6 free templates with FLSA, OSHA lead safety, and EPA RRP guidance built in. Download as DOCX.
The painter job description is one most painting businesses copy from a generic recruiting template that lists "prep and paint surfaces" and stops, missing the two things that actually shape this hire: a painter is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, and the role comes with real safety and compliance steps (OSHA lead rules, EPA RRP certification for older homes, workers' comp) that belong in onboarding. A small painting contractor copying a thin template often gets the classification right by luck but ignores the lead and safety side entirely, which is the costly gap in this trade.
At FirstHR, we build templates for the independent painting contractors and crews that do most of this hiring. The six templates below cover the role by type: general, residential, commercial, industrial, helper, and lead. Each marks the non-exempt status and names the safety steps that generic templates leave out. Fill in the brackets and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free painter job description templates by type: General / Construction, Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Helper, and Lead / Foreman. Download as DOCX, customize the bracketed fields, and post in minutes. Two things competitors miss: a painter is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, and the role carries real compliance steps (OSHA lead rules, EPA RRP, workers' comp). Federal median pay is about $48,660.
What Does a Painter Do?
A painter prepares surfaces and applies paint, stain, and coatings to walls, ceilings, buildings, structures, and equipment. In federal occupational data the role maps to painters, construction and maintenance, who paint structural surfaces using brushes, rollers, and spray guns and prep surfaces before painting.
For the business writing the posting, the useful frame is that the painting core stays constant while the type of work shifts the focus: the full range for a general construction painter, clean client-facing work for a residential painter, large-scale scaffolding work for a commercial painter, coatings and spray booths for an industrial painter, prep and learning for a helper, or crew leadership for a foreman. That is why the templates below differ by type. The role also carries real safety, lead, and wage-and-hour specifics, which the templates build in.
Painter Duties and Responsibilities
Painter duties center on surface preparation, application, safety at height and lead, and site and cleanup. The type of work shifts the weights, a residential repaint versus an industrial coating job, but the categories hold. These are the duties grouped the way the templates use them.
Surface preparation
Scrape, sand, patch, and caulk
Mask and protect surroundings
Prime surfaces before painting
Application
Apply paint, stain, and coatings
Use brush, roller, and spray
Mix and match colors and finishes
Safety at height and lead
Work safely on ladders and scaffolding
Follow fall-protection requirements
Use lead-safe practices in pre-1978 homes
Site and cleanup
Clean up the site each day
Maintain tools and equipment
Track materials and report needs
A strong posting grounds these in the type of work with specifics: the kind of painting, the pay, the certifications required, and the physical demands. Candidates read postings for the type of work, the pay, the schedule, and whether training is provided, before applying.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by the type of painting and the experience level. The painting core runs through all six, but the duties, the safety requirements, and the seniority differ enough that the matched version always reads more credibly. Use this guide to choose.
Painter (General / Construction)
Standard painter role
The base version: surface prep, priming, and applying paint and coatings interior and exterior, working safely at height. Start here if no specialized version fits.
House / Residential Painter
Homes, client-facing
For residential repaint and new-home work: clean, detailed finishes, professionalism in occupied homes, and lead-safe practices for pre-1978 houses.
Commercial Painter
Large-scale, scaffolding
For commercial and institutional projects: large-scale spray application, work from scaffolding and lifts, and fall-protection and site-safety compliance.
Industrial Painter
Coatings, spray booth, respirators
For industrial coatings work: spray booths, protective coatings, respirator use with fit-testing, and strict safety procedures. A distinct skill set from construction painting.
Painter Helper / Assistant
Entry-level, training provided
For an entry-level hire: prep, equipment setup, and assisting painters while learning the trade. No experience required, with training and a path to painter.
Lead Painter / Foreman
Crew oversight and safety
For a working foreman who runs crews and jobs: scheduling, quality control, safety enforcement, and training, while still painting alongside the crew.
Match the Template to the Work
General painting work: General / Construction. Homes and repaints: Residential. Large commercial projects: Commercial. Coatings and spray booths: Industrial. An entry-level hire: Helper. A crew lead: Lead / Foreman. Once you pick, list the duties and physical demands, state the certifications the work requires, mark the role non-exempt, and name the safety and onboarding steps.
