# Free Lead Pipe Replacement NYC: Who Qualifies for DEP | NYC Repipe & Repair

> Free lead pipe replacement NYC: DEP replaces lead or galvanized service lines at no cost, but only with a DEP letter or during city main work. Free estimates.

URL: https://nycrepipe.com/answers/free-lead-pipe-replacement-nyc/

Decision Guide

# Can I Get Free Lead Pipe Replacement in NYC?

Get a free estimate → [☎ Call (929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658)

By [NYC Repipe & Repair](https://nycrepipe.com/) · Last reviewed October 19

Free lead pipe replacement in NYC is available only to owners DEP has selected: you must **receive a DEP letter**, or have your line found during city water main work. DEP then replaces the lead or galvanized service line with copper **at no cost**. Everyone else pays privately, typically $5,000–$10,000, and the program never covers pipes inside the house.

[NYC Repipe & Repair](https://nycrepipe.com/) publishes these figures with named sources so every number can be checked before you call anyone, including us.

New York City’s free lead pipe program is real, and it’s worth thousands of dollars to the owners it reaches. It just reaches a small, chosen share of them. DEP counts about 121,000 lead or galvanized-requiring-replacement service lines citywide, and the funding announced so far covers up to 7,000.

## Who qualifies for free replacement

| Route | How you qualify | What it costs you | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DEP program letter | DEP mails eligible owners in income-eligible, environmental-justice neighborhoods | $0 | [NYC DEP program page](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/lead-service-line-replacement.page) |
| DDC water main work | Your line is found during city water and sewer main construction | $0 | NYC DEP program page, above |
| Everyone else | Owner hires a contractor | $5,000–$10,000 typical | [NYC DEP replacement plan](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/water/water-monitoring/monitoring-for-lead/lead-service-line-replacement-plan.pdf) |

DEP is explicit: “Only property owners who receive a letter from DEP are eligible to sign up for this program.” There’s no application for owners outside a phase. You can check what DEP’s records show for your property on the NYC Service Line Map, and [how to tell if you have lead pipes in NYC](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/do-i-have-lead-pipes-nyc/) explains how to confirm it in the cellar.

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## Where the program has run

The State’s announcement says the program has saved more than 900 Bronx and Queens homeowners “more than $10,000 each” ([Governor’s office](https://governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-mayor-mamdani-announce-free-lead-pipe-replacement-program-has-saved-900-bronx)). Completed and active areas include:

-   **[The Bronx](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/bronx/):** Mount Eden, Fordham Heights, University Heights, Kingsbridge Heights, Belmont and Mount Hope completed; Melrose, Mott Haven, Concourse Village, Williamsbridge, Norwood, Bedford Park, Allerton and others underway.
-   **[Queens](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/queens/):** Flushing, Murray Hill, Queensboro Hill and East Flushing underway.
-   **Next:** Soundview in the Bronx and Borough Park in [Brooklyn](https://nycrepipe.com/boroughs/brooklyn/).

The money comes from about $96 million in State and Federal funding, plus a further $24 million to expand.

## What the free program includes, and what it doesn’t

Included, per DEP: replacement of the private lead or galvanized steel service line with “a new, safe copper line”, typically in one to two days, followed by street and sidewalk restoration two to four weeks later, plus a lead filter and flushing instructions.

Not included:

-   **Pipes inside the house.** Galvanized supply, lead solder and old fixtures stay. A copper service line feeding rusted galvanized still gives you [brown tap water](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/brown-tap-water/) and weak pressure; see [cost to replace galvanized pipes](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/galvanized-pipe-replacement-cost/) and [whole house repiping](https://nycrepipe.com/whole-house-repiping/).
-   **Buildings outside a phase.** Most of the city.
-   **Lines you’ve already replaced privately.** There’s no reimbursement mechanism on DEP’s page.

