# Lead Service Line Replacement NYC | Type K Copper | NYC Repipe & Repair > Lead service line replacement in NYC: how DEP's free program works, who qualifies, and private replacement in Type K copper with permits. Free estimates. URL: https://nycrepipe.com/lead-service-line-replacement/ # Lead Service Line Replacement in NYC For owners of older one- to four-family houses whose water still arrives through a lead line from the street main. Get a free estimate → [☎ Call (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) By NYC Repipe & Repair · Last reviewed October 19 A trench at the curb with new Type K copper service pipe running toward a brownstone. Illustrative. [NYC Repipe & Repair](https://nycrepipe.com/) replaces lead service lines in New York City: the pipe that runs from the city water main under the street, past the curb valve, to the meter inside the building. In NYC the property owner owns that entire line, including the part under the sidewalk. Lead service line replacement removes the largest single run of lead between the main and your tap. If DEP has sent you a letter about its free program, start there. If not, DEP's own plan puts a private replacement at $5,000 to $10,000. ## What happens on the first visit 1. The service line identified where it enters the building, and checked against the NYC Service Line Map. 2. The route measured from the meter to the curb valve and the main, including any stoop, areaway or finished basement in the way. 3. A check for galvanized or lead inside the house, and whether the old service is used as the electrical ground. 4. A written, itemized price covering the DEP and DOT permits, the excavation, Type K copper and sidewalk restoration, before anything is booked. ## Who has a lead service line, and who owns it A service line is the pipe that brings water from the city main under the street into the building. In New York City, plumbers could legally install lead service lines until **1961**, and patch repairs to existing lead lines were allowed until **2009**. Lead lines are usually 2 inches or smaller, so they turn up in buildings with fewer than six units, most often older one- to four-family houses. The [DEP lead service line plan](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/water/water-monitoring/monitoring-for-lead/lead-service-line-replacement-plan.pdf) counts about **121,000** service lines that are lead or galvanized requiring replacement, plus about **118,000** of unknown material. Every known lead line is privately owned. DEP’s program page puts it plainly: property owners own and are responsible for their service line in its entirety, including the stretch under the sidewalk and street. To check your own address, search the NYC Service Line Map linked from the [DEP program page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/lead-service-line-replacement.page), then look at the pipe where it enters the building before the meter. [How to tell if you have lead pipes in NYC](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/do-i-have-lead-pipes-nyc/) shows what lead, galvanized and copper look like at the meter. ## The free DEP program: who qualifies DEP replaces lead service lines with copper at no cost, but only for eligible owners. You qualify if you receive a letter from DEP, or if the Department of Design and Construction contacts you during water main work on your street. You can’t sign up without one of those. The program started in Bronx neighborhoods including Concourse, Kingsbridge Heights, Melrose, Mott Haven and Fordham; Flushing and Borough Park are the next phases. A [New York State announcement](https://governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-mayor-mamdani-announce-free-lead-pipe-replacement-program-has-saved-900-bronx) reports more than 900 Bronx and Queens homeowners helped so far, with galvanized service lines covered as well as lead. If you get the letter, take it. DEP says replacement takes about one to two days, and its plan notes that only 63% of eligible owners have accepted. [Free lead pipe replacement in NYC](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/free-lead-pipe-replacement-nyc/) covers sign-up and what happens if you miss the window. ## How a private replacement works Owners outside the program hire a NYC Licensed Master Plumber, and the job crosses three agencies. Under PC 605.3, water service pipe must meet **DEP’s rules**, not just the plumbing code table. PC 106.6 adds **DEP permits** for the water connection and **DOT permits** for opening the sidewalk and street ([2022 NYC Plumbing Code, ch. 1](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter1_AdministrationWBwm.pdf)). Inside the property line, buried water pipe is limited to Type K copper, brass, ductile iron or stainless steel ([Table 605.4.1](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter6_WaterSupplyWBwm.pdf)), and Type K copper is the usual choice for a residential service. [Type L vs Type K copper](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/type-l-vs-type-k-copper/) explains the difference in wall thickness. The work itself runs in this order: permits and a DEP shutoff are arranged; the sidewalk and street are opened at the main and the curb valve; the new Type K copper is run into the building, often under a brownstone stoop; it is connected at the main, curb valve and meter; and the trench is backfilled and the sidewalk restored. Afterward, the line is flushed, and an electrician checks the grounding if the old service was the ground. ## What it costs, and what comes after DEP’s plan puts a private replacement at **$5,000 to $10,000** per line, and the program page warns it can cost more than $8,000. Longer runs, wider streets, deep mains and finished basements push the price up; [A Good Plumber](https://agoodplumber.com/plumbing-articles/old-brooklyn-brownstones-and-plumbing-whats-lurking-behind-the-walls/) lists $5,000 to $15,000 for Brooklyn. The [lead service line replacement cost guide](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/lead-service-line-replacement-cost-nyc/) breaks the line items down. A new service line fixes the pipe outside the meter, not the pipe inside. Lead in household plumbing wasn’t banned until 1987, and a house old enough to have a lead service usually still has galvanized supply inside. If the water is brown or pressure is weak upstairs, price [galvanized pipe replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) or a [whole house repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) at the same time, so one shutoff and one set of wall openings covers both. For the street-side work on non-lead lines, see [water line replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/water-line-replacement/). Housing-stock details are on the [Bronx](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/bronx/), [Brooklyn](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/brooklyn/) and [Queens](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/queens/) pages. ## What's included - Type K copper service pipe from the main to the meter - Connection at the main, curb valve and meter - DEP and DOT permits for the connection and sidewalk opening - Work filed by, or done under, a NYC Licensed Master Plumber - Lead-free valves and fittings certified to NSF 372 - Excavation, backfill and sidewalk restoration - Flushing of the new line before it goes into use - Grounding check flagged for the electrician where needed > Not sure whether the pipe at your meter is lead? One look and a scratch test settles it. [(929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Typical NYC price $5,000–$10,000 per service line, private replacement. Published range, not a quote. Sources: [NYC DEP lead service line plan](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/water/water-monitoring/monitoring-for-lead/lead-service-line-replacement-plan.pdf) Calls answered 24/7 Leak right now? Shut the main valve by the meter, then call. [☎ (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) Get a free estimate Spec
MaterialType L copper
