Lead Service Line Replacement: What Homeowners Need to Know

The EPA's new rule requires replacing all lead pipes. Timeline, costs, and your rights.

The Rule

In October 2024, the EPA finalized the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), the most significant update to lead regulation in drinking water since the original Lead and Copper Rule was established in 1991. The rule requires all public water systems to identify and replace every lead service line in their inventory within 10 years. There is no exemption for partial replacements, which had been allowed under previous rules and were shown to actually increase short-term lead exposure.

The rule also lowers the lead action level from 15 parts per billion to 10 ppb, tightens sampling requirements, and mandates that utilities provide lead-certified filters to customers in homes served by lead lines until replacement is completed. Utilities must make their service line inventories publicly available, giving residents the ability to check whether their home is connected by a lead pipe.

This builds on the earlier Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) that required utilities to complete initial service line inventories by October 2024. Many utilities scrambled to meet that deadline, and inventories are still incomplete in some systems. The LCRI provides the enforcement framework to turn those inventories into actual replacements.

Timeline

The 10-year replacement clock starts when the rule takes effect. Water systems must begin replacing lead service lines and demonstrate annual progress toward full removal. The EPA expects the majority of the 9.2 million estimated lead service lines to be replaced by the mid-2030s, though extensions may be granted to small and disadvantaged systems.

In practice, replacement timelines will vary widely by city. Newark, New Jersey completed its replacement of 23,000 lead lines in under three years, proving it can be done quickly with adequate funding and political will. Denver is on track to replace its 65,000-80,000 lead lines by 2034. But Chicago, with an estimated 400,000 lead lines -- more than any other US city -- faces a decades-long effort even under the most optimistic scenarios.

Key milestones homeowners should watch for: your utility should publish its service line inventory online (check their website). If your home is listed as having a lead line or "unknown" material, contact the utility directly to get on the replacement schedule. Utilities in states with aggressive timelines -- like Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey -- may reach your home sooner than the federal deadline.

Who Pays

Under the new rule, water utilities are responsible for replacing the full service line -- both the utility-owned portion (from the water main to the property line) and the customer-owned portion (from the property line to the home). Previously, many utilities only replaced their side, leaving homeowners to pay $3,000-$10,000 or more for their portion. This practice, known as partial replacement, often made lead exposure worse by disturbing the pipe and releasing accumulated lead.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocated $15 billion specifically for lead service line replacement. States distribute these funds through their Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, with priority given to disadvantaged communities. Many cities are offering free replacements funded by this combination of federal money and utility rate adjustments.

If your utility asks you to pay for your portion of a lead line replacement, push back. Check whether your state has adopted the full-replacement mandate and whether federal funding is available. Some utilities are still operating under old rules or have not yet updated their policies. You should not have to pay out of pocket for a problem you did not create.

In the Meantime

Even under the fastest replacement timelines, millions of homes will be served by lead pipes for years to come. If you know or suspect your home has a lead service line, take steps to reduce your exposure now. Run your cold water tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using it for drinking or cooking, especially first thing in the morning or after the water has been sitting for several hours. This flushes standing water that has been in contact with lead.

Never use hot water from the tap for cooking or drinking. Hot water dissolves lead more readily than cold water. If you need hot water for cooking, heat cold water on the stove or in a kettle. This is especially important for preparing baby formula or food for young children, who absorb lead at 4-5 times the rate of adults.

A point-of-use filter certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for lead removal is the most reliable daily protection. Pitcher filters, faucet-mount filters, and under-sink systems are all available with lead certification. Check your city's lead data on CheckMyTap to understand your baseline exposure, and consider a certified lab test ($20-50 for lead) to measure what is actually reaching your tap.