## If a DEP letter arrives

Sign up through the portal the letter names; the letter is your eligibility, and DEP’s acceptance figures suggest many owners set it aside. Then plan around it:

-   **Clear the path in the cellar.** The crew needs the meter and the wall where the line enters.
-   **Time any interior work.** If you’re planning a repipe, ask your plumber to set the new main valve and meter connection so DEP’s copper line ties in once, rather than opening the cellar wall twice.
-   **Expect two visits.** The line goes in over one to two days; the sidewalk is restored weeks later.
-   **Keep the paperwork.** It documents the new line for a future sale, and the interior work still gets its own DOB filing; see the [repiping permit guide](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-permit-nyc/).

## Why some owners pay instead of waiting

Only **63%** of eligible owners accepted free replacement, according to DEP’s plan, and at the current pace replacing every line could take 40–50 years. If your house is outside a phase, waiting is a long bet. Owners also go private to combine the service line with an interior repipe in one excavation and one filing, to meet a sale or renovation timeline, or because a test result worries them. DEP’s lead 90th percentile was 10 µg/L at sampled homes in [DEP’s annual water quality report](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/dep/downloads/pdf/water/drinking-water/drinking-water-supply-quality-report/2024-drinking-water-supply-quality-report.pdf), and DEP sends a [free lead test kit](https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/water/lead-in-drinking-water-test-kit.page) to NYC homes on request.

A private job uses the same copper and the same DEP and DOT permits; [NYC lead service line replacement cost](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/lead-service-line-replacement-cost-nyc/) breaks down the price, and the [water line replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/water-line-replacement/) page covers the street-side work. Price it with an interior repipe using the [repipe cost estimator](https://nycrepipe.com/tools/repipe-cost-estimator/).

## Bottom line

**Free lead pipe replacement in NYC depends on a DEP letter or city main work**, not an application. If you have the letter, sign up; if you don’t, budget $5,000–$10,000 and decide whether to do the interior pipe at the same time. The [lead service line replacement](https://nycrepipe.com/lead-service-line-replacement/) page explains the private route. Call [(929) 659-6658](tel:+19296596658) for a free on-site estimate with a written, itemized price.

[The service Lead Service Line Replacement → Lead pipe from the street main to the meter, replaced in Type K copper. Includes how the free DEP program fits in.](https://nycrepipe.com/lead-service-line-replacement/)

Questions about your building?

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More answers

-   [What Is the NYC Lead Service Line Replacement Cost?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/lead-service-line-replacement-cost-nyc/)
-   [How to Tell If You Have Lead Pipes in NYC](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/do-i-have-lead-pipes-nyc/)
-   [What Is the Cost to Replace Galvanized Pipes in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/galvanized-pipe-replacement-cost/)
-   [How Much Does Repiping Cost in NYC?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/repiping-cost-nyc/)
-   [Who Pays for Riser Replacement in a Co-op?](https://nycrepipe.com/answers/who-pays-for-riser-replacement-co-op/)

Also asked

## Quick answers

Can I apply for free lead pipe replacement without a letter?

No. DEP states that only property owners who receive a letter from DEP are eligible to sign up. The other route is DDC water main construction: if crews find a lead or galvanized line on your block during main work, they replace it at no cost. If neither applies, a private replacement is the option.

Does the free program replace lead pipes inside my house?

No. It replaces the private water service line, from the city main to the building, with copper. Interior supply pipe, lead solder, old fixtures and galvanized branches stay the owner's responsibility. DEP refers owners with lead in household plumbing to its separate guidance on lead in drinking water and a free test kit.

Is my neighborhood next for free replacement?

Phases have run in income-eligible Bronx neighborhoods and in Flushing, Murray Hill, Queensboro Hill and East Flushing in Queens. The Governor's office lists Soundview in the Bronx and Borough Park in Brooklyn as upcoming. Even inside a phase, only owners who receive a DEP letter can enroll.

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## Get a written, itemized price *for your job.*

Pressure readings, the pipe material identified and a fixed scope, including the DOB permit and the wall openings.

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