6 Free Painter Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, pay, and how to apply, with the non-exempt status and the safety steps built in. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
General, residential, commercial, industrial, helper, and lead. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Painter (General / Construction)
The base version: surface prep, priming, and applying paint and coatings interior and exterior, working safely at height. Start here if no specialized version fits.
For commercial and institutional projects: large-scale spray application, work from scaffolding and lifts, and fall-protection and site-safety compliance.
[Company Name] is hiring a Commercial Painter for large-scale
commercial and institutional projects. You will paint offices,
retail, schools, and similar facilities, often on scaffolding or
lifts, working to project schedules and safety standards.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Prep and paint large commercial surfaces and structures
•Work from scaffolding, lifts, and elevated platforms safely
•Apply coatings by spray, roller, and brush at scale
•Follow project schedules and meet deadlines
•Comply with fall-protection and site safety requirements
•Coordinate with the foreman and other trades
•Maintain equipment and keep the site organized
•Track materials and report needs
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[N] years of commercial painting experience
•Skilled with spray equipment and large-scale application
•Comfortable working at height with fall protection
•[OSHA 10 / 30 certification a plus]
•Valid driver's license
•Able to lift [50] lbs and work long shifts on site
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay: [$______ per hour] (overtime-eligible over 40 hours/week)
Benefits: [PTO, per diem, __]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 4: Industrial Painter
For industrial coatings work: spray booths, protective coatings, respirator use with fit-testing, and strict safety procedures. A distinct skill set from construction painting.
•Skilled with spray equipment and industrial coatings
•Able to wear a respirator (fit-test required)
•[Forklift / overhead crane / confined-space cert a plus]
•Comfortable with PPE and strict safety protocols
•Able to lift [50] lbs and work in demanding conditions
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay: [$______ per hour] (overtime-eligible over 40 hours/week)
Benefits: [PTO, hazard pay, __]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Painter Helper / Assistant
For an entry-level hire: prep, equipment setup, and assisting painters while learning the trade. No experience required, with training and a path to painter.
Painters are non-exempt, which means hourly pay and overtime eligibility, and this is worth stating clearly on the posting. The Department of Labor is explicit that manual laborers and blue-collar construction and maintenance workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime and are not exempt under the white-collar exemptions, no matter how highly paid they are, because the work is hands-on and physical rather than executive, administrative, or professional.
This matters because painting is seasonal and deadline-driven, so crews routinely work long weeks in the busy months, which makes overtime a real recurring cost rather than an edge case. Mark the role non-exempt and hourly on the posting, track all hours worked accurately, and pay overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. A working foreman who still paints is typically non-exempt as well. Keep the posting job-related and neutral, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with an employment attorney.
Compliance: OSHA Lead, EPA RRP, and Workers' Comp
Hiring a painter carries compliance steps that no generic template mentions, and naming them in the posting and capturing them in onboarding is both a safety practice and a way to stay audit-ready. These are the core ones for this trade.
1
OSHA Lead in Construction (29 CFR 1926.62)
Disturbing lead-containing paint triggers employer obligations including exposure assessment, training, and recordkeeping. Exposure records must be kept for 30 years. The standard does not apply to self-employed painters with no employees.
2
EPA RRP Rule (40 CFR Part 745)
Firms that disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities must be certified and use lead-safe work practices. Records are kept for three years, and penalties for violations are substantial.
3
Fall protection
Painters work on ladders and scaffolding, a leading source of injuries. Follow OSHA fall-protection requirements for the work at height, especially on commercial sites.
4
Workers' compensation
Painting is a higher-risk class (NCCI code 5474), with falls among the most common claims. Most states require coverage from the first employee. Confirm coverage before a new painter starts.
These belong in onboarding as concrete steps with a record. What applies depends on your work, your state, and whether you disturb lead paint, so confirm your obligations with OSHA, the EPA RRP program, and your state agencies. This is general information, not legal or compliance advice.
Skills, Requirements, and Certification
Painter qualifications combine practical experience, the physical ability to do the work, and certifications that depend on the type of job, which makes the posting's job naming what you actually require so candidates can self-qualify.
