Lead pipe and lead service line replacement
Lead pipe is the one water line no home should keep. The EPA and CDC hold that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water, and children are the most at risk. If your home has a lead pipe or a lead service line, replacing it removes the source. Call now to talk with a local repipe contractor.
Why lead pipe has to go
Lead does not belong in the water you drink and cook with, and the health authorities are unusually direct about it.
The health side
Lead leaches into water as pipe and fittings corrode, and it builds up in the body over time. The EPA and CDC say there is no safe level of lead in a child's blood. In children it can affect the developing brain and nervous system, lowering IQ and causing learning and behavior problems. In adults it is linked to blood pressure, kidney, and reproductive problems.
- Zero is the EPA health goal for lead in drinking water, because no level is considered safe (EPA).
- The EPA estimates as many as roughly 9 million lead service lines still feed homes across the country (EPA).
The rules are changing
Under the EPA's 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, water systems must work to replace lead service lines, and lines that are lead or that count as requiring replacement are being removed on a set timeline. The direction is clear: lead lines are on their way out.
How to identify a lead pipe
A lead pipe is a dull gray metal that is soft enough to scratch with a key or a coin. When you scratch it, the fresh mark is shiny and silver. Unlike galvanized steel, a magnet does not stick to lead. The service line, where water enters your home from the street, is the spot to check first, often near the water meter or where the main pipe comes through the wall or floor.
Lead was also used in older solder on copper joints and in some brass fixtures in homes built before 1986. If you suspect lead anywhere in your plumbing, a contractor can help identify it, and your water utility may offer testing.
The lead scratch test
- Dull gray, soft metal
- Scratches to a shiny silver mark
- A magnet does not stick
- Check the service line near the meter first
What lead line replacement involves
Replacing a lead service line means removing the run that brings water into the home and installing a safe modern pipe in its place. Utilities are responsible for parts of the line under many programs, while the portion on your property is often the homeowner's. A contractor can replace the section you own and coordinate with the timing of any utility work. Inside the home, lead solder and old fixtures can be addressed as part of a repipe. The goal is simple: take lead out of the path your water travels.
Where lead hides in a home's plumbing
Lead can be present in the buried service line that feeds the home, in old solder on copper joints, and in older brass fixtures. The EPA holds that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water.
Lead most often reaches the tap through a corroding lead service line, the pipe that runs from the water main to the house, and homes built before 1986 are the usual candidates for lead in the service line, the solder, or the fixtures. Lead enters the water when that old plumbing corrodes, which is more likely with acidic or low-mineral water. The health stakes are the reason this is treated differently from other pipe: there is no known safe level of lead in a child's blood, and the EPA's goal for lead in drinking water is zero. Children are most at risk, with effects that can include nervous-system damage and learning problems, while adults can face cardiovascular and kidney effects.
What the EPA's 2024 rule changed
The EPA estimates there are as many as roughly 9 million lead service lines still in use across the country. Under the 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, which took effect on December 29, 2024, water systems must work to replace lead service lines, and galvanized lines that require replacement, generally within ten years, and partial replacements are now largely prohibited because disturbing a lead line can temporarily raise lead levels.
A galvanized line that once sat downstream of a lead service line can itself hold and release lead, which is why the EPA groups those for replacement too. Our galvanized pipe replacement page covers that connection. Some states go further, and New Jersey treats every galvanized service line as a lead line to be replaced.
Reducing exposure while you plan
- Run the cold tap until it is noticeably colder before drinking after long idle periods
- Use cold water for drinking and cooking, never hot, which leaches more lead
- Clean faucet aerators, where debris collects
- Consider a filter certified for lead reduction
- Ask your utility whether your service line is lead
These steps lower exposure, but replacing the lead line is the durable fix.
Replacing a lead service line and old interior lead
Replacing a lead service line means running a new line, typically copper or PEX, from the meter to the home, often by excavating a trench or using a trenchless pull, which a contractor can scope after locating the line. Because partial replacement can stir up lead, full replacement from the main side to the home is the preferred approach, and utilities and homeowners increasingly coordinate on the public and private portions. Inside the home, old lead solder on copper joints and aging brass fixtures are addressed during a repipe or a fixture upgrade, using the lead-free solder and fittings required by modern code. See our main water line replacement page for the service-line work itself.
