The most reliable lead in soil test is a laboratory analysis of soil you collect from the spots that matter: where children play, along the drip line of an older house, and in the vegetable garden. Many university extension soil labs test for lead for a modest fee, and EPA-recognized commercial labs do too.
In short: under EPA’s lead hazard rules, bare soil is a hazard at 400 parts per million (ppm) or more in a children’s play area, or an average of 1,200 ppm in the rest of the yard. For gardens, EPA advises caution as levels approach 200 ppm, raised beds with clean soil from 200 to 400 ppm, and not using the existing soil for food above 400 ppm. Separately, EPA uses 200 ppm as a screening level at Superfund and similar cleanup sites. Sample play areas, the foundation and the garden separately, and send the samples to an extension lab or an NLLAP-recognized laboratory.
- 200 ppm EPA cleanup screening level
- 400 ppm Hazard: children's play areas
- 600 ppm EPA cleanup removal level
- 1,200 ppm Hazard: rest of the yard
Cleanup levels apply at Superfund and RCRA sites; the hazard levels are EPA's home standards. Source: EPA (40 CFR 745.65; 2025 soil lead directive)
Why lead ends up in yards
Lead is a natural element, and soil always contains a little. UConn Extension says undisturbed Connecticut soils typically hold 10 to 60 ppm from the parent rock. Much higher levels usually come from people. EPA lists the usual sources: past exhaust from leaded gasoline near roadways, the outside of older buildings painted with lead-based paint or fitted with lead gutters and flashing, and industrial sites such as smelters and battery plants. Because lead is an element, it stays in the soil long after the source is gone.
Children and adults can swallow soil while playing or gardening, eat produce grown in contaminated soil, or carry soil indoors on shoes, clothes and pets, where it becomes part of household dust. That link is why soil and dust are tested together in a professional risk assessment. Our lead dust testing guide covers the indoor side.
EPA soil lead levels, and which one applies to you
You will see several EPA numbers quoted online. They come from different programs and are used for different decisions:
| Number | What it is | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| 400 ppm | Soil-lead hazard for bare soil in a children’s play area | Risk assessments and abatement in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities (40 CFR 745.65) |
| 1,200 ppm (average) | Soil-lead hazard for bare soil in the rest of the yard | Same rule |
| 400 ppm or less | Maximum lead in replacement soil after soil abatement | Certified abatement work (40 CFR 745.227) |
| 200 ppm | Regional screening level for residential soil | Superfund and RCRA hazardous waste cleanup sites (EPA directive of October 16, 2025) |
| 600 ppm | Regional removal management level for residential soil | Same cleanup sites |
| About 200, 200 to 400, over 400 ppm | Gardening advice tiers | EPA’s healthy gardening guidance for home gardens |
The cleanup-site numbers changed recently. EPA’s January 2024 updated soil lead guidance for Superfund and RCRA sites has been superseded by a directive issued on October 16, 2025, which sets a regional screening level of 200 ppm and a removal management level of 600 ppm for residential soil, and uses a target child blood lead level of 5 µg/dL to set cleanup goals. These numbers guide federal cleanups. They are not limits for ordinary home yards, but UConn Extension notes they are useful reference points for homeowners.
Soil results are given in ppm or milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg). They are the same thing: 100 ppm equals 100 mg/kg.
Where to sample in your yard
Federal rules for risk assessors call for soil samples from three areas where bare soil is present: children’s play areas, the rest of the yard, and the drip line or foundation area. For your own testing, keep each area as its own sample so a high result points somewhere useful.
- Play areas. Any bare patch where children sit, dig or play. UConn Extension advises collecting the top 1 to 2 inches here, because children touch surface soil.
- Drip line and foundation. The strip under the eaves of a pre-1978 house, garage or shed, where old exterior paint has weathered and fallen. UConn suggests separate samples by distance from the foundation: 1 to 3 feet, 4 to 7 feet, 8 to 15 feet and more than 15 feet. Do not mix soil from right next to the house with soil farther out.
- Vegetable gardens. Sample the root zone, the top 6 to 8 inches, per UConn. If parts of the garden have different histories, sample them separately.
- Near roads and driveways. EPA advises keeping food gardens at least 10 feet from buildings, roads and driveways, where lead levels are likely higher. A sample here tells you how much room you have.
How to collect a soil sample
- Use clean tools. A plastic or stainless steel trowel and a clean plastic bucket. UConn warns against galvanized buckets, brass fittings, painted containers and dirty tools, which can add lead.
- Take 6 to 12 small subsamples from different spots in one area, at the depth for that area.
- Remove grass, roots and stones, then mix the subsamples well.
- Bag about one cup of the mix and label it clearly, for example “front of house, 1 to 3 ft”.
- Follow the lab’s own form. Labs differ. The University of Minnesota lab, for example, asks for a separate sample for its lead test and gives its own depth instruction on its 2026 form.
Professional samplers use the same idea of a composite sample. HUD’s Guidelines describe taking soil cores and keeping only the top half inch for analysis in play areas and along the building perimeter.
Where to get soil tested for lead
EPA says the best way to test soil is to send samples to a laboratory qualified to measure lead, such as one recognized under its National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program, and notes that many state university agricultural departments and extension offices test soil for lead at a cost. Some local health departments offer soil testing, and ATSDR runs soilSHOP events where residents can have garden soil screened.
