# Lead Service Line Replacement in Columbus, Ohio

> Lead service line replacement in Columbus for owners who can't wait for the City's program, suburbs on their own systems, LEAP loan projects and leaking lines.

URL: https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/lead-service-line-replacement/

Replacing a lead or galvanized service line in copper when the City's street-by-street program is not the right fit: a leak now, a street years out, a suburb with its own system, or a LEAP-funded job.

Last Updated: October 29, 2026

Replacing a lead or galvanized service line in copper when the City's street-by-street program is not the right fit: a leak now, a street years out, a suburb with its own system, or a LEAP-funded job.

Last Updated: October 29, 2026

**$6,000 to $10,000** The City of Columbus's own figure for replacing a service line outside its scheduled program

**$10,000** Most a LEAP loan covers: 0% interest, deferred up to 99 years, through Columbus Water & Power

**6 to 8 hours** How long the City says to plan for without water while a service line is replaced

**1963** Columbus stopped allowing new lead or galvanized service lines in December 1963

[Slate Repiping Columbus](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/) offers and manages lead service line replacement for owners in Columbus and nearby Franklin County communities who need the work done outside the City’s scheduled program. The City of Columbus is replacing lead and galvanized service lines street by street at no direct cost to owners, and for many houses waiting is the right call. This page is for the owners it does not fit. The work is carried out by licensed and insured plumbing contractors, and work on the service pipe is done by contractors holding the City of Columbus water contractor license. Slate Repiping Columbus is not the City’s program contractor and does not schedule City work.

## Who has a lead service line

A service line is the buried pipe from the water main in the street to the meter inside the house. Columbus has not allowed new lead or galvanized service lines since December 1963, and the City says roughly 20% of its service lines may contain lead components. Its interactive map shows possible lead or galvanized lines at 50,000 to 60,000 homes. Inside the city limits, the inventory lists 10.7% of lines as lead on the utility side and 6.9% as galvanized requiring replacement, with another 9.6% unknown.

The share runs much higher in older ZIPs. In 43206, around German Village, a third of inventory records show lead on the utility side. In 43202, south Clintonville and Old North, it is 45.8%. The [Columbus lead service line program guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/columbus-lead-service-line-program/) shows how to look up an address, and the [guide to identifying pipe material](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-to-identify-pipe-material/) covers what to check at the meter: lead is dull gray, soft enough to scratch to a shiny silver with a key, and not magnetic.

Galvanized service lines count too. The City treats galvanized lines as requiring replacement because galvanized pipe can collect lead from lead pipe upstream of it and tends to leak. The [galvanized pipe safety guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/are-galvanized-pipes-safe/) covers the same question for pipe inside the house.

## When a contractor makes sense instead of the City’s program

The City intends to cover the one-time cost of replacement during scheduled work while funding remains, and only the owner listed with the Franklin County Auditor can sign the work agreement. If the street is in an active project area and the owner signs, there is usually no reason to hire anyone. These are the cases where that does not work.

### The street is years away

The program is planned as a 12-year citywide project. Some owners do not want to live with a lead line that long, especially with young children in the house, or are selling and want the line replaced first. They can pay for it themselves or apply for a LEAP loan. The City puts the cost of replacing a line outside the schedule at about $6,000 to $10,000.

### The line is leaking now

Before scheduled construction reaches a street, leaks on the private side are the owner’s responsibility, and City code does not allow a lead service line to be repaired. A leak means replacement. LEAP covers leaking lines, and the City says replacement is free for income-qualified owners whose line is leaking. The City also says owners who are out of water can apply, but the water stays off until replacement, which may take two to three weeks. If the line breaks, shut the water off at the main inside the house and call; [burst pipe repair](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/burst-pipe-repair/) covers what to do inside while the line is sorted out.

