Everybody wants to email it. It is faster, it is free, and it leaves a timestamp. EPA does allow it, and the conditions attached are stricter than almost anybody realizes.

EPA’s answer

Distribution of the lead information pamphlet by email is acceptable as long as the requirements of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act are met.

That Act requires, among other things, that the recipient consents electronically to email delivery, and does so in a manner that demonstrates they can actually access the information in the form it will be provided. The recipient must be allowed to withdraw that consent and must be informed of the procedures for withdrawing it. And the recipient must be provided with a statement of the hardware and software requirements for accessing and retaining the pamphlet.

What that means in practice

Four things have to happen before the pamphlet goes out, not after.

You tell the customer what hardware and software they need to open and keep a PDF.

You tell them they can withdraw consent to electronic delivery, and how.

They consent electronically, in a way that shows they can access the format. In plain terms, consenting by email in a way that demonstrates the email works.

Then you send it, and you still need proof of receipt. An email that vanishes into a spam folder is not an acknowledgment.

Why most emailed pamphlets do not comply

Because the normal version of this is: attach the PDF, hit send, move on. No consent process, no hardware and software statement, no withdrawal procedure, and often no confirmation the customer ever opened it.

That is not electronic delivery under the Act. It is a PDF you sent to somebody.

The two simpler routes

Hand delivery with a signed acknowledgment. Thirty seconds at the estimate appointment, and the paperwork is done.

Or mail it and get a certificate of mailing from the post office dated at least seven days before the renovation starts.

Both are simpler than building an E-SIGN compliant consent flow, which is why almost every firm I know delivers on paper even in 2026.

If you want to do it electronically anyway

Build the consent language into your proposal or contract software so the customer checks a box that captures consent, acknowledges the hardware and software statement, and records the withdrawal procedure. Then attach the pamphlet and store the whole exchange.

Done once, it works on every job after that. Done casually, it is not compliance.

One more caution: notices for common-area work cannot simply be dropped in mailboxes, and email does not fix that problem either. Deliver or post per the rule.

The practical takeaway

Email is allowed under E-SIGN, which takes consent, a hardware and software statement, and a withdrawal procedure, all before you send. If you have not built that, hand it over and get a signature.

Learn more and get trained

Pre-renovation education and its paperwork are covered in every EPA RRP Initial Lead Renovator class. Find a date on our training page.

Source: EPA Lead-Based Paint Program Frequent Questions; 40 CFR 745.84; Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, 15 U.S.C. 7001 et seq. This article explains federal requirements in general terms and is not legal advice. State, tribal, local and HUD requirements may differ or be more protective.