The program details are from the City's Lead Service Line Replacement Program page, read 23 October 2026.
How the program works
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Check | Find your address on the City's lead service line map. A dot means lead; it shows the private-side and City-side material and the scheduled year |
| Notice | A letter at least 45 days before replacement asking for building access and permission |
| Agree | In your replacement year, if the private side has lead, a form to participate or decline and a participation agreement |
| Work | City Water Division crews or the City's contractor replace the line with copper, trenchless, from the meter to the parkway shutoff and on to the main |
| Cost | No cost to the owner on either side |
| Decline | A form the City submits to the Illinois Department of Public Health |
The City says schools and childcare centers have already been checked and have non-lead services. Water testing for lead was scheduled for 2023 and 2026.
Waiting for the City or hiring your own plumber
The City's page offers two routes. Waiting is free, but your year may be as late as 2031. Using your own contractor is faster, and the City says "you must obtain City permits" with permit fees waived; ask the Water Division, 630-260-2090, about the reimbursement option before you sign, because the page does not give an amount. When lead is on both sides, the City coordinates with your contractor so that its crews replace the public side.
If you go your own way, in five minutes: open the map, note the scheduled year and both side materials, and ask each plumber you call three things. Have they replaced service lines in Wheaton before, and will they pull the City permit? Will they replace from the meter to the parkway shutoff in copper, the scope the City program uses? Is the price trenchless or open trench, since the City uses trenchless?
Who does this work in Wheaton
| Wheaton, October 2023 to September 2026 | Sewer & water service | Plumbing & water heater |
|---|---|---|
| Permits | 261 | 217 |
| Firms | 70 | 62 |
| Firms with one permit | 46 | 45 |
| Share held by the five busiest firms | 54.0% | 59.0% |
| Finished (permits a year or more old) | 79.8% | 71.1% |
| Usual days from issue to final | 14 | 34 |
| Busiest month | October | March |
Underground service work is concentrated: the five busiest sewer and water firms hold 54.0% of those permits, and 46 of 70 firms filed only one. The usual sewer and water permit closed in 14 days. Wheaton sewer and water permits carry no filed value in our file, so we cannot show a price for a private lead line replacement; get two written quotes and compare them with the City's free option.
Compare Wheaton sewer and water service contractors →
Plumbing firms: Wheaton plumber list and Wheaton plumbing cost. Sewer backups and the City's reimbursement programs: Wheaton overhead sewer and sewer line reimbursement. Past permits at an address: Wheaton building permit search. Counts by year: Wheaton permit statistics.
What this does not tell you
Our file does not separate lead line replacements from other water service and sewer work, and City crews' own replacements do not appear as contractor permits. Wheaton permits do not carry a state plumbing license number we can match, so check a plumber's state license the way Wheaton contractor license lookup shows.
How we know this
Program scope, cost, schedule, the 7% and 16,500 figures, notice periods, the own-contractor route and the decline form are quoted from the City of Wheaton's Lead Service Line Replacement Program page, read 23 October 2026. Our figures are City of Wheaton building permits classified as sewer and water service or plumbing and water heater, October 2023 to September 2026; finished share uses permits a year or more old.
Numbers come from City of Wheaton permits on homes (the city's permit application and inspection exports), data through October 19, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- Does Wheaton pay to replace lead water lines on private property?
Yes, through the City program. Wheaton says the work is 'at no cost to property owners, even for the replacement of lead service lines on private property', from the water meter to the parkway shutoff, as well as the City-owned part under the parkway and street. You have to sign a participation agreement first.
- How do I know if my Wheaton house has a lead service line?
Look up your address on the City's lead service line map. A colored dot means the line contains lead, and clicking it shows the material on the private and City sides and the scheduled replacement year. No dot means the City has determined the line does not contain lead.
- How many lead service lines are in Wheaton?
The City says about 7% of its more than 16,500 service lines are lead, and it plans to replace them through 2031 with City Water Division crews and an outside contractor, using a trenchless method.
- Can I hire my own plumber to replace my lead line in Wheaton?
Yes. Call the Water Division at 630-260-2090 to ask about the reimbursement option; the City's page does not state the amount. With your own contractor you need City permits, and the City says the permit fees are waived. If lead is on both sides, City crews replace the public side.
- What happens if I decline lead line replacement in Wheaton?
You sign a form that the City sends to the Illinois Department of Public Health saying you do not consent to replacement. The Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act, enacted January 2022, is what requires the City to identify, notify and replace lead lines.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Wheaton sewer reimbursement programs: 75% of an overhead sewer, 65% of a new sewer line, and the permit you need first
- Wheaton, IL contractor license lookup: city registration, state licenses and the permit record
- 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
For one city
- Lead Service Line Replacement Program — City of Wheaton (accessed 2026-10-23)