EPA's 2026 PFAS Rollback: Which Limits Are Gone and Which Still Protect You

The EPA is keeping its two headline PFAS limits but proposing to drop the rules for four other forever chemicals. Here is what survived, what did not, and why it matters for your tap.

What Changed

On May 18, 2026, the EPA announced two proposed rules that reshape the 2024 national PFAS drinking-water standard. The first would extend the compliance deadline for PFOA and PFOS from 2029 to 2031 through a new exemption framework, while leaving the 4 parts-per-trillion (ppt) limits themselves unchanged. The second would rescind the regulatory determinations and limits for four other PFAS: PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA (commonly known as GenX), and a Hazard Index that combined those three with PFBS.

The EPA's stated basis is procedural: the agency argues the 2024 rule did not follow the sequential process the Safe Drinking Water Act requires for setting new limits. Both are proposals, not final rules. The public comment period ran through July 20, 2026, with a virtual hearing on July 7, and the EPA has said it intends to take final action later in 2026.

What EPA Kept

The core of the 2024 rule stands:

• PFOA: 4 ppt. The enforceable maximum contaminant level is unchanged.
• PFOS: 4 ppt. Also unchanged.
• The requirement to act on PFOA and PFOS. Utilities still must monitor and, where levels exceed the limit, treat for these two compounds. The proposal only changes the deadline, moving full compliance from 2029 to 2031 for systems that qualify for an exemption.

For a fuller look at the deadline change, see our companion piece: EPA keeps PFAS limits but pushes the compliance deadline to 2031.

What EPA Cut

The rescission proposal targets four PFAS that the 2024 rule had regulated. Before the proposal, three of them carried individual limits of 10 ppt:

• PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulfonic acid) — was 10 ppt.
• PFNA (perfluorononanoic acid) — was 10 ppt.
• HFPO-DA / GenX — was 10 ppt.
• The Hazard Index mixture of PFHxS, PFNA, HFPO-DA, and PFBS, which had required that the combined risk of these compounds stay below a set threshold even when each was individually low.

If the rescission is finalized, water systems would no longer be federally required to monitor or reduce these four. Several states have set or are setting their own PFAS limits to fill the gap, so the practical impact depends heavily on where you live.

What It Means for You

A rescinded limit does not remove PFAS from water. It removes the federal requirement to test for and treat them. If your utility had been planning to address PFHxS, PFNA, or GenX, a rescission could pause that work, while PFOA and PFOS treatment continues under the extended 2031 timeline.

In practice, this means two things. First, the federal safety net for these four compounds may narrow, so state rules and your own testing matter more. Second, the compounds that are best studied and most widespread, PFOA and PFOS, remain regulated, so utilities are not walking away from PFAS entirely.

What to Do

1. Check your city's PFAS data on CheckMyTap to see which compounds have been detected in your area.
2. Request your utility's Consumer Confidence Report for the most recent PFAS monitoring results.
3. If PFAS are detected, treat your drinking water. A reverse osmosis system removes the broad range of PFAS by size, and a filter certified to reduce PFAS also works for the two regulated compounds. Our PFAS filter buying guide covers certified options.
4. Check your state's rules. Where the federal government steps back, some states have stepped in with their own PFAS limits.

The regulatory picture is still moving, but the practical answer does not change: if PFAS are in your water and you want them out, point-of-use treatment is the reliable fix regardless of the final federal rule.