What level of lead in water is safe?

The EPA's maximum contaminant level goal for lead is zero because there is no known safe level. The regulatory action level for utilities is being lowered from 15 to 10 parts per billion in 2027, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that water in schools not exceed 1 ppb. If any lead is detected at your tap, filtering drinking water is a reasonable precaution.

Does boiling water remove lead?

No. Boiling kills microorganisms but does not remove metals. Because some water evaporates, boiling can slightly increase lead concentration.

My utility says my water meets the lead standard. Does that mean my tap is fine?

Not necessarily. Utilities sample a limited number of high-risk homes and report the 90th-percentile result. Your home's service line, solder and fixtures determine your own tap water, which is why individual testing matters in older homes.

Who pays to replace a lead service line?

Utilities must replace the portion they own, and under the 2024 federal rule many are required to replace the full line, including the private side, when the homeowner consents. Programs vary — some cities cover the entire cost, others offer grants, loans or cost-sharing. Contact your utility and ask specifically about its lead service line replacement program.

Health & Safety

Lead in Drinking Water: Older Homes, Service Lines, Flushing, and How to Test

Lead almost never comes from the treatment plant — it comes from the pipes and fixtures between the water main and your glass. Learn which homes are at risk, how to check your service line, when flushing helps, and how to test and treat for lead.

2026-09-27 · CWT Editorial Team · 8 min read

Lead is unusual among drinking water contaminants: the water leaving a utility's plant is almost always lead-free. The problem is what happens on the way to your tap, as water sits in lead service lines, lead solder, and brass fixtures that were legal to install for most of the twentieth century.

There is no known safe level of lead exposure, and children under six are the most vulnerable. The good news is that lead is also one of the most manageable water problems: it is easy to test for, and inexpensive, certified filters remove it. This guide covers what you need to know.

Where Lead in Tap Water Comes From

Lead enters drinking water when it dissolves from, or flakes off, lead-containing plumbing. The main sources, in order of how much lead they can contribute:

Lead service lines — the pipe connecting the water main in the street to your home. Common in homes built before about 1950 and in some areas into the 1980s. A full lead service line can contribute far more lead than anything inside the house.
Lead solder — used to join copper pipes until the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments banned it. Homes built before 1988 may have it.
Brass and bronze fixtures and fittings — faucets, valves and meters made before 2014 were allowed to contain up to 8% lead; the current "lead-free" definition is 0.25%.
Galvanized steel pipe — can absorb lead from an upstream lead line and release it for years even after the lead line is removed.

Water chemistry matters: soft, acidic water dissolves lead more aggressively than hard water, warm water more than cold, and disruptions such as main breaks or construction can shake loose particulate lead even in homes with no history of problems.

Is Your Home at Risk? A Quick Checklist

Your risk is highest if several of these apply:

The home was built before 1950 (likely lead service line) or before 1988 (likely lead solder).
You live in an older city or neighborhood with known lead lines. Chicago, for example, has more lead service lines than any U.S. city — roughly 400,000 — and many Northeast and Midwest cities have tens of thousands.
Your utility's annual report lists a 90th-percentile lead result above 5 parts per billion, or reports an action-level exceedance.
You have galvanized steel plumbing, or your service line looks dull gray, is soft enough to scratch with a key, and is not attracted to a magnet.
You have brass faucets or valves installed before 2014, especially in a kitchen used for infant formula.

Under the EPA's 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, every water system had to publish an inventory of service line materials by October 2024 and must replace lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines within ten years, with most replacement programs starting in 2027. The rule also lowers the lead action level from 15 to 10 parts per billion. Search your utility's website for "service line inventory" to see what is recorded for your address — and note that many entries are still "unknown."

How to Check Your Own Service Line

Find where the water line enters your home, usually in the basement or crawlspace near the meter or main shut-off valve. Look at the pipe before the first valve or meter.

