Lead Pipe Map

Do old houses have lead pipes?

Many do. Congress banned lead pipes and lead solder in new drinking water plumbing in 1986. Homes built before then can have a lead service line, lead solder on copper pipes, or brass fixtures with lead.

By year built

  • Before about 1950: the most likely era for lead service lines. Some cities, including Chicago, required lead service lines until the 1980s.
  • 1950 to 1986: copper became common, but lead solder was still used to join copper pipes.
  • 1986 to 2014: lead pipe and lead solder were banned, but "lead-free" faucets and fittings could still contain up to 8% lead.
  • 2014 and later: "lead-free" means no more than 0.25% lead on wetted surfaces.

Three places lead hides

  1. The service line from the street to your home. Usually the biggest source. How to check it.
  2. Solder on copper pipes inside the house, in homes plumbed before 1986. Lead solder looks dull gray at the joints.
  3. Faucets and valves made before 2014.

What to do

  • Check your utility's inventory for your address and do the scratch test.
  • Test your water with a first-draw sample.
  • Replace old faucets with certified lead-free models; it's cheap.
  • Filter drinking water with an NSF/ANSI 53 lead-certified filter until you know.

Look up your water system or ZIP code on the Lead Pipe Map home page to see how many lead lines it reported.

Common questions

What year did they stop using lead pipes?

Lead pipes and lead solder were banned in new drinking water plumbing in 1986 by amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act. Some homes built shortly after may still have older materials.

Does a house built in the 1970s have lead pipes?

The service line is less likely to be lead than in older homes, but copper plumbing from that era was usually joined with lead solder.

Can new faucets contain lead?

Since 2014, faucets sold for drinking water can contain no more than 0.25% lead on wetted surfaces. Older "lead-free" fixtures could contain up to 8%.

More: How to tell if your home has a lead service line · 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?