### The house uses LEAP

LEAP is open to any property owner with a Columbus Water & Power bill, including customers in contract suburbs who receive a Columbus water bill. It is a 0% loan up to $10,000, secured as a lien and repaid in one payment at sale or a cash-out refinance, or within 99 years. The owner picks the contractor, gets three quotes (with fewer than three, the loan is capped at $4,000), and signs a three-party agreement with the contractor and the City before work starts. The contractor has to be certified for water service line work and registered with City vendor services, so ask each contractor to show both before a quote is counted. The [lead service line replacement cost guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/lead-service-line-replacement-cost/) explains what the loan pays for.

### The suburb runs its own system

Bexley, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg and Obetz buy water from Columbus through master meters, and the Columbus inventory map has almost no records for them. Bexley keeps its own inventory, has mailed notices to owners and says there are few, if any, known private lead lines; it offers a galvanized service line loan of the lesser of $4,000 or 80% of the cost to owners in its sewer remediation work, through a City-approved vendor. Westerville runs its own water system, so its rules are confirmed per address. For customers outside its limits, the City says the local municipality will send notice about service line work.

## How a private replacement works

The job starts with the address: its inventory listing, whether it sits in a City project area, and who is on the Auditor’s record as owner. Then the line is checked where it comes through the basement wall, because the inventory has unknowns and the material at the meter settles a lot of them.

The new line is Type K soft copper from the main through the curb stop for 2-inch and smaller service pipe, under the City’s rules, with Type K copper or approved poly tubing from the curb stop through the meter setting. A reused tap that turns out to be lead or galvanized is abandoned at the main. The [water line replacement](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/water-line-replacement/) page covers the trench, the pull between pits, the 32-inch frost depth and the foundation entry.

Building and Zoning Services inspects the line from the meter to the building under a Water Service Installation permit. The City says to plan for roughly six to eight hours without water while a service line is changed.

## What a service line replacement leaves behind

The City’s program, LEAP and a private replacement all stop at the meter. None replaces lead hazards inside the house. Copper joined before 1986 can carry lead solder (the [copper repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/copper-repiping/) page covers replacing it), and brass valves and fittings could contain up to 8% lead until 2014. A house old enough to have a lead service line may also still have galvanized pipe inside.

That inside work is a separate repipe. Where the walls and basement are being opened anyway, it can be planned to follow the service line so the meter connection is made once. [Galvanized pipe replacement](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/galvanized-pipe-replacement/) and [old house repiping](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/old-house-repiping/) cover the inside of the house, and a [whole-house repipe](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/whole-house-repiping/) replaces everything from the main shutoff on.

## Lead and the water while you wait

The City adds a zinc orthophosphate corrosion inhibitor to its water, which is meant to coat pipe walls and reduce how much lead dissolves from lead pipe and solder. Disturbing a lead line, including during digging or meter work nearby, can still release particles. The US EPA’s guidance for homes with lead lines includes running the tap before drinking when water has sat, using only cold water for drinking and cooking, and using a filter certified for lead removal. Those steps reduce exposure; they are not a substitute for replacing the line.

## What drives the price

Outside the City’s own figure, there is no public price for replacing a lead line in Columbus. The cost moves with the length of the run, its depth, what lies over the route (lawn, sidewalk, driveway, trees), whether the line can be pulled between pits, and whether the curb stop and meter setting need work. The [cost guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/lead-service-line-replacement-cost/) covers each driver in more detail, and the [repiping permit guide](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/repiping-permit-columbus/) covers the inside work that may follow.

## What's included

- Checking the line's listing in the City's service line inventory and confirming the material at the meter
- Checking whether the street is already in a City project area before any quote
- A written quote that can be one of the three LEAP requires
- The private-side line from the curb stop to the meter setting, replaced in copper
- A new sealed foundation entry and reconnection at the meter and main shutoff
- The Water Service Installation permit and its inspections
- Backfill, and a written list of the restoration included
- A note of any lead solder, brass or galvanized pipe left inside the house