Why lead replacement is worth prioritizing
Unlike most pipe problems, the case for replacing lead is about health, not just cost. With no safe level of lead recognized and children most vulnerable, removing lead from the path between the main and the tap is a lasting protection for a household. Replacing a lead service line also aligns a home with the direction of federal rules, which now push to get these lines out of service within the decade. A local contractor can help identify whether your home has a lead service line or old interior lead and lay out the replacement, and the first step is simply a conversation about what your home has.
Questions homeowners ask about lead
How do I find out if my service line is lead?
Your water utility can often tell you whether the public side of your service line is lead, and many now publish service-line maps. For the private side, a contractor can locate and identify the line. A simple scratch test on exposed pipe also helps: lead is dull gray, soft, and a magnet does not stick.
Should I test my water for lead?
Testing is worthwhile in an older home. Certified labs and many utilities offer lead testing, and a result guides how urgently to act. Keep in mind that lead can be intermittent, so a single low result does not rule it out, which is why removing the source matters.
Do water filters remove lead?
A filter certified specifically for lead reduction can lower exposure at the tap, and it is a sensible interim step. It does not remove lead from the plumbing, though, so replacing a lead line remains the durable fix.
Who pays to replace a lead service line?
Responsibility is usually split, with the utility owning the public side and the homeowner the private side. Many utilities now run programs to replace both together. A contractor can help identify the line and coordinate the private-side work.
Lead is a health decision, not just a plumbing one
Most pipe replacements are about cost, pressure, and water quality. Lead is different, because the driver is health. The EPA and CDC recognize no safe level of lead in a child's blood, and the agency's goal for lead in drinking water is zero. Lead bioaccumulates in the body, and the effects in children, which can include nervous-system damage, lower IQ, and learning and behavioral problems, are not reversible. That is why federal rules now push to remove lead service lines within the coming decade and why partial replacements, which can temporarily raise lead, are discouraged in favor of taking the whole line out. For a household, replacing lead in the path between the main and the tap is a lasting protection. A local contractor can help identify whether your home has lead and lay out the replacement. Call now to start with a simple conversation about what your home has.
The public and private line, and utility programs
A lead service line usually crosses two ownerships. The utility typically owns the portion from the water main to the meter or the property line, and the homeowner owns the portion from there into the house. Replacing only one side leaves lead in the ground and can temporarily raise lead levels, which is why the current approach favors removing the whole line at once. Many water utilities now run lead service line replacement programs that coordinate the public and private portions together, sometimes with cost assistance for the private side, funded in part by federal investment in removing lead lines nationwide. It is worth asking your utility what program it offers and whether your line is on its replacement list. A local contractor can identify the private-side line, coordinate with the utility's schedule, and handle the homeowner's portion so the full line comes out together.
Related services
Replacing a lead service line is closely tied to main water line replacement, which covers the trenching and trenchless methods used. Inside the home, old lead solder and brass are addressed during a repipe in PEX or copper. A galvanized line downstream of old lead is covered on galvanized pipe replacement. For older homes with several aging materials, see old line plumbing. Call now to start with a conversation about what your home has.
Get lead out of your water
There is no safe level of lead in drinking water. If your home has a lead pipe or service line, talk to a local contractor about replacing it now.
Common questions
Is there a safe level of lead in drinking water?
No. The EPA and CDC hold that there is no safe level of lead in a child's blood, and the EPA's health goal for lead in water is zero. Because lead builds up in the body, the aim is to remove the source rather than manage a level.
How do I know if I have a lead pipe?
Lead is a dull gray, soft metal. Scratch it with a key or coin and the mark is shiny silver, and a magnet does not stick. Check the service line where water enters the home, often near the meter. A contractor or your water utility can help confirm it.
Who is responsible for replacing a lead service line?
It is often split. Under many programs the water utility handles the portion in the public right of way, while the section on your property is the homeowner's. A contractor can replace the part you own and work with the timing of utility replacement.
Can old copper pipe still have lead?
It can, at the joints. Copper installed before 1986 was often joined with lead solder, and some older brass fixtures contained lead. Addressing solder and fixtures can be part of a repipe even when the main pipe is not lead.
Does the law require lead pipes to be replaced?
The direction is that way. Under the EPA's 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, water systems must work to replace lead service lines on a set timeline. Rules and programs vary by area, so check with your local water utility for specifics.