Since April 2010 federal laws require that firms working in pre-1978 homes must be certified and use lead-safe work practices during renovations. Renovators must comply with new certification, training, pre-renovation notification and work practice standards for common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition. The penalty for non-compliance can be as much as $37,500 per day, per violation!
There is more information on the EPA’s website, http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/sbcomplianceguide.pdf