Corporate Accountability Project — EPA Enforcement Series
Environmental Accountability Record
EPA Region 5 · Docket No. TSCA-05-2026-0014 · Filed January 7, 2026
Lead Paint Disclosure Failure
Dennis Meints Hid Lead Paint Hazards from St. Paul Renters for Years
A St. Paul landlord collected rent from dozens of families while concealing federal lead hazard warnings across 23 separate leases, violating the same protections that exist specifically to protect young children from neurotoxic lead exposure.
What Happened
From 2016 to 2023, Dennis Meints rented out pre-1978 apartments in St. Paul, Minnesota, without providing the federal lead hazard disclosures that every landlord is legally required to give. Tenants, which may have included young children and pregnant women, signed leases for potentially lead-contaminated housing without ever being told about the risk. Federal law is explicit: landlords must warn renters about lead paint hazards before they are legally bound to a lease. Meints failed to do this in 23 separate transactions, accumulating 115 total violations. Lead exposure in children causes irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. This is not a paperwork technicality. This is a landlord choosing to keep renters in the dark about a neurotoxic hazard in their own homes.
Tenants deserve to know what they are moving into. Demand full lead disclosure enforcement in your city.
By the Numbers
23
Lease Agreements Without Required Disclosures
115
Total Federal Violation Counts
5
Violation Types Per Lease
4
Affected Properties in St. Paul
7 yrs
Span of Violations: 2016 to 2023
$1,000
Final Penalty Assessed
Core Allegations
Core Allegations
What He Did · 8 Points
| 01 | Dennis Meints owned and rented pre-1978 residential buildings at four addresses in St. Paul, Minnesota from 2016 through 2023, making him legally subject to federal lead paint disclosure requirements for every lease. | high |
| 02 | In 23 separate lease agreements, Meints failed to include the federally mandated Lead Warning Statement, which is required by law to appear in every rental contract for housing built before 1978. | high |
| 03 | In all 23 leases, Meints failed to disclose whether he had any knowledge of lead-based paint or lead hazards in the units he was renting. Federal law requires this disclosure regardless of whether lead is present. | high |
| 04 | In all 23 leases, Meints failed to provide tenants with a list of available records or reports about lead hazards in the properties, or a statement confirming no such records existed. | med |
| 05 | In all 23 leases, Meints failed to obtain a signed statement from tenants confirming they received the required lead hazard information pamphlet, “Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home.” | high |
| 06 | Multiple leases at 855 Hague Avenue were not signed by Meints at all, or were signed only by the tenant. Several other leases had no signatures from either party, making the required lead certification impossible to verify. | high |
| 07 | The violations span four properties: 359 Maria Avenue, 855 Hague Avenue, 523 Laurel Avenue, and 880 York Avenue, affecting renters across multiple St. Paul neighborhoods. | med |
| 08 | The EPA issued an administrative subpoena on December 4, 2023, demanding all rental agreements and lead disclosure documentation from 2019 onward. Meints provided the documents in January 2024, which revealed the violations. | med |
Public Health Consequences
Who Was Put at Risk · 5 Points
| 01 | Lead-based paint in pre-1978 housing is a direct source of lead poisoning in children. When paint chips, deteriorates, or is disturbed during renovation, it releases lead dust that children ingest through normal hand-to-mouth behavior. | high |
| 02 | There is no safe level of lead exposure for children under six. Even low-level exposure causes permanent damage to brain development, reducing IQ, impairing attention, and increasing the risk of behavioral disorders. | high |
| 03 | The federal disclosure law exists because tenants need this information before signing a lease, not after. Withholding the Lead Warning Statement removes a tenant’s ability to make an informed housing decision for their family. | high |
| 04 | Pregnant women are also at high risk; lead crosses the placental barrier and causes fetal developmental harm. The required pamphlet specifically addresses this risk. Renters who never received it had no way to protect themselves. | high |