Extension soil labs we confirmed offer a lead test (prices as listed when checked in October 2026; they change):
| Lab | Lead test offered | Listed price |
|---|---|---|
| University of Maine, Maine Soil Testing Service | Lead Scan (total soil lead by nitric acid extraction); Total Sorbed Metals Package including lead by EPA 3050B; the Standard Soil Test includes a metals scan | $12 lead scan; $60 metals package; $20 standard test (price list revised June 2026) |
| Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Lab | Total Sorbed Metals Test: cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, chromium and zinc by EPA 3050B + 6010, results only | $90 |
| UConn Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory | Lead screen with nutrient analysis, and a total sorbed metals test | See the lab’s fee list |
| UMass Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory | Routine analysis includes a lead screen; Total Sorbed Metals test for definitive values | See the lab’s fee list |
| University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory | Lead test on its lawn and garden form | See the lab’s current form for the price |
If your own state university runs a soil lab, check it first. Before mailing to a lab in another state, confirm on its form that it accepts out-of-state samples.
Lead screen or total lead?
Some Northeast labs add a lead screen to routine nutrient tests. UConn Extension explains that the screen measures an extractable part of soil lead and estimates the total from it, so it should be treated as a screening tool. The total sorbed metals test uses a strong acid digestion (EPA Method 3050B). UConn recommends the total test when you need a defensible number, such as for a real estate deal, a community garden assessment, or to confirm a high screen.
EPA-recognized labs and mail-in kits
EPA’s NLLAP list shows which recognized labs analyze soil and which are open to the public. The Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory, for example, lists $40 per soil sample at normal turnaround for homeowners. Mail-in kits on Amazon bundle the sampling supplies, return shipping and lab fee (checked October 9, 2026, In Stock that day):
Schneider Labs Lead Test Kit: Paint, Dust or Soil (1 sample)
- 1 soil, paint or dust sample
- Lead by EPA Method 7000B
- Results 5 business days after arrival
SimpleLab Heavy Metals in Soil Test
- 1 soil sample
- Lead, arsenic, cadmium and 6 more
- EPA 6010/6020, report in 10 business days
Schneider Laboratories in Richmond, Virginia is on EPA’s NLLAP list for soil. SimpleLab says its analysis is done by a certified laboratory under ISO 17025 but its listing does not name the lab. Instant soil test strips also exist; we have not found independent data on how they compare with lab results, so treat any strip as a rough screen and confirm with a lab. See home test vs lab testing.
If a child under six lives in or often visits a pre-1978 home, a certified risk assessor can test soil, dust and paint together and tell you which hazards come first. Use our find a lead professional page.
Gardening on soil with lead: EPA advice
EPA says one of the best ways to protect yourself when gardening is to use raised beds filled with clean soil, and that gardens in yards with some lead can still be safe with proper care. Its advice by test result:
| Soil result | EPA advice |
|---|---|
| Approaching 200 ppm | Exercise caution: wash hands, produce and clothes after gardening; wear gloves; limit gardening if pregnant or nursing. Deep-root plants go in raised beds. |
| 200 to 400 ppm | Modify the soil: raised beds of clean soil and compost, cover bare soil with mulch or ground cover, peel root vegetables, grow root and shallow-root crops in raised beds. Deep-root plants not recommended unless in containers. |
| Over 400 ppm | Do not use the existing soil: grow only shallow-root plants in raised beds with at least 16 inches of clean soil on top of garden fabric, or use containers. No root vegetables unless in containers. Add clean soil and compost every year. |
Other EPA tips for any garden near older buildings or roads:
- Wash all produce, peel root crops such as carrots, beets and radishes, and throw away the outer leaves of leafy vegetables. EPA notes root vegetables and leafy greens take up more lead than fruits like tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers.
- Keep soil pH near neutral (6.5 to 7.5) to limit lead uptake by plants, and use mulch to keep dust down and soil off crops.
- Bring in compost or manure from outside sources such as garden centers.
- Wear gloves, keep children and pets out of the garden while lead levels are unknown, store tools outside, and take shoes off at the door.
If the yard itself tests high
For play areas and bare yard soil, EPA suggests covering contaminated soil with a thick layer of clean soil, vegetation, mulch or other material, keeping children away from bare soil next to pre-1978 buildings, using doormats inside and outside, and wiping pets’ paws. A permanent fix is soil abatement by a certified firm: removing the soil and replacing it with soil at or below 400 ppm, or permanently covering it. See lead abatement.
Soil results tell you about the yard, not about anyone’s health. If you are concerned a child has swallowed soil or dust, ask your doctor about a blood lead test, and read more on lead poisoning. For the overview of dust and soil, visit our lead dust and soil testing hub.
Lead in soil test FAQ
What level of lead in soil is safe?
EPA does not name a safe level. Its hazard standards are 400 ppm for bare soil in play areas and an average of 1,200 ppm elsewhere in the yard, and its gardening advice starts urging caution as levels approach 200 ppm.
How much does a lead in soil test cost?
At the labs we checked in October 2026, from $12 for a lead scan (University of Maine) to $90 for a total sorbed metals test (Penn State), and $40 per sample at the Wisconsin Occupational Health Laboratory. Mail-in kits on Amazon cost more because they include supplies and shipping.
Is the 200 ppm EPA level the limit for my yard?
No. 200 ppm is a screening level for Superfund and RCRA cleanup sites. For homes, EPA’s hazard standards are 400 and 1,200 ppm, while its gardening guidance uses 200 and 400 ppm as decision points.
Can I test soil with a lead paint swab?
No. EPA recognizes swab kits only for paint on certain surfaces. Soil needs a laboratory test.
Is it safe to eat vegetables from my garden?
It depends on your result and what you grow. Test first, then follow EPA’s tiers above: below about 200 ppm with good habits, raised beds from 200 to 400 ppm, and raised beds or containers only above 400 ppm.
