Short answer: we charge $125 to $150 per unit with the lab included. What any quote really costs comes down to three things: what type of test your municipality requires, how the inspector handles lab fees, and whether the price is per unit or per building. Here is how each one works.
NJ's lead-safe law gives each municipality one of two testing standards. A visual assessment means a certified inspector walks the unit checking every painted surface for deterioration: chipping, peeling, chalking, friction damage on windows and doors. No samples, no lab. It's faster, so it should be cheaper.
A dust wipe test is the stricter standard. The inspector physically wipes floors, windowsills, and window troughs with collection media, and every sample goes to an accredited lab for analysis. More time on site, plus a per-sample lab charge. This is where quotes differ most, because some inspectors bill lab fees separately, sample by sample. Ask whether the lab is included in the quote. If the answer is vague, the invoice will not be.
Our pricing is the same either way: $125 to $150 per unit, lab included. Not knowing which standard your town uses is normal, by the way. We look it up for you when you book.
A 12-unit building is not 12 separate house calls. The drive time, the setup, the paperwork overhead all happen once. So per-unit pricing should drop as unit count rises. If an inspector quotes you the same single-family rate multiplied by 12, they're charging you for efficiency they get to keep.
For portfolios it matters even more. If you run 40, 100, or 500 units across South Jersey on a rolling three-year certification cycle, ask for portfolio pricing up front instead of calling for one-off quotes every time a tenant turns over. That's worth asking from whoever you hire.
Demand jumped when P.L. 2021, c. 182 made these inspections mandatory for pre-1978 rentals, with the first round due by July 22, 2024. Whatever you pay, the lead-safe certificate is the same state form with the same legal standing and the same two-year validity.
What actually matters is that the person doing it holds a current NJ Lead Inspector / Risk Assessor certification. Not just EPA RRP, which is a contractor renovation credential and does not authorize anyone to issue your certificate. If you want the full rundown of what the law requires and who it applies to, our NJ lead law reference page covers it with citations.
Here's the part nobody prices into the phone quote. If your unit fails, you need remediation and then a re-inspection before you get the certificate. An inspector who only inspects hands you a failed report and a goodbye. Then you're finding a contractor, scheduling the fix, and paying a second inspection fee while the unit sits.
We hold both the inspection credential and the EPA RRP contractor certification, so the remediation and the re-test happen inside one shop. For an owner, that's the difference between a two-week gap and a two-month gap in rent.
Four questions separate a fair quote from an expensive one. Is the lab fee included or billed per sample? What's the per-unit rate at my building size? How far out are you booking? And if the unit fails, who handles the fix?
If you want our answer to all four: $125 to $150 per unit, lab included, days not weeks, and we fix what we find. Request an inspection here or call 856-885-2241 and we'll confirm your town's testing standard while you're on the phone.
Tell us the address and unit count. We'll confirm your municipality's testing standard and quote it flat.