Is There a Lead Pipe Under Your Yard? How to Check Your Address Before the 2027 Lead Rules

Somewhere in your water utility's records is a line for your address that says what the pipe under your yard is made of: lead, galvanized steel, something else, or "unknown." Most people have never looked. That entry is about to matter more, because on November 1, 2027, a stricter federal lead rule takes effect that ties replacement deadlines, customer notices, and free testing to exactly that list.

What a Service Line Inventory Is

A service line is the pipe that carries water from the main under the street into your home. Under the 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions, every community water system had to file an inventory of every service line by October 16, 2024, regardless of who owns it. Each line is sorted into one of four categories:

The galvanized category surprises people. Lead can build up inside galvanized steel pipe that sat downstream of a lead line, then flake off later, so EPA treats those pipes as lead service lines for replacement. If a utility cannot show a galvanized line was never downstream of lead, it counts.

How to Look Up Your Address

1. Search your utility's website. Systems serving more than 50,000 people must post their inventory online. Search your utility's name plus "service line inventory" or "lead service line map." Many have an address lookup.
2. Smaller utility? Systems serving 50,000 or fewer must make the inventory publicly accessible but may do so by mail or at their office. Call and ask for your address's entry.
3. Not sure who your utility is? It is printed on your water bill. If you rent, ask your landlord or property manager, and see our guide for renters.

By the November 1, 2027 baseline inventory, utilities must list the street address of each service line and also report "connectors," the short flexible pipes (often called goosenecks or pigtails) that join a service line to the main, some of which are lead.

If Your Line Is "Unknown"

You are not alone. Utilities must identify every unknown line by their replacement deadline, and many are asking residents for help now. EPA's customer guide describes a simple check where the pipe enters your home, usually near the water meter or main shutoff valve:

• Scratch test: Gently scratch the pipe's surface with a coin or key. Lead is soft and shows a shiny silver color. Copper shows a penny color.
• Magnet test: A magnet will not stick to lead or copper. It does stick to galvanized steel.

Do not scratch through a pipe, and do not stop at one test. A shiny scratch plus no magnetic pull suggests lead, but only the section you can see. The buried portion and the utility-owned side can be different materials. Many utilities let you submit a photo and your result online, which can move your line out of "unknown." If your home was built before the late 1980s, our guide to lead in older homes covers indoor plumbing and solder too.

What Changes on November 1, 2027

EPA finalized the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) in October 2024. Its main requirements apply starting November 1, 2027:

A few details that matter for homeowners:

• The 10-year clock. Systems with any lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown lines must replace the lead and galvanized lines under their control at a cumulative average rate of 10% a year. Systems that would need to replace more than 39 lines per 1,000 connections a year can qualify for a longer deadline, and states must set a shorter one where it is feasible.
• Notices. Utilities must notify people every year if they are served by a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown line. They must also notify residents when water work could disturb such a line, and provide filters when certain work, such as replacing a meter or connector, does.
• Testing on request. Systems must offer to test the tap for lead for any consumer with a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown line who asks.
• After replacement. The utility must give you a pitcher filter or point-of-use device plus six months of cartridges, and offer a lead test 3 to 6 months later. Lead can spike briefly after pipes are disturbed.
• Repeat problems. A system that exceeds the lead action level three times in five years must run extra outreach and make filters available to customers.

Why the fifth liter? Water from the first liter mostly sat in your faucet and indoor pipes. The fifth liter is more likely to have sat in the service line itself, so sampling it catches lead that the old method could miss. Lowering the action level and adding that sample means some utilities that pass today will not pass in 2028.

The Court Challenge

The American Water Works Association, a utility trade group, sued to overturn parts of the rule (AWWA v. EPA, No. 24-1376). The DC Circuit heard oral argument on September 30, 2026. According to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the judges focused mainly on what it means for a utility to have "control" over a service line, and whether EPA's reading stretches utilities' duties onto privately owned pipe. AWWA's brief also argues the 10-year timeline is not feasible.

EPA under the current administration is defending the rule, which has not been stayed. NRDC, which intervened to support the rule, estimates a decision could take 6 to 12 months after argument. Until a ruling says otherwise, the November 2027 dates stand. A ruling narrowing "control" could affect how utilities handle the private side of the line, so it is worth watching if you own your home.

How Many Lead Pipes Are Left?

In November 2025, EPA lowered its national estimate to about 4 million lead service lines: roughly 3 million reported as lead or galvanized requiring replacement, plus about 1 million "unknown" lines EPA predicts are lead. Its 2023 estimate was 9.2 million. The new figure comes from the utility inventories rather than a survey.

Treat 4 million as a floor, not a final count. EPA's method assumed that systems with no reported inventory data had no lead lines, and NRDC notes that more than 24 million lines nationwide were still listed as unknown material. The national number also matters less to you than your own line. If your address is listed as lead or unknown, the national count does not change your risk.

Who Pays to Replace It?

This is the question most homeowners ask first, and the honest answer is that it depends on where you live.

• The utility's portion is the utility's responsibility to replace.
• The private portion, usually from the property line or curb stop to your house, is where costs vary. The federal rule does not require utilities to pay for it. It does require every system with lead or unknown lines to file a replacement plan by November 1, 2027 that includes a funding strategy for customers who cannot afford their share.
• Federal money exists. The 2021 infrastructure law set aside $15 billion in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund money specifically for lead service line replacement, and many cities use it to replace private lines at no cost to owners.

Ask your utility three things: when your street is scheduled, whether the private side is covered, and whether you need to sign a consent form. Under the LCRI, if owner consent is required, utilities must make at least four attempts to reach you. Answering the first one can move you up. For more on schedules and cost-sharing, see our lead service line replacement timeline.

What to Do While You Wait

• Use a certified filter. Look for NSF/ANSI 53 certification with a specific lead reduction claim, or an NSF/ANSI 58 reverse osmosis system that lists lead. Check the exact model in NSF's database. Replace cartridges on schedule, since EPA warns expired cartridges work less well. Our lead filter guide compares options.
• Flush before drinking. After water sits for hours, run the tap, shower, or do a load of laundry or dishes first. Ask your utility how long to flush if you have a lead line, since it varies.
• Use cold water only for drinking, cooking, and baby formula. Hot water draws more lead.
• Clean your faucet aerator regularly. Lead particles can collect in the screen.
• Do not boil to remove lead. Boiling does not remove it and can concentrate it.
• Request a test. Ask your utility for a lead test at your tap. If you have a lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement, or unknown line, the 2027 rule requires them to offer one on request.