Nov 25 (Reuters) - Lowe's will pay a $12.5

million penalty to resolve U.S. government accusations of lead

paint violations during home renovations, the Department of

Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency announced on

Tuesday.

The alleged violations stemmed from renovations performed by

Lowe's contractors at hundreds of homes around the country

between 2019 and 2021. Lowe's will also improve its compliance

program for renovations in homes that may contain lead-based

paint.