Lead is dull gray, soft, and can be scratched to a shiny silver with a coin or key. A magnet will not stick. Joints often look like swollen bulbs.
Galvanized steel is gray, hard, threaded at joints, and a magnet sticks firmly.
Copper looks like a penny (or dark brown when aged); a magnet will not stick.
Plastic (PEX, PVC, HDPE) is white, blue, black or clear and is obviously not metal.

The utility owns the portion from the main to your property line; you own the rest, and both sides can be lead. If your utility offers a free inspection or replacement program, take it.

Flushing: When It Helps and When It Does Not

Lead concentration rises the longer water sits still in contact with lead. Flushing clears that stagnant water.

Recommended practice when lead is a concern:

If water has sat for more than six hours, run the cold tap until it feels noticeably colder — typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes without a lead service line, and 3 to 5 minutes with one — before drinking or cooking.
Showering, flushing a toilet or running the dishwasher first counts as flushing the house line, though not the fixture itself.
Never use hot tap water for drinking, cooking or formula. Draw cold and heat it.
Clean faucet aerators regularly; particles of lead can collect in the screen.

Limits of flushing. It does not fix the source, it wastes water, and in homes with long lead service lines the "clean" water may take several minutes to arrive. Flushing is a stopgap until you have a certified filter or the line is replaced — not a permanent strategy.

How to Test for Lead

Lead cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, so testing is the only way to know. Two methods are worth your money:

Certified laboratory test ($30 – $80 per sample). Ask for a first-draw sample (the first liter after at least six hours of stagnation) and a flushed sample (after running the tap for several minutes). A high first-draw with a low flushed result points to fixtures or interior plumbing; high results on both suggest the service line. Many utilities offer free lead testing kits — call and ask.
Mail-in lab kit ($40 – $150). Convenient and acceptable if the lab is state-certified and reports a detection limit of 1 part per billion or lower.

Skip home test strips for lead; most cannot detect lead near the 10 ppb action level, let alone the lower levels relevant to children. Our guide to home testing versus certified lab testing walks through sampling step by step.

Treatment That Works

Lead is one of the easier contaminants to remove at the tap:

Faucet-mount, pitcher and under-sink filters certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead reduction typically remove more than 99% of both dissolved and particulate lead. Prices start around $30 to $60 for a pitcher and $100 to $300 for an under-sink unit. Replace cartridges on schedule — the certification is only valid within the rated capacity.
Reverse osmosis systems certified to NSF/ANSI 58 remove lead along with a wide range of other contaminants. See our reverse osmosis vs. pitcher vs. whole-house comparison.
Replacing lead sources — the service line, lead-soldered joints, pre-2014 brass fixtures — is the permanent fix. Replacing only the utility's half of a lead service line can temporarily increase lead release, so ask about full replacement and use a filter for at least six months afterward.

Whole-house filters and water softeners are not lead solutions: softeners do not remove lead, and whole-house units sit upstream of most interior lead sources. If you have young children or are pregnant and suspect lead, use filtered or bottled water for drinking and formula until test results come back. Need help finding a certified installer? Schedule a free water test and we will connect you with a vetted local provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level of lead in water is safe?: The EPA's maximum contaminant level goal for lead is zero because there is no known safe level. The regulatory action level for utilities is being lowered from 15 to 10 parts per billion in 2027, but the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that water in schools not exceed 1 ppb. If any lead is detected at your tap, filtering drinking water is a reasonable precaution.
Does boiling water remove lead?: No. Boiling kills microorganisms but does not remove metals. Because some water evaporates, boiling can slightly increase lead concentration.
My utility says my water meets the lead standard. Does that mean my tap is fine?: Not necessarily. Utilities sample a limited number of high-risk homes and report the 90th-percentile result. Your home's service line, solder and fixtures determine your own tap water, which is why individual testing matters in older homes.
Who pays to replace a lead service line?: Utilities must replace the portion they own, and under the 2024 federal rule many are required to replace the full line, including the private side, when the homeowner consents. Programs vary — some cities cover the entire cost, others offer grants, loans or cost-sharing. Contact your utility and ask specifically about its lead service line replacement program.

Topics: lead in drinking water, lead service line, lead pipes, lead water test, flushing tap water, health, older homes