file a complaint.
Protecting tenants from lead exposure is possible. It requires testing, proactive abatement of friction surfaces, consistent paint maintenance, and adherence to lead-safe work practices during construction.
Look out for:
Uncontained construction dust
Chipping, peeling, or damaged paint
Unsafe work conditions, such as torn dust barriers
How do I get involved in the fight for Lead Dust Free NYC?
New Yorkers all across the city are susceptible to lead contamination through their homes — and many are fighting back against neglectful landlords. All of these tenants, and many more, have had their buildings contaminated during construction work which produced unchecked lead-laden dust:
Cooper Square Committee led the Stand for Tenant Safety (STS) coalition which organized to pass 12 bills to put an end to construction as harassment. As an extension of this successful campaign, Lead Dust Free NYC (LDF NYC) is organizing to bolster enforcement and better protect tenants from the effects of lead exposure in housing.
Whether you want to join our next rally or need support to stop unsafe construction in your building, we want to hear from you. Click below to stand with us in the fight to end lead poisoning in NYC!
Project Collaborators
This project was designed and developed by BetaNYC’s Civic Innovation Lab in collaboration with the Cooper Square Committee, through a BetaNYC service called Research and Data Assistance Request (RADAR). BetaNYC is a civic organization dedicated to improving lives in New York through civic design, technology, and data. With an aim to improve access to public interest technology, the Civic Innovation Lab at BetaNYC provides assistance with research, data analysis, and data visualization. Follow this link to learn more about RADARs and how to submit a request!