Everything about the program below is from the City's Lead Service Line Replacement Program page, read 23 October 2026.
The program
| Lead-Safe Columbus | |
|---|---|
| What is replaced | Lead and galvanized service lines, public side (main to curb stop) and private side (curb stop to the meter inside) |
| Cost to the owner | "No direct cost" when your street is scheduled and you sign the work agreement |
| If you do not sign | You may face roughly $6,000 to $10,000 yourself, per the City |
| Scale | About 20% of service lines may still contain lead; 50,000 to 60,000 homes with a possible lead or galvanized line |
| Timeline | 12-year, citywide; street-by-street work began 2025; federal deadline 2037 |
| Who can sign | Only the owner listed on the Franklin County Auditor's site |
| Water off | About 6 to 8 hours on the day, with notice |
| Leaks before your street is done | Still the owner's to fix on the private side |
The City has not allowed new lead or galvanized installs since December 1963, so a line installed after 1964 is unlikely to be either. Even owners with copper may be asked to sign, because repairs with galvanized or lead-contaminated parts can turn up during construction.
Check your line in three minutes
- Look up your address in the service line inventory or on the interactive map, which also shows project-area status.
- If the material is unknown, send the City's survey with a well-lit photo of the first pipe coming through the wall or floor.
- Quick tests from the City: lead is shiny silver, scratches easily and is not magnetic; galvanized is dull gray, hard to scratch and magnetic; copper is penny-colored and not magnetic.
- Sign the work agreement online. Questions: Lead Safe Columbus, 614-645-6725 or leadsafelines@columbus.gov.
Wait for the street, or hire through LEAP?
| Wait for the City | LEAP | |
|---|---|---|
| When | When the program reaches your street | Before that, on your schedule |
| Who picks the contractor | The City | You |
| Contractor rules | Certified for water service line work and registered with City vendor services; the City cannot force one to take part | |
| Quotes | Three required | |
| Paperwork | Work agreement | Three-party agreement (owner, contractor, City) signed before work |
| Cost | No direct cost | No upfront cost; City lien up to $10,000, no interest, no monthly payment |
| Repayment | Lump sum when the home is sold, or refinanced with cash taken out; lien term up to 99 years; must be repaid before a second mortgage or other lien | |
| Reimbursement for past work | None | None; starting before the agreement and notice to proceed ends eligibility |
LEAP makes sense if you are about to dig anyway or the private side is failing. The lien rules are the cost: no second mortgage until it is repaid. Find certified contractors through the City's Citizen Access contractor search and the LEAP application; email LEAP@columbus.gov.
What Columbus's plumbing permits show
| Measure | Columbus plumbing |
|---|---|
| Permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026 | 13,097 |
| Firms | 357 |
| Reached final (permits a year or more old) | 67.8% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 111 |
| Finished share, 10th to 90th percentile of firms with 10+ permits | 41.1% to 92.7% |
| Firms with 10+ permits finishing under 70% | 31 of 109 |
| Share held by the busiest firm | 18.6% |
The spread in follow-through is wide: the 10th-percentile busy plumber closed 41.1% of its permits and the 90th 92.7%. For a LEAP job, where the City is a party to the contract, pick a firm from the certified list and then sort it by finished share on our list before you collect the three quotes.
Compare Columbus plumbers by finished share →
Permit rules: Columbus plumbing permit. License check: Columbus contractor license lookup. Basement backups are a separate City program: Columbus Project Dry Basement. Totals by year: Columbus permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
City-run replacements are not separated in our plumbing file, and Columbus plumbing permits carry no filed value, so we cannot check the City's $6,000 to $10,000 figure against permits. The City's program page links a municipal boundary map; check it if your address is near the city line.
How we know this
Program scope, costs, LEAP terms, contractor rules and the identification tips are from the City of Columbus Lead Service Line Replacement Program page, read 23 October 2026. Permit counts are City of Columbus plumbing permits on homes, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer), data through October 18, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Is lead pipe replacement free in Columbus?
Yes, when the City's street-by-street program reaches you and you sign the work agreement: replacement is 'at no direct cost to you', for both the public and private side of lead and galvanized lines. If you do not sign and the City cannot replace it, the City says you may face $6,000 to $10,000 to do it yourself.
- How do I know if I have a lead water line in Columbus?
Search your address in the City's service line inventory or interactive map. If it says unknown, submit the City's survey with a photo of the first pipe through your wall or floor. Lead is shiny silver when scratched and not magnetic; galvanized is dull gray and magnetic; copper is penny-colored. Lines installed after 1964 are unlikely to be lead or galvanized.
- What is the LEAP loan in Columbus?
The Lead Elimination Assistance Program lets an owner replace the line before the City reaches the street with no upfront cost: the City places a lien of up to $10,000, with no interest and no monthly payments, due as a lump sum when the home is sold or refinanced with cash out. You choose the contractor, get three quotes, and sign a three-party agreement first.
- Can I hire my own plumber for a lead line in Columbus?
Through LEAP, yes: the contractor must be certified to work on water service lines and registered with City vendor services. The City does not reimburse work already done, and starting before the agreement and notice to proceed ends LEAP eligibility.
- Why does Columbus replace galvanized pipes too?
The City says a galvanized line downstream of a lead line can absorb lead particles, so it must be replaced, and galvanized lines are prone to leaks. It will replace all of them. Their typical service life is 50 to 70 years.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Columbus Project Dry Basement: a free sewer backflow valve after a backup, and when you need a waterproofer instead
- Cape Coral UEP: connecting to City water and sewer within 180 days, the septic abandonment, and hiring the plumber
- Chicago lead service line replacement: the free programs, the $5,000 permit fee waiver, and hiring a plumber
- Cincinnati lead service line replacement: GCWW pays the whole cost, the service agreement, and when to call your own plumber
For one city
- Lead Service Line Replacement Program (Lead-Safe Columbus) — City of Columbus (accessed 2026-10-23)