Got a Baltimore Water Service Line Letter? Lead Pipes Explained

Baltimore City DPW announced in September 2025 that it would mail water service line notification letters to properties whose line is lead, galvanized requiring replacement or of unknown material. This guide explains what each letter means, how to identify your own pipe with a key and a magnet, which part of the line you own, and what federal lead rules require next, using DPW and EPA sources.

Call (410) 555-0199

Letter says “unknown”? DPW’s survey asks for a photo of your pipe.

What to do with the letter

Read which pipe material the letter names.
Check the pipe where it enters your home.
Complete DPW’s Self-Reporting Survey for an unknown line.
Call 311, or 443-263-2220 outside the city, with questions.
Watch for yearly notices; federal rules require them.

Step 1 of 4

Find the service line where it enters your home

Baltimore City DPW says the service line usually enters the home in the basement or utility area. Look at the pipe between the wall and the main shut-off valve, and bring the tools DPW lists for its survey: a key, a magnet, a coin, a flashlight and a phone or camera.

Step 2 of 4

Scratch the pipe gently with a key or coin

EPA describes lead as a dull gray, soft metal that scratches easily with a coin or butter knife and shows shiny silver underneath. Copper scratches to a bright copper color, while galvanized steel resists scratching. A bulb-shaped joint where the pipe connects is another EPA marker of lead.

Step 3 of 4

Hold a magnet to the pipe

A magnet does not cling to lead or copper, and it sticks easily to galvanized steel (iron), according to EPA. Combine the magnet with the scratch test: soft, silver when scratched and non-magnetic points to lead.

Step 4 of 4

Photograph the pipe and report it to DPW

DPW’s instructions: go to servicelinepartnership.baltimorecity.gov, choose “Take the Self-Reporting Survey!”, enter your address, answer the questions and upload a photo of your service line. Baltimore City DPW and Baltimore County’s Department of Public Works and Transportation run the survey together as the Baltimore Service Line Partnership.

What does the Baltimore DPW service line letter mean?

The letter reports what your water service line is made of in the City’s inventory. DPW said letters for lead and galvanized lines confirm the material and list steps to reduce lead exposure, while letters for unknown lines ask owners to complete the online Self-Reporting Survey.

DPW’s September 2025 update counted 9,193 lead service lines (about 2% of all lines), 459 galvanized lines requiring replacement (0.1%) and 58,508 lines of unknown material (13%). The utility says water leaves its filtration plants with no lead but can pick up lead from old service lines, and that it adds an anti-corrosive agent to the water.

Questions go to 311 inside Baltimore City or (443) 263-2220 from outside the city, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

How lead, galvanized, copper and plastic pipes compare

Identifying service line material at home (EPA guidance)
Material	Look	Scratch test	Magnet	Lead source?
Lead	Dull gray, soft; bulb-shaped joints	Scratches easily, shows shiny silver	Does not stick	Yes
Galvanized steel	Gray or silver; old pipe dark brown, gray or black; threaded ends	Hard to scratch	Sticks easily	Counts as “requiring replacement” when it is or was downstream of lead
Copper	Penny-colored; older pipe dull or greenish	Scratches to shiny copper	Does not stick	Joints soldered before 1990 can contain lead solder
Plastic (PVC, PEX)	PVC white or gray; PEX red, blue, white or black	—	Does not stick	No, per EPA

EPA defines a galvanized line as “requiring replacement” when it is or ever was downstream of a lead line, sits downstream of a line of unknown material, or cannot be shown never to have been downstream of lead.

Which part of the service line do you own?

In Baltimore City, DPW maintains the outdoor water line up to and including the meter, and the property owner is responsible for the line from the meter into the house and all indoor plumbing. DPW’s Water Main FAQ adds that customers pay to maintain the service pipe on their property. How to tell which side of the meter a leak is on, and how to get a bill credit after the repair, is covered in who pays for water line leaks between the meter and the house.

Baltimore County homes on the regional system also have a privately owned section. The Baltimore Sun reported in August 2026 that the County was mailing notices to more than 104,000 homes whose line material is unknown, that some lines may need replacement costing $5,000 to $10,000, and that eligible residents can have the work done free. An earlier County offer covered customer-side lead lines reported through the survey by March 31, 2026. Confirm current eligibility with the County’s Lead Reduction Program at 410-887-1368.

What federal lead rules require next

Utilities had to finish an initial service line inventory by October 16, 2024, under EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Revisions.
Customers served by lead, galvanized-requiring-replacement or unknown lines get a notice within 30 days of that inventory and again every year.
EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, announced October 8, 2024, require full replacement of lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement lines under a utility’s control within 10 years of the November 1, 2027 compliance date.
The same rule lowers the lead action level from 0.015 mg/L to 0.010 mg/L and requires utilities serving more than 50,000 people to post their inventory online.

Why lead pipes are still in Baltimore homes

Maryland banned new lead water service lines in 1972, according to Baltimore City DPW, and the 1986 Safe Drinking Water Act amendments banned pipe that was not “lead free” nationwide. EPA notes lead pipe and high-lead solder were probably still used until 1990, so homes built before then can still have them.

EPA sets the health goal for lead in drinking water at zero, and EPA and CDC agree no safe level of lead in a child’s blood has been identified. The health language EPA requires in lead line notices warns that children can lose IQ and attention span, and adults face higher risks of heart disease, high blood pressure and kidney or nervous system problems.

Lead service line questions

What does “galvanized requiring replacement” mean on my letter?

It means a galvanized steel service line that is or ever was downstream of a lead line, sits downstream of a line of unknown material, or cannot be shown never to have been downstream of lead. EPA treats those lines like lead lines for replacement.

Is my water unsafe if I have a lead service line in Baltimore?

Baltimore City DPW says water leaves its plants with no lead but can pick up lead from old service lines, and it adds an anti-corrosive agent. EPA sets the health goal for lead at zero, so follow the exposure-reduction steps in your letter.

Who pays to replace a lead service line in Baltimore City?

DPW says customers pay to maintain the service pipe on their own property. Federal rules require utilities to replace lead lines under their control within 10 years of the November 1, 2027 compliance date, so ask DPW at 311 about current replacement options.

Leaks and repairs on your side of the meter

A leaking or broken service line between the meter and your foundation is a plumbing repair the property owner arranges. How Speedy Plumbing Baltimore handles water line and pipe failures is covered on our Baltimore emergency water line and pipe repair page, and finding your main shut-off valve shows where to stop the water first.

Sources

Checked 2026-09-13. Plumbing and safety guidance changes; follow your utility’s and insurer’s current instructions.

Service line leaking?

Call Speedy Plumbing Baltimore for the repair on your side of the meter. The line is answered 24 hours a day.

Call (410) 555-0199