Weak requirement
Strong requirement
Can paint
Prep, application, and finishing skill for your type of work
Experienced
[N] years painting, or willingness to learn with training (helper)
Safe
Comfortable on ladders and scaffolding; follows safety procedures
Certified
[EPA RRP] for pre-1978 homes; [OSHA 10/30] for commercial sites
Reliable
Able to lift, climb, and work outdoors through the season
Most painter roles need no formal education, with skills learned on the job, so a helper can start with none, while certifications layer on by the type of work: EPA RRP for older homes, OSHA training for commercial sites. Keep every line job-related, and for the standard sections of a posting, the SHRM job description tools describe a good job description as a plain-language summary of a position's tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
How to Write a Painter Job Description
A strong painter posting takes about 20 minutes and does two jobs: it gives a candidate the type of work, pay, and schedule they screen on, and it gets the non-exempt classification and safety steps right, which is what protects you. Here is the process the templates are built around.
1
Choose the template by type
General, residential, commercial, industrial, helper, or lead. The type decides the duties, the safety requirements, and the experience level.
2
List the duties and physical demands
Surface prep, application, safety at height, and cleanup, plus the lifting, climbing, and standing the role involves and the conditions it works in.
3
State the requirements and certifications
Experience or willingness to train, work at height, a valid driver's license, and any EPA RRP or OSHA certification the work requires.
4
Mark the role non-exempt and set pay
A painter is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, so state hourly pay and overtime eligibility, since seasonal long weeks make overtime a real cost.
5
Name the safety and onboarding steps
Lead safety (OSHA 1926.62), EPA RRP for pre-1978 homes, fall protection, and workers' comp coverage, captured as onboarding steps with a record.
Painter Pay and Outlook
Painter pay is hourly and varies by region, experience, and the type of work, which argues for posting a real local hourly range.
The Federal Benchmark (BLS)
Painters, construction and maintenance earned a median annual wage of about $48,660 in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under about $36,680 and the highest 10 percent over about $76,550. Employment is projected to grow about 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 28,100 openings a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Within that range, pay varies by the type of work: commercial and industrial painters with specialized skills and lead painters who run crews earn toward the top, while helpers start lower. Pay also moves with the season and with overtime, since busy months bring long weeks and the role is non-exempt. Because the trade faces a persistent labor shortage and seasonal hiring, a clear, competitive hourly range is one of the most effective ways to attract painters, which is why the templates leave pay as a field. National compensation surveys can add local context.
Hiring at a Small Painting Business
Most painting businesses are small, owner-led operations, and the owner usually does the hiring. That means getting the pay classification, the safety steps, and the insurance right falls to the owner too, not an HR department. Here is what actually matters when you hire a painter.
Painters are non-exempt, so pay hourly and pay overtime
A painter is a non-exempt employee under the FLSA: owed at least minimum wage for every hour worked and overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The Department of Labor is explicit that blue-collar and construction workers, including manual laborers in construction and maintenance, are entitled to overtime and are not exempt no matter how highly paid they are. This matters because painting work is seasonal and deadline-driven, so crews routinely run long weeks in the busy months, which makes overtime a real and recurring cost rather than an edge case. Mark the role non-exempt and hourly on the posting, track all hours worked accurately, and pay overtime on hours over 40. A working foreman who still paints is typically non-exempt too. Keep the posting job-related and neutral. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your classifications and pay practices with a payroll professional or attorney.
Lead paint and chemical safety are real obligations, not a footnote
Painting carries safety obligations that no generic template mentions, and they belong in onboarding. The biggest is lead. Under OSHA's Lead in Construction standard (29 CFR 1926.62), any detectable lead in the paint being disturbed triggers employer obligations, including exposure assessment, training, and recordkeeping, and exposure records must be kept for 30 years. Separately, the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule (40 CFR Part 745) requires firms that disturb painted surfaces in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices, with records kept for three years and substantial civil penalties for violations. Industrial and spray work adds respiratory protection, fit-testing, and proper PPE. None of this is exotic, but it is real, and a small painting business has to handle it with whoever is doing the hiring, often the owner. FirstHR helps on the documentation side: you can attach lead-safety and other required training as onboarding steps with a completion record, and store certifications and acknowledgments, including OSHA exposure records and EPA RRP documentation, for the retention periods the rules require.
