Lead Certification Michigan: Requirements, Exam, and Renewal

To work legally on lead-based paint in Michigan, you need a lead certification from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) under Part 54a of the Public Health Code, the Lead Abatement Act.¹ The path is the same for every discipline: finish an accredited training course, apply to MDHHS with proof of your qualifications and fees, and pass the state exam. Certifications last three years, and renewal requires a refresher course plus re-testing.

One thing to sort out before you spend any money: Michigan’s state certification covers abatement work, meaning projects designed to permanently eliminate lead hazards. Ordinary renovation that happens to disturb lead paint falls under EPA’s separate Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) program, which Michigan does not administer.² If you’re not sure which track fits your work, read the RRP section below before applying for anything.

Which Michigan Lead Certification You Need

MDHHS splits individual certifications into two families: abatement (the people who do the removal work) and investigation (the people who find and evaluate lead hazards).³

Abatement Disciplines

Abatement Worker. Performs the hands-on removal and containment. No prior experience required, so this is the usual entry point.
Abatement Supervisor. Runs projects on-site. You need either one year as a certified abatement worker or two years of construction-related experience.⁴
Project Designer. The most demanding credential. You must already be a certified supervisor, complete an accredited project designer course, and have either four years in building construction and design, or a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field plus one year of experience.⁴
Lead Abatement Firm. Any company doing abatement in Michigan needs firm certification and must employ at least one certified supervisor.³

Investigation Disciplines

Lead Inspector. Identifies lead-based paint and assesses painted surfaces. Prerequisites scale to your education: bachelor’s plus one year of related experience, associate’s plus two, or high school diploma plus three.
Lead Risk Assessor. Evaluates actual health risk through environmental sampling and interpretation. You must first be a certified lead inspector, then meet one of these: bachelor’s plus one year, associate’s plus two, high school plus three, or certification in a related field like industrial hygiene or professional engineering.⁵
Elevated Blood Lead (EBL) Investigator. Traces the source of lead exposure for children and others with elevated blood lead levels. Requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, or a related field, or two years of experience in construction or environmental remediation.

“Related experience” is broader than the phrase sounds. MDHHS accepts trades like carpentry, plumbing, painting, drywall, and mold remediation, along with credentials in asbestos inspection, building inspection, and similar environmental work.⁵

How To Get Certified

Step 1: Accredited Training

Every discipline has a defined training package that must be completed through an MDHHS-accredited provider. Abatement supervisors, for example, take three separate courses: a core lead basics course, the worker training course, and the supervisor course.⁴ Worker training is shorter and focuses on lead-safe practices, personal protective equipment, and waste handling. Initial course prices run roughly $250 to $350 depending on the provider and discipline.

Step 2: Application

Apply through the MDHHS Lead Professional Portal online, or submit a paper application by mail.³ Your application has to document that you meet the training, education, and experience requirements for the discipline you’re seeking.¹ Include training completion certificates and the required fees.

Step 3: State Exam

After MDHHS accepts your application, you sit for a state-administered exam on lead safety practices and the regulations that apply to your discipline. For supervisors, the administrative code specifies a third-party examination.⁴ Pass the exam and meet all other requirements, and MDHHS issues your certificate.

Fees

The Lead Abatement Act sets these statutory annual certification fees:⁶

Inspector: $150/year
Risk Assessor: $150/year
Project Designer: $150/year
Supervisor: $50/year
Clearance Technician: $50/year
Abatement Worker: $25/year

Every applicant also pays a $25 initial application processing fee. Firm certification runs a $100 processing fee plus $220 per year.⁶

What you actually pay at application is higher. MDHHS bundles the application fee, certification fee, and exam cost together and pro-rates by the month you apply. The current MDHHS schedule lists inspector certification at $250 if submitted March through August, or $175 September through February. A combined inspector/risk assessor application is $475 or $325 on the same seasonal split. All fees are non-refundable, and the statute lets MDHHS adjust them annually, so check the current schedule on the MDHHS Lead Safe site before you send anything in.⁷

Renewal Every Three Years

Michigan lead certifications expire three years from issuance. Renewal has to happen before the expiration date and requires a state-approved refresher course covering updates to lead safety protocols and rules, followed by re-passing the state exam.⁸⁵

If your certification lapses, you cannot legally perform lead-related work until you take the refresher, re-pass the exam, and submit a renewal application with fees. Long lapses can force you back to the full initial training program instead of the refresher, so watching your expiration date is part of the job.

Abatement vs. RRP: When You Also Need EPA Certification

This is the confusion that costs firms the most money. Michigan runs its own EPA-authorized abatement program, but it does not run the RRP program, so RRP certification in Michigan comes directly from EPA.²

Abatement projects are designed to permanently eliminate lead hazards, often ordered by a government agency after a child is lead-poisoned, sometimes undertaken voluntarily. They require Michigan-certified workers, supervisors, and firms, and occupants have to be removed from the property during the work.⁹

RRP projects are renovations that happen to disturb lead paint in pre-1978 housing, child care facilities, and preschools. They are not designed to fix a lead hazard.¹⁰ RRP requires firm certification and a certified renovator on each job, occupants can stay in the building (though not in the work area), and the firm must distribute EPA’s lead safety pamphlet before work starts.⁹

Michigan RRP firm certification is applied for through EPA’s online portal.¹¹ A Michigan abatement certification does not cover RRP work, and RRP certification does not cover abatement. Firms doing both need both.

OSHA Medical Surveillance for Employers

Federal workplace rules add an obligation that lives outside the certification system. Under OSHA’s lead standard, any employer whose workers are exposed to airborne lead above the action level of 30 micrograms per cubic meter (averaged over an eight-hour shift) for more than 30 days a year has to run a biological monitoring and medical surveillance program.¹² This applies whether or not your workers hold Michigan lead certifications. Abatement crews routinely cross the threshold, so build the cost into your budget from the start.

If MDHHS Denies, Suspends, or Revokes Your Certification

You can contest an adverse MDHHS decision. The Michigan Administrative Procedures Act provides the hearing framework: you request a formal hearing in writing, and you get to present evidence and arguments challenging the department’s findings.¹³ MDHHS has a specific hearing request form for Lead Abatement Act disputes, and the request must be signed by you or an authorized representative.

A successful appeal can bring your certification back or reduce the sanction. Deadlines for requesting a hearing are strict, so if you receive a notice of adverse action, respond quickly. Operating without certification exposes you to state fines and the loss of the ability to work in the field; firms that employ uncertified individuals put their own firm certification at risk as well.

1
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 333.5468 – Certification to Engage in Lead-Based Paint Activities
2
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lead-Based Paint Abatement and Evaluation Program Overview
3
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Lead Workforce
4
Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute. Michigan Administrative Code R 325.99302 – Lead Professional Certification Requirements
5
State of Michigan. Lead Risk Assessor Certification
6
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Code 333.5471 – Fees
7
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Resources for Lead Professionals and Firms
8
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Public Health Code Part 54a – Lead Abatement
9
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lead Abatement Versus Lead RRP
10
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program
11
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Apply For or Update Your Renovation Firm’s Lead-Safe Certification
12
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1910.1025 App C – Medical Surveillance Guidelines
13
Michigan Legislature. Michigan Administrative Procedures Act of 1969