Lead service line replacement means removing the whole lead pipe that carries water from the main in the street to your home and putting in a new one, usually copper. Under EPA’s 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, most water utilities must replace every lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement line under their control within 10 years, and federal money is helping many cities do it at little or no cost to the owner.
In short: ask your utility how your line is listed in its service line inventory, whether it is on the replacement schedule, and what, if anything, you will pay. Aim for a full replacement, from the main to your house, because EPA’s science advisers found that partial replacements are often followed by short-term spikes in lead. After the work, follow your utility’s flushing instructions, use the certified filter it must provide for six months, and retest your water.
Who owns which part of the line
A service line runs from the water main to the point where it meets your home’s plumbing. In many places, ownership is split between the utility and the property owner, and where the dividing point falls depends on your utility and local law. Your utility can tell you where its part ends. Some utilities, like Denver Water, refer to “customer-owned” lead service lines, while Chicago talks about the “public and private sides” of the line.
EPA’s rule sidesteps the ownership question by focusing on control: a line is under the utility’s control wherever it has legal and physical access to do a full replacement. Utilities must replace lines under their control whoever owns them, and where they need an owner’s consent, they must make a reasonable effort to get it, at least four attempts. If you are a renter, the property owner usually has to agree.
The EPA 10-year replacement requirement
EPA finalized the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) in October 2024. Most of its requirements apply from November 1, 2027, and as of this writing EPA’s rule page still lists the 10-year replacement requirement. Here is what it asks of community water systems and other covered systems with lead, galvanized requiring replacement (GRR) or unknown lines:
| Requirement | What the rule says |
|---|---|
| Deadline | Replace lead and GRR lines under the system’s control within 10 years, regardless of its lead test results |
| Pace | A cumulative average of 10% of those lines per year |
| Faster or slower | States must set shorter deadlines where feasible; systems that would need more than 39 replacements per 1,000 connections a year can get deferred deadlines |
| Plan | A public replacement plan by November 1, 2027, online for systems over 50,000 people, updated yearly |
| Inventory | An updated “baseline” inventory, including connectors, by November 1, 2027; all unknown lines identified by the replacement deadline |
| Partial replacement | Prohibited except during emergency repairs or planned infrastructure work that affects service lines |
| After replacement | A pitcher filter or point-of-use device certified to reduce lead, with six months of cartridges, and an offer to test your tap 3 to 6 months later |
Utilities must also notify everyone served by a lead, GRR or unknown line every year, and must keep the inventory public. If you are not sure how your line is listed, read lead pipes: how to tell for the scratch and magnet test and how to check your utility’s inventory.
Why galvanized lines are included
A galvanized steel line that is, or ever was, downstream of a lead line, or is currently downstream of a line of unknown material, counts as “galvanized requiring replacement.” EPA explains that lead can attach to the inner surface of galvanized pipe and be released into the water over time. EPA’s November 2025 estimate of about 4 million lead service lines nationwide counts GRR lines as lead lines.
Why partial replacement is risky
For years, some utilities replaced only their own section and left the owner’s side in place. In 2011, EPA’s Science Advisory Board reviewed the evidence and concluded that partial replacements had not been shown to reliably reduce lead in drinking water in the short term, from days to months and possibly longer. It added that partial replacement is frequently associated with short-term elevated lead after the work, suggesting potential for harm rather than benefit during that period. Full replacement, by contrast, appeared generally effective at long-term reductions, though both kinds can raise lead for a while right after the work.
That is why the 2024 rule generally prohibits partial replacement and requires extra protections when one does happen during an emergency repair, including public education, filters and an offer to replace the remaining portion. If you are offered a replacement of only part of your line, ask why, and ask what it would take to do the whole thing at the same time.
Who pays: funding and real programs
Replacement is expensive. Chicago’s lead program, for example, puts the value of a full replacement at $16,000 to $30,000. Costs vary widely with line length, depth, pavement and local labor, so get your own quote or ask your utility before assuming a figure.
Federal money: the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (formally the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) invests $15 billion in lead service line replacement through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. EPA says 49% of those funds must go to communities as grants or principal forgiveness loans, with no state match required. Importantly for homeowners, EPA says the fund can pay for the entire service line, from the main to where it connects with the home’s plumbing, regardless of who owns the property. Since 2025, EPA allots this money to states using the utilities’ own inventory data. Other sources EPA lists include WIIN Act grants for small and disadvantaged communities, Community Development Block Grants and American Rescue Plan recovery funds.
You don’t apply to EPA yourself. The money flows through your state to utilities, so your utility or state drinking water program is where to ask.