| 05 | St. Paul’s older housing stock means lead paint is a persistent public health issue in the city. Landlords who skip disclosures undermine the community-wide effort to track and reduce childhood lead poisoning rates. | med |
Accountability Failures
Weak Penalties and No Admission of Wrongdoing · 5 Points
| 01 | The maximum possible penalty for 115 violations at $22,263 each would have been approximately $2.56 million. The EPA assessed $1,000, representing a reduction of more than 99.9 percent. | high |
| 02 | The EPA cited Meints’ “limited ability to pay” as the primary reason for the $1,000 penalty. The final amount works out to roughly $43 per violation, covering 7 years of non-compliance with a federal health protection law. | high |
| 03 | Meints “neither admits nor denies” the factual allegations in the consent agreement. No court found him guilty of anything. The settlement resolves federal civil liability only, with no admission of harming tenants. | med |
| 04 | The settlement does not require Meints to test his properties for lead, remediate any hazards found, or provide retroactive notification to former tenants who may have been exposed to lead during their tenancy. | high |
| 05 | This enforcement action covers only civil penalties. The consent agreement does not restrict Meints from continuing to own or rent residential properties, meaning the same landlord can lease to new tenants after paying $1,000. | high |
Timeline of Events
Aug 2016
First documented lease violation: 359 Maria Avenue, Unit 1. No lead warning or disclosure provided to tenant.
2019
Two additional lease violations at 359 Maria Avenue. Violations continue at other properties.
2021–2022
Majority of violations concentrated at 855 Hague Avenue. Multiple leases unsigned, undated, or missing lessor signatures entirely.
June–Dec 2022
Six lease violations at 855 Hague Avenue in a six-month period. Violations also documented at 523 Laurel Avenue.
Apr 2023
Final documented lease violation at 855 Hague Avenue, Unit 1 (April 19, 2023). One copy signed by lessee only, one by lessor only.
Dec 4, 2023
EPA Region 5 issues administrative subpoena to Meints demanding all rental agreements and lead disclosure documents from January 2019 through December 2023.
Jan 31, 2024
Meints provides documents to EPA. Review reveals 23 non-compliant leases and 115 separate violations of federal lead disclosure rules.
Jan 7, 2026
Consent Agreement and Final Order filed. Meints agrees to pay $1,000 civil penalty. No admission of wrongdoing required.
Directly from the Federal Record
QUOTE 1
Scope of violations across all leases
Core Allegations
“Respondent failed to include, before the lessee was obligated under a contract to lease the housing, either within the contract or as an attachment to the contract to lease target housing, a Lead Warning Statement as set out in 40 C.F.R. § 745.113(b)(1) in 23 lease contracts.”
💡 This is not a single oversight. 23 separate leases, signed over seven years, each missing the same mandatory federal warning. This is a pattern of non-compliance that put tenant after tenant at risk.
QUOTE 2
The law Meints was required to follow
Public Health
“40 C.F.R. § 745.113(b) requires that each contract to lease target housing include, as an attachment or within the contract, a lead warning statement; a statement by the lessor disclosing the presence of any known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards or the lack of knowledge of such presence.”
💡 This regulation has existed since 1996. Meints had nearly three decades of clear federal law to follow. There is no ambiguity here, and no reasonable explanation for 23 consecutive failures.
QUOTE 3
Maximum penalty Meints could have faced
Accountability Failures
“Under 42 U.S.C. § 4852d(b)(5), 15 U.S.C. § 2615(a), and 40 C.F.R. Part 19, the Administrator of EPA may assess a civil administrative penalty of up to $22,263 for each violation of 42 U.S.C. § 4852d and Section 409 of TSCA.”
💡 At $22,263 per violation for 115 counts, the maximum exposure was over $2.5 million. Meints paid $1,000 total, roughly $8.70 per tenant affected. The gap between the law’s teeth and the actual bite is staggering.
QUOTE 4
Justification for the deeply reduced penalty
Accountability Failures
“EPA conducted an analysis of Respondent’s financial information and determined Respondent has a limited ability to pay. Consequently, in accordance with applicable law, EPA determined that the Assessed Penalty is an appropriate amount to settle this action.”