Painting is a real small business, and hiring is constant
Most painting businesses are small, owner-led operations, and the trade runs high seasonal turnover, which means hiring is not a one-time event but a recurring need every busy season. For an owner hiring painters and helpers, the job description is just the start: you then need an offer letter, the new-hire paperwork (I-9, W-4), proof of workers' compensation coverage (painting is a higher-risk class, NCCI code 5474, with falls from ladders and scaffolding among the most common claims), the safety and lead training set up correctly, and a plan to get the new painter productive on the crew. That is a repeatable sequence, and it is where an owner's time goes during the season. FirstHR is built for this: generate the offer letter and send it for e-signature, run a structured onboarding workflow with the safety training attached, and store the I-9, W-4, certifications, and training records in one place. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, or provide workers' compensation insurance, so pair it with your payroll and insurance providers; what it does is make the hiring and onboarding fast and documented.
After You Hire: Onboarding
The job description is step one, and onboarding a painter has more to it than a typical hire because of the safety, lead, and insurance steps the trade requires. Send the offer with the hourly rate and the non-exempt classification, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms. Verify any required certifications such as EPA RRP, and confirm the new hire is covered under your workers' compensation policy.
Then the safety piece: documented lead-safety and hazard training, fall-protection and ladder or scaffolding safety, and the PPE the role requires, captured as completion records alongside the usual onboarding documents. Then the role onboarding: your standards and process, the equipment, and a 30-60-90 day plan to get the painter productive on the crew. FirstHR handles the offer with e-signature, the onboarding workflow with the safety training attached as a step, and document storage for the I-9, W-4, certifications, and OSHA and EPA records for the required retention periods. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, or provide workers' compensation insurance, so pair it with your payroll and insurance providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Match the template to the type of work: general, residential, commercial, industrial, helper, or lead, since the painting core holds while the safety requirements and seniority vary.
A painter is non-exempt and overtime-eligible, paid hourly, and seasonal long weeks make overtime a real recurring cost.
The role carries compliance steps generic templates omit: OSHA Lead in Construction (29 CFR 1926.62, 30-year records), EPA RRP for pre-1978 homes, and fall protection.
Painting is a higher-risk workers' comp class (NCCI code 5474), with falls among the most common claims, so confirm coverage before a new painter starts.
Most painter roles need no formal education; EPA RRP and OSHA certifications layer on by the type of work, and a helper can start with no experience.
Post a real local hourly range against a federal median of about $48,660, in a trade with a persistent labor shortage and seasonal hiring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a painter do?
A painter prepares surfaces and applies paint, stain, and coatings to walls, ceilings, buildings, structures, and equipment. The core work is consistent: prepping surfaces by scraping, sanding, patching, and caulking, masking and protecting surroundings, priming, and then applying coatings by brush, roller, or spray, plus mixing and matching colors and cleaning up. Painters work indoors and outdoors, often on ladders and scaffolding, and the work is physically demanding. In federal occupational data the role maps to painters, construction and maintenance. The setting shapes the rest: a general construction painter does the full range, a residential painter works in clients' homes, a commercial painter works large-scale on scaffolding, an industrial painter applies coatings in spray booths, a helper assists and learns, and a lead painter or foreman runs the crew. This page offers a template for each.
What is the difference between a residential and a commercial painter?
The difference is scale, setting, and the skills each emphasizes. A residential painter works on homes, interior and exterior, often in occupied spaces, so clean work, attention to detail, professionalism around homeowners, and lead-safe practices for older houses matter most. A commercial painter works on larger buildings like offices, retail, and schools, usually at scale and frequently from scaffolding or lifts, so spray-application skill, working at height with fall protection, and keeping to project schedules matter more. Pay and crew structure often differ too. Many painting businesses do both, but the job description should reflect the actual work, which is why this page includes separate residential and commercial templates rather than one generic version.
