Lead-Based Paint Hazard Management Program.
§ 130A-453.01. Definitions.
Unless otherwise required by the context, the definitions set out in 40 Code of Federal Regulations § 745.223 (As set out in Vol. 61, No. 169, of the Federal Register, pages 45813 to 45815, 29 August 1996) apply throughout this Article. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.02. Purpose of Article.
(a) This Article is enacted to establish an authorized State program under section 404 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. § 2684), as enacted by Subtitle B, section 1021 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102-550, 106 Stat. 3916), that will apply in this State in lieu of the corresponding federal program administered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. This Article requires a person who performs an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement of a child-occupied facility or target housing to be certified and establishes the procedure and requirements for certification. It also requires a person who conducts an abatement of a child-occupied facility or target housing to obtain a permit for the abatement.
(b) This Article does not require the inspection, risk assessment, or abatement of a child-occupied facility or target housing under any circumstance. G.S. 130A-131.5 and the rules adopted to implement that section authorize the Department to order an abatement to eliminate a lead poisoning hazard. This Article does not expand or otherwise change that authority. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.03. Certification of individuals who perform inspections, risk assessments, or abatements.
(a) Requirement. - An individual shall not perform or offer to perform an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement of target housing or a child-occupied facility unless the individual is certified by the Department to perform the activity. Performance of an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement encompasses a range of activities. To ensure proper performance of all aspects of an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement, the certification requirement imposed on an individual applies to each activity. The categories of individual certification are inspector, risk-assessor, designer, supervisor, worker, and any other category required by federal law. The category of risk-assessor includes the category of inspector. Thus, a person who is certified as a risk-assessor is not required to be certified as an inspector. Otherwise, an individual who performs or offers to perform activities within the scope of more than one category must be certified in each category.
(b) Exemption. - The certification requirement imposed by this section does not apply to an individual who performs an abatement of a residential dwelling the person owns and occupies as a residence, unless the residential dwelling is occupied by a person or persons other than the owner or the owner's immediate family while an abatement is being performed, or a child residing in the dwelling has been identified as having an elevated blood lead level. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.04. Certification and other requirements of firms that perform inspections, risk assessments, or abatements.
A firm or other entity shall not perform or offer to perform an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement of target housing or a child-occupied facility unless the entity is certified by the Department as a firm that is qualified to perform the activity. An entity that performs an inspection, risk assessment, or abatement of target housing or a child-occupied facility shall not use an individual to perform the inspection, risk assessment, or abatement unless the individual is certified by the Department to perform the activity. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.05. Qualifications for certification of individuals and firms.
To be certified under this Article, a person must meet the qualification requirements set by the Commission. Qualification requirements include education, training, experience, the successful completion of an examination, and payment of any applicable fee. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.06. Renewal of certification.
A certification of an individual or a firm issued under this Article expires on the last day of the 12th month after the certification is issued. A certification may be renewed by paying the renewal fee and meeting any standards for renewal, such as refresher training, established by the Commission. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.07. Accreditation of training courses and training providers.
Completion of a training course on inspection, risk assessment, or abatement does not satisfy a training requirement that is a condition for certification under this Article unless both the course provider and the course have been accredited by the Department. The Commission shall establish the procedure and standards for a course provider and a course to be accredited. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.08. Certification and accreditation fee schedule.
(a) The Commission shall establish fees for the items listed in the table below. A fee for an item may not exceed the maximum amount set in the table. The fees for examination and certification apply to each category in which a person is examined for certification or is certified.
Item Maximum Fee
Examination for certification $75
Certification as worker 50
Certification in any category other
than worker 150
Course provider accreditation 150
Initial course accreditation 2,000
Renewal course accreditation 750.
(b) Use. - The fees imposed under this section are departmental receipts and shall be used by the Department to administer this Article.
(c) Exemptions. - The examination and certification fees imposed under this section do not apply to governmental regulatory personnel who perform inspections, risk assessments, or abatements solely for the purpose of determining compliance with applicable statutes or rules. The course provider fees imposed under this section do not apply to the State, a unit of local government, or a nonprofit entity. The course accreditation fees imposed under this section do not apply to a course offered by the State, a unit of local government, or a nonprofit entity. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.09. Abatement permits.
(a) Requirement. - No person shall conduct an abatement of target housing or a child-occupied facility unless the person has obtained a permit for the abatement from the Department. The Commission shall establish the procedure for obtaining a permit.
(b) Permit Fee. - An applicant for an abatement permit must pay an application fee to the Department. The fee is two percent (2%) of the contracted price for the corrective action to be performed in the abatement, not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00). The fee imposed under this section is a departmental receipt and shall be used by the Department to administer this Article.
(c) Exemption. - An individual who owns a single-family dwelling, conducts an abatement on the dwelling, and will reside in the dwelling after the abatement is completed is not required to obtain a permit to conduct the abatement, unless the dwelling is occupied by a person or persons other than the owner or the owner's immediate family while the abatement is being performed, or a child residing in the building has been identified as having an elevated blood lead level. If a permit is required, an individual who performs an abatement of a residential dwelling that the individual owns and occupies as a residence is not required to pay a fee for the permit. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.10. Standards to ensure elimination of hazards; consumer information.
(a) Standards. - The Commission shall establish standards to ensure that inspections, risk assessments, and abatements performed under this Article result in the elimination of lead-based paint hazards. An inspection, risk assessment, or abatement performed under this Article must be performed in accordance with these standards.
(b) Information. - The Department shall prepare a fact sheet on abatement for distribution to consumers. The sheet shall list the various measures for abatement of a child-occupied facility or target housing and give the relative cost of each measure. A person who is certified under this Article shall give a copy of the sheet to a person for whom the certified person performs an abatement. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.11. Commission to adopt rules.
The Commission shall adopt rules to implement this Article. (1997-523, s. 1.)
§ 130A-453.12: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.13: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.14: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.15: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.16: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.17: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.18: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.19: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.20: Reserved for future codification purposes.
§ 130A-453.21: Reserved for future codification purposes.