💡 Financial hardship is a legitimate legal consideration, but this outcome means the consequences for seven years of failing to warn tenants about a neurotoxic hazard are less than a parking ticket in most cities.
QUOTE 5
The violations explicitly cover target housing with children
Public Health
“Respondent’s Properties and each apartment unit within Respondent’s Properties are ‘target housing’ as defined in 40 C.F.R. § 745.103 that are not otherwise exempt under 40 C.F.R. § 745.101.”
💡 “Target housing” is not an abstract legal category. It means housing where children are likely to live. The law was written specifically to protect kids in exactly these kinds of apartments.
Commentary
?
Why does a lead paint disclosure matter so much?
▼
Lead is a potent neurotoxin with no safe exposure level for children. Federal law passed in 1992 requires landlords to warn tenants about potential lead hazards in pre-1978 housing before anyone signs a lease. The purpose is simple: give families the information they need to protect their children. When a landlord skips this step, they remove the only tool a tenant has to make an informed decision. Families may have chosen a different unit, requested an inspection, or taken precautions. They never had that chance.
?
Is $1,000 a reasonable penalty for 115 federal violations?
▼
No. The federal statute allows up to $22,263 per violation. For 115 violations, the legal maximum exceeds $2.5 million. The EPA reduced this to $1,000, citing Meints’ limited ability to pay. While ability-to-pay is a legitimate legal factor, the result is a penalty of less than $9 per violation, covering seven years of non-compliance with a law designed to prevent childhood brain damage. This outcome offers virtually no deterrent to other landlords and no justice for the tenants who were put at risk.
?
What exactly was Meints required to provide, and what did he skip?
▼
Federal law requires five things in every lease for pre-1978 housing: (1) a Lead Warning Statement describing health risks; (2) the landlord’s disclosure of any known lead hazards, or a statement of no knowledge; (3) a list of any lead inspection reports, or confirmation none exist; (4) a signed tenant acknowledgment that they received the required pamphlet; and (5) signatures from both parties certifying the statements. Meints failed on all five counts across all 23 leases, resulting in 115 total violation charges.
?
Were the affected tenants ever notified or compensated?
▼
The consent agreement does not require Meints to contact former tenants, test his properties for lead contamination, or remediate any hazards found. The $1,000 penalty goes to the federal government, not to affected renters. Tenants who want to pursue their own claims would need to consult a private attorney about civil remedies. This is a fundamental gap in how these enforcement actions work: the government is made whole (or nearly so), while the individuals actually exposed to the hazard receive nothing.
?
What can I do to prevent this from happening again?
▼
Several concrete steps make a difference. Tenants: before signing any lease for housing that looks old, ask specifically for the Lead Hazard Information Pamphlet and a written lead disclosure statement. If a landlord cannot provide both, report them to the EPA at epa.gov/lead. Advocates and housing organizations: push local governments to require lead disclosure documentation as part of rental licensing systems. Lawmakers: support legislation increasing minimum penalties for lead disclosure violations so that the actual fine amount serves as a real deterrent, not a cost-of-doing-business figure. Community members: share this information with renters in your network, especially families with young children living in pre-1978 housing.
?
Can Meints continue to rent properties after this settlement?
▼
Yes. The consent agreement resolves only his federal civil penalty liability for the specific violations listed. It does not revoke any rental licenses, bar him from owning property, or prevent him from entering into new leases. The document does note that this enforcement action will be on record and considered in any future violations. But unless he commits new violations and is caught again, the $1,000 payment effectively closes the matter. Renters in his current or future properties face no mandatory increased disclosure requirements as a result of this settlement.
Dennis the Mennis can be found at the EPA’s website by clicking on this link for the CAFO: https://yosemite.epa.gov/OA/RHC/EPAAdmin.nsf/Filings/F263027B288AA55B85258D78006DFBBC/$File/TSCA-05-2026-0014_CAFO_DennisMeints_StPaulMinnesota_17PGS.pdf
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