Older city housing makes lead paint a normal question

Much of St. Louis City’s housing stock is old brick built well before 1978, the year lead-based paint was restricted for residential use. That makes lead paint a normal, manageable question rather than an alarm: federal rules require lead-based paint disclosure for pre-1978 housing, and the City has a childhood-lead program and guidance for testing and safe work practices. The practical move when buying or renovating an older city home is to read the disclosure, consider a paint or dust assessment, and follow lead-safe practices during repairs. This is a checklist item, not a reason to avoid older neighborhoods.