CodeNYC PC T.605.4
Lead-freeNSF/ANSI 372
TransitionsASSE 1079
PermitDOB NOW · LAA
[Free tool Repipe cost estimator → Your house, your number, in under a minute.](https://nycrepipe.com/tools/repipe-cost-estimator/) The permit trail ## What a legal NYC repipe *leaves on the record* Every permitted repipe produces the same paper trail at the Department of Buildings. It's what a buyer's attorney, a co-op board or a lender will look for later. 1. DOB NOW: Build Filed Limited Alteration Application Filed by the Licensed Master Plumber, with the scope and the job cost. 2. DOB Issued Work permit Issued in real time for most repipes, and posted at the job. 3. On site Installed Type L copper in Run alongside the old pipe and switched over section by section. 4. Plumbing Code §108 Tested Pressure test The whole new system holds under test before walls close. 5. DOB Signed off Inspection and sign-off The job closes cleanly on the building's DOB record. Three ways it gets done ## Patch, cheap repipe, or permitted copper Three ways NYC pipe work gets done. Only one survives a co-op board, a refinance and the next winter. | What matters | DIY patch | Cheap operator | Permitted copper job | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pipe material | Whatever the hardware store sells, often PEX | PEX or thin Type M copper to save money | Type L copper, listed in NYC Plumbing Code Table 605.4 | | Fittings | Push-fit connectors (prohibited, PC 605.9) | Mixed: some push-fit, some solder | Soldered or permanent press joints; dielectric unions at steel | | Who may legally do it | Not the owner: NYC requires a Licensed Master Plumber | Often unlicensed, or a licence borrowed for the filing | A NYC Licensed Master Plumber, or a crew under one | | Permit | None | Often skipped (penalties start at $520, or $6,000 in 3+ family buildings) | Filed in DOB NOW and signed off | | Pressure test | None | Rarely | Whole system tested before walls close | | Co-op or condo board | Will not approve | Usually rejected at the insurance-certificate stage | Meets typical alteration-agreement requirements | | At sale or refinance | Unpermitted work can surface in inspection | Open DOB issues can delay closing | A clean DOB record for the job | Sources: [2022 NYC Plumbing Code, Chapter 6](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/codes-pdf/cons_codes_2022/2022PC_Chapter6_WaterSupplyWBwm.pdf); NYC DOB LAA fee and penalty charts ([1–3 family](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_category_2_fee_chart_1-2-3_family.pdf), [other buildings](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/laa_fee_chart_other.pdf)). From the field ## What lead service line replacement looks like in an NYC house Illustrative photographs of typical conditions and the copper that replaces them. Answered ## Lead Service Line Replacement, answered Is lead service line replacement free in NYC? Only for eligible owners. DEP replaces lead service lines with copper at no cost if you receive a letter from DEP, or if the Department of Design and Construction contacts you during water main work on your street. The program started in Bronx neighborhoods, with Flushing and Borough Park next. Without that letter, the owner pays, typically $5,000 to $10,000 per DEP's plan. Who is responsible for the lead service line in NYC? The property owner. DEP's program page states that owners own and are responsible for their service line in its entirety, from the main under the street to the building. Every known lead service line in the city is privately owned. DEP can't require replacement, which is why its plan estimates full replacement could take 40 to 50 years at the current pace. How do I know if my service line is lead? Search your address on the NYC Service Line Map, then look at the pipe just before the meter. Lead is dull gray, soft enough to scratch to a bright silver with a key, and won't hold a magnet. About 118,000 NYC lines are listed as unknown material. Lead lines were legal in NYC until 1961. Do I need to replace the pipes inside the house too? Often, yes. A new service line ends at the meter. A house old enough to have a lead service usually still has galvanized supply inside, and lead in household plumbing wasn't banned until 1987. If the water is brown or upstairs pressure is weak, price an interior copper repipe at the same visit so the shutoff and openings cover both. Who actually does the plumbing work? In New York City, permitted plumbing work must be performed by a NYC Licensed Master Plumber or by workers under an LMP's direct supervision, and the LMP files the permit in DOB NOW. Ask any contractor for the LMP's licence number before work starts, and check it on the DOB's public licence search. Further reading ## Related answers - [What Is the NYC Lead Service Line Replacement Cost?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/lead-service-line-replacement-cost-nyc/) - [Can I Get Free Lead Pipe Replacement in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/free-lead-pipe-replacement-nyc/) - [How to Tell If You Have Lead Pipes in NYC](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/do-i-have-lead-pipes-nyc/) - [Type L vs Type K Copper: Which Does NYC Code Require?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/type-l-vs-type-k-copper/) Related work - [Water Line ReplacementThe service pipe from the street to your meter: leaking, galvanized or too small. Replaced in Type K copper to DEP standards.](https://nycrepipe.com/water-line-replacement/) - [Whole House RepipingEvery supply line from the meter to each fixture, replaced in Type L copper for 1–3 family houses, brownstones and rowhouses.](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/) - [Galvanized Pipe ReplacementRust-clogged galvanized steel replaced with copper, the fix for brown water and weak pressure in prewar houses.](https://nycrepipe.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) Get your lead service line replacement priced in writing Pressure measured, pipe identified, an itemized price including the DOB permit.