Are painters exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
Painters are non-exempt, which means hourly pay and overtime eligibility. The Department of Labor is explicit that manual laborers and blue-collar construction and maintenance workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime and are not exempt under the white-collar exemptions, no matter how highly paid they are, because the role is hands-on physical work rather than executive, administrative, or professional work. This matters in practice because painting is seasonal and deadline-driven, so crews often work long weeks in the busy months, which makes overtime a real recurring cost. Mark the role non-exempt and hourly on the posting, track all hours worked, and pay overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. A working foreman who still paints is typically non-exempt as well. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm with a payroll professional or attorney.
Do painters need to be EPA RRP certified?
It depends on the work. The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule requires firms that disturb painted surfaces in homes or child-occupied facilities built before 1978 to be certified and to follow lead-safe work practices, because of the risk from lead-based paint. So a painting business doing residential repaint work on older homes generally needs RRP firm certification and trained renovators, while a painter working only on new construction or commercial buildings without lead paint may not. Records must be kept for three years, and penalties for violations are significant. For hiring, the practical step is to know whether your work triggers RRP, require or provide the certification accordingly, and verify it at onboarding. The residential template here notes RRP for pre-1978 homes, and certification is left as a fillable requirement since it depends on the work you do.
What safety requirements apply to hiring a painter?
Several, and they belong in onboarding rather than as an afterthought. The biggest is lead: under OSHA's Lead in Construction standard (29 CFR 1926.62), disturbing lead-containing paint triggers employer obligations including exposure assessment, training, and recordkeeping, with exposure records kept for 30 years. The EPA's RRP Rule adds firm certification and lead-safe practices for pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities. Working at height brings fall-protection requirements for ladders and scaffolding, a leading source of injuries in the trade. Industrial and spray work adds respiratory protection with fit-testing and proper PPE. Painting is also a higher-risk workers' compensation class. The practical approach is to set up the required training as documented onboarding steps with completion records and to verify any certifications at hire. Confirm your specific obligations with OSHA, the EPA, and your state agencies.
Do you need a license or certification to be a painter?
Usually no formal education or license is required to work as a painter, though it depends on the work and the state. Federal data shows painters typically need no formal educational credential and learn the trade through moderate-term on-the-job training, which is why a helper role can start with no experience. That said, some credentials matter for specific work: EPA RRP certification is required for firms disturbing paint in pre-1978 homes, OSHA 10 or 30 training is common and sometimes required on commercial sites, and some states or localities require painting contractors to hold a contractor license at the business level. For an individual painter, the baseline is usually experience or willingness to learn plus the physical ability to do the work, with certifications layered on by the type of job, which is how the templates here are structured.
How much does a painter make?
Painter pay is hourly and varies by region, experience, and the type of work. Federal data for painters, construction and maintenance reported a median annual wage of about $48,660, with the lowest 10 percent under about $36,680 and the highest 10 percent over about $76,550 (BLS, May 2024). Commercial and industrial painters with specialized skills, and lead painters who run crews, tend to earn toward the top, while helpers start lower. Pay also moves with the season and with overtime, since busy months bring long weeks, and the role is non-exempt so overtime applies. Employment is projected to grow about 4 percent through 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 28,100 openings a year. For a posting, state a real local hourly range, since that and the type of work are what painters compare when they apply.
What happens after I hire a painter?
Run an onboarding that covers the trade's real requirements, since a painting hire comes with safety and insurance steps beyond the usual paperwork. Send the offer letter with the hourly rate and the non-exempt classification, collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather tax forms like the W-4. Verify any required certifications such as EPA RRP, and confirm the new hire is covered under your workers' compensation policy, since painting is a higher-risk class. Then handle safety: documented lead-safety and hazard training, fall-protection and ladder or scaffolding safety, and the PPE the role requires, captured as completion records. Then the role onboarding: your standards and process, the equipment, and a plan to get the painter productive on the crew. FirstHR handles the offer with e-signature, the onboarding workflow with the safety training attached as a step, and document storage for the I-9, W-4, certifications, and OSHA and EPA records for the required retention periods. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, or provide workers' compensation insurance, so pair it with your payroll and insurance providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
