Lead pipe and lead service lines

Entry in Metal pipe · Updated October 29, 2026 · Written by the Know Your Pipes editors from the sources listed under References

A lead service line is the pipe connecting a water main to a building's plumbing when any part of that pipe is made of lead^[1]. Lead pipe is a dull gray, soft metal, and short lead pipes called goose necks or pigtails may connect a service line to the main^[1].

The federal government banned the installation of new lead pipe in 1986, yet EPA estimates up to 9 million homes and businesses are still connected to water mains through lead lines^[2]. Where they exist, lead service lines are, in EPA's words, the most significant source of lead in tap water^[4].

1 Identifying lead pipe

EPA's identification guidance describes lead as a dull gray metal that scratches easily with a coin to show a shiny silver color^[1]. A magnet does not cling to it, and where a lead line was soldered to another pipe the joint often has a bulb-like shape^[1]. EPA's homeowner check, Protect Your Tap, uses only a penny or key and a magnet^[5]. A light surface scratch is enough; cutting, filing or sanding a suspected lead pipe releases lead dust and is not part of the test.

Table source: EPA^[1]. Water systems also keep service line inventories, which EPA requires them to make public^[3]; the utility can say what its records show for a given address. See identifying your pipes and galvanized steel pipe, since galvanized lines downstream of lead are treated much like lead.

2 The 2024 federal replacement rule

EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI), finalized in October 2024, require most water systems to replace lead and "galvanized requiring replacement" service lines under their control within 10 years, with limited exceptions^[3]. Systems must replace lead connectors as they find them, keep an updated public inventory, and submit a baseline inventory and replacement plan by November 1, 2027^[3].

The rule lowers the lead action level from 15 µg/L to 10 µg/L and requires first-liter and fifth-liter samples at homes with lead lines, using the higher result^[3]. Partial replacements are banned except during emergency repairs or planned work such as main replacement^[3]. Where a line on private property needs the owner's consent, the system must make repeated documented attempts to obtain it^[3]. After a full or partial replacement, the system must supply a filter certified to reduce lead and six months of replacement cartridges^[3].

3 Reducing exposure

EPA sets the health-based goal for lead in drinking water at zero^[4]. Its advice for homes that may have lead includes using only cold water for drinking, cooking and baby formula, running the tap to flush water that has sat in the pipes, and cleaning faucet aerators; boiling water does not remove lead^[4]. Lead can also come from older solder and brass; see lead-free solder and brass fittings and dezincification.

A filter for lead should be certified for lead reduction, with packaging that states NSF/ANSI 53 or NSF/ANSI 58^[6]. Reverse-osmosis units are one type sold for this purpose; this SoftPro reverse-osmosis system (SoftPro Water Systems has the same owners as this reference) is an example, and buyers should check the certification listing of any unit for a lead-reduction claim before relying on it. A certified laboratory test is the way to confirm whether lead is present^[5].