Lead service line replacement
If you own a building in New York City and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) sends you a letter, lead service line replacement costs you nothing. No letter? Paying a contractor to do the job yourself could run over $8,000.
Your service line is the pipe connecting your building to the water main under the street. By the time NYC water leaves the city's system, it's lead-free. But traveling through a lead pipe can change that, and service lines made of lead are usually where most of the lead in tap water comes from.
- federal deadline to replace lead lines
- 10 years
- NYC DEP program cost to eligible owners
- $0
- typical replacement work
- 1 to 2 days
What does replacing a lead service line cost?
Bringing in your own contractor for the swap can run past $8,000. In New York City, the whole service line belongs to the property owner, so the pipe is yours to deal with.
| Replacement route | Owner's cost |
|---|---|
| DEP program, if DEP mails you a letter | $0 |
| Your own contractor | Could top $8,000 |
Is there a lead pipe replacement program in NYC?
Yes, there is. DEP replaces eligible lead or galvanized service lines with copper pipe, and the owner pays nothing. Galvanized pipe is steel with a zinc coating.
You can't sign up on your own. The program is only for owners who receive a letter from DEP or hear from the city's Department of Design and Construction. If that letter shows up, hold onto it. It's what gets you the replacement at no charge.
The city's lead pipe inventory
An inventory is simply a record of which pipes are lead. A federal rule requires water systems to locate and swap out lead pipes within 10 years. Locating them comes first, and how old your building is tells you a lot.
Lead service lines were legal for plumbers to install in NYC until 1961, which is why older buildings run a higher risk of having one. Nationally, lead pipe shows up more often in aging cities and in houses that went up before 1986.
This touches a lot of people. In 2023, the NYC Coalition to End Lead Poisoning estimated that 1 in 5 New Yorkers might be drinking through a lead or possible lead service line.
Getting the replacement done in NYC: what happens and when
After DEP enrolls you, expect the work to take about 1 to 2 days. The lead or galvanized pipe gets removed and copper takes its place.
NYC is working toward a 2027 deadline set by the EPA's updated Lead and Copper Rule. Money from the federal government helps, since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reserved $15B to swap out lead service lines.
Testing your tap water for lead
A test tells you what's really in your water. DEP offers a lead test kit at no charge. Call 311, or fill out the form online. One kit per household, and results arrive by mail within 30 days.
A private test runs $20 to $100.
The EPA's action level sits at 15 parts per billion. If more than 10% of a water system's tap samples come in above that, the system has to act. Remember, that number tells the utility when to act; it isn't a safe amount, because the EPA wants zero.
Cutting lead in your water until the pipe is swapped out
For some people, drinking water accounts for 20% or more of their lead exposure. Babies on formula can take in 40% to 60% of theirs from water, which makes the water going into formula the thing to watch most.
- Flush the pipes before you drink. Running a shower, doing laundry or washing dishes first works. If not, let the cold tap run at least 30 seconds, until the water feels noticeably colder. Mayo Clinic recommends at least 1 minute if you know lead plumbing is in your home.
- Drink, cook, and mix baby formula with cold water only. Boiling won't remove lead.
- If you use a filter, pick one that's certified to remove lead.
Showers are fine, because skin doesn't soak up lead from water. Even pipes sold as "lead-free" can hold a little lead, as much as 0.25% on surfaces water touches.