How to tell if your home has a lead service line
The service line is the pipe that carries water from the main under the street into your home. If it's lead, every glass of tap water passes through it. You can usually check it yourself in two minutes.
1. Look up your address first
Every water system had to build an inventory of service line materials by October 16, 2024, and make it publicly accessible. Large systems post an address search map online. Find your water system on Lead Pipe Map, then use the "Find the official inventory map" button on its page.
If the inventory says lead or galvanized requiring replacement, plan for replacement and filter your water now. If it says unknown, do the check below and tell your utility what you find; many utilities ask residents to submit a photo.
2. Find where the pipe enters your home
Look in the basement, crawl space, utility room or garage, usually on the wall facing the street. You're looking for the pipe that comes through the floor or wall and runs to the water meter or main shut-off valve. Check the section before the meter or valve. In warm climates the meter is often in a box near the curb.
3. Do the scratch and magnet test
- Scratch the pipe gently with a coin or a key. Don't use a file or knife; you don't want to puncture it.
- Hold a fridge magnet against it.
| What you see | Magnet | Likely material |
|---|---|---|
| Dull gray, scratches to shiny silver, soft | Doesn't stick | Lead |
| Dull gray, scratch stays gray, hard | Sticks | Galvanized steel |
| Penny-colored, scratches to bright copper | Doesn't stick | Copper |
| White, black or blue, plastic feel | Doesn't stick | Plastic (PVC, PEX, PE) |
Lead lines often have a rounded, bulb-shaped joint where they meet the meter or valve. Galvanized pipe has threaded joints.
4. Consider the age of your home
Congress banned lead pipes in new plumbing in 1986. Homes built before then, and especially before the 1950s, are the most likely to have lead service lines. Some cities kept installing lead until the ban.
What if you find lead or galvanized pipe?
- Use a filter certified to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead for drinking, cooking and baby formula.
- Report it to your utility; it may move you onto a replacement list.
- Test your water.
- Ask about free or cost-share replacement, or get plumber quotes.
Only part of a pipe is visible, so a scratch test isn't proof. Even a copper section inside your home can connect to lead under the yard.
More: What "lead status unknown" means · Water filters that remove lead · How to test your tap water for lead · Lead service line replacement: cost, who pays and deadlines · Does a Brita filter remove lead? · Is it safe to shower with lead pipes?