## Ways to replace a lead service line in the Columbus area

|  | City program (scheduled) | LEAP loan | Owner-paid |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Who picks the contractor | The City | The owner, from contractors certified for service lines and registered as City vendors | The owner, from City-licensed water contractors |
| Timing | When the program reaches the street | After three quotes and a signed three-party agreement | When the owner schedules it |
| Cost to owner | The City intends to cover it while funding lasts | A 0% lien up to $10,000, repaid at sale or cash-out refinance | The full cost; the City puts it at about $6,000 to $10,000 |
| Can work start first? | No | No: work started before the agreement is not reimbursed | Yes, under permit |
| Inside lead pipe, solder, brass | Not replaced | Not covered | Separate repipe |

## Related resources

- Learn [How does the Columbus lead service line replacement program work?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/columbus-lead-service-line-program/)What the City replaces, when it reaches a street, who has to sign, how to check an address on the map, and how to time an interior repipe so the house is opened once.
- Cost Guide [How much does lead service line replacement cost in Columbus?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/lead-service-line-replacement-cost/)The City's own figure for replacing a line outside its schedule, the site conditions that push a job up or down, and the programs that can bring an owner's cost to zero or spread it out.
- Learn [Are galvanized pipes safe for drinking water?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/are-galvanized-pipes-safe/)Galvanized steel is not a lead pipe, but it can collect lead from one. Here is how that happens, why federal rules now treat some galvanized lines as replace-required, and what old steel does to flow and water color.
- Learn [How do you identify lead pipes and other pipe materials?](https://slaterepipingcolumbus.com/guide/how-to-identify-pipe-material/)A refrigerator magnet, a coin and a flashlight answer most of the question. This guide shows what each pipe looks like, how to check safely, where Columbus's map helps, and what each material means for the house.

## How a repipe runs

1. First call Describe the houseIts age, the pipe you can see in the basement, the leaks so far and which floors lose pressure.
2. Walk through Map and scopeMains, branches, shutoffs and fixtures traced from the meter; material, openings and permit agreed in writing.
3. Pipe day Replace and reconnectWater shut off in stages, new lines run, fixtures and the water heater reconnected.
4. Sign off Test, inspect, patchPressure test and flush, permit inspections, then the openings are closed.

## What this work looks like

Dark gray lead service pipe coming out of a basement wall with a fresh silver scratch and a coin resting on it, in a Columbus house

Removed length of bent gray service pipe lying on a blue tarp on a basement floor, in a Columbus house

New copper service pipe entering through a sealed hole in a basement wall and connecting to a water meter, in an older Columbus home

Small pit beside a sidewalk exposing a curb valve box and an old service pipe, in an older Columbus home

## Lead service line replacement questions

### Should I wait for the City to replace my lead service line for free?

Often, yes. If the line is lead or galvanized and the City's program is scheduled to reach the street, waiting usually costs nothing. Hiring a contractor makes sense when the line is leaking now, the street is not scheduled soon, the house is in a suburb on its own water system, or the owner is using a LEAP loan.

### Can I be reimbursed if I replace my lead service line before the City gets to my street?

No. The City says it does not reimburse owners for service line work already done, and LEAP work started before the three-party agreement and notice to proceed is not eligible. Check the program status and sign any agreements before hiring anyone.

### Does replacing the lead service line remove all the lead from my plumbing?

No. The service line ends at the meter. Copper joined before 1986 can have lead solder, and brass fittings could contain up to 8% lead until 2014, according to the City. Those are inside the house, and replacing them is a repipe, not part of the service line job.

### Can a lead service line be patched instead of replaced in Columbus?

No. City code declares lead and galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines a public nuisance and prohibits repairing a lead service line. A leak on one means replacement, either by the owner's contractor or through the City's program.

## Related services

### Water line replacement

The buried service line from the curb stop to the inside meter, replaced in copper under the City's water service rules, with the trench, the frost depth and the inspection planned before digging.

### Galvanized pipe replacement

Old threaded steel water pipe inside the house replaced with PEX or copper, with the transitions, the loosened scale and the flush handled as part of the job.

### Whole-house repiping

Every hot and cold supply line from the main shutoff to the fixtures, replaced in PEX or copper, pressure tested and inspected under a City or suburban plumbing permit.