Examples of utility programs
- Denver Water (Colorado): its Lead Reduction Program, launched in 2020, replaces customer-owned lead service lines at no direct cost to customers, paid through water rates and boosted by federal funding. Homes that might have a lead line are enrolled automatically, notices go out typically a month or two before work, and customers get free filter pitchers and cartridges until six months after replacement. Denver Water reported passing 25,000 lines replaced.
- Chicago (Illinois): Lead Safe Chicago offers a free full replacement for eligible owner-occupants with household income below 80% of area median, free replacement of both the public and private sides when a line breaks or leaks (reported through 311), free replacement for licensed daycares in priority areas, and a permit-fee waiver when homeowners hire their own plumber. Check the city’s site for current income limits and terms.
Many other cities run similar programs, and the details change as funding arrives. Search your utility’s website for “lead service line” or call customer service.
What to expect during replacement
Every utility runs its program a little differently, but the steps usually look like this:
- Notice and consent. You get a letter or door hanger and, where the utility needs to work on private property, a consent form. Under the rule, utilities must make at least four attempts to reach owners whose consent is needed.
- Site visit. Crews or a contractor check where the line enters your home and where the curb valve and meter are.
- Scheduling. Ask how long your water will be off, whether they will dig in the yard or use methods that reduce digging, and how they will restore lawn, sidewalk or driveway.
- The work. The old line is disconnected at the main and at the house and a new line is installed; Denver Water, for example, installs copper. Your water will be off while the crew connects the new line.
- Filter and instructions. Before the new line goes into service, the utility must provide a certified pitcher filter or point-of-use device with six months of cartridges, plus information on reducing exposure. When work disturbs a lead, GRR or unknown line, the rule also requires instructions for a flushing procedure to remove lead particles.
- Follow-up test. The utility must offer to test your tap 3 to 6 months after replacement.
If you decide to replace your side first with your own plumber, coordinate with the utility before you start. Under EPA rules, when a customer replaces the private side of a lead line, the utility must replace its portion within 45 days, or notify the state and do it within 180 days. Hire a licensed plumber and pull any required permit; for a broader lead assessment of the home, see find a lead professional.
Flushing and filtering after replacement
Construction can shake loose lead particles from the old pipe and from your home’s plumbing, and EPA’s advisers found lead can stay elevated for a period after any replacement. The rule requires utilities to give flushing instructions when they disturb a lead, GRR or unknown line, so ask for them and follow them exactly; they vary by utility. In general:
- Flush as instructed before using the water, typically running cold water through the taps for a set time, and clean faucet aerators afterward, since lead particles can collect in the screens (EPA).
- Use the certified filter for drinking, cooking and baby formula for at least six months, and change cartridges on schedule. Filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead are the ones to use; see lead water filters and best water filters for lead.
- Use cold water only for drinking and cooking. Boiling does not remove lead.
- Retest. Accept the utility’s follow-up test, or test yourself with a certified lab. Our guide on how to test water for lead covers first-draw samples, and best lead water test kits compares options.
- Check fixtures. A new service line does not fix old brass faucets or lead solder inside the house. If tests stay high, ask a plumber to look at interior plumbing.
Brita Elite Replacement Filter, 1 Pack
- OB06 on NSF's lead listing with Tidal and Pacifica pitchers
- 120 gallons or about 6 months
- About $20, seen October 2026
Tap Score Lead & Copper in Water Test Kit
- Sample goes to a lab for analysis
- Prepaid return shipping
- About $59, seen October 2026
Use the filter your utility provides first. If you buy your own, check that it is certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead; Brita says the Elite filter’s certification applies in the pitcher models listed on its performance data sheet. If anyone in the home is pregnant or a young child, ask your doctor whether a blood lead test makes sense; more in lead and health.
For the full picture on lead in water, from testing to filters, start at our lead water testing hub.
Frequently asked questions
How long do utilities have to replace lead service lines?
Under EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, most must replace all lead and GRR lines under their control within 10 years, with most requirements starting November 1, 2027. States can set shorter deadlines, and a few systems with very many lead lines can get longer ones.
Do I have to pay for lead service line replacement?
It depends on your utility. Some, like Denver Water, replace lines at no direct cost; others offer free replacement to income-eligible owners or share costs. Federal funds can cover the whole line regardless of ownership, so ask your utility what applies to you.
Can I replace my side of the line myself?
Hire a licensed plumber rather than doing it yourself, and talk to your utility first so the public side is replaced too. Under EPA rules the utility must then replace its portion within 45 days, or within 180 days after notifying the state.
Is my water safe right after a lead line is replaced?
Lead can be higher for a while after any replacement. Follow the flushing instructions, use the certified filter for six months and retest.
What is a partial lead service line replacement?
Replacing only one part of a lead line, usually the utility’s side, and leaving the rest. EPA’s 2024 rule generally prohibits it except during emergency repairs or planned infrastructure work, because it is often followed by short-term lead spikes.
