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Lead Service Line Check: Is Your Water Line Lead?

Check your utility's records, then run the coin-and-magnet test on the pipe where it enters your home. The helper turns your answers into the likely pipe material and the next step your utility, EPA and the State of Michigan describe.

Check My Pipe

Reviewed October 24, 2026 · Free to use · Bookmark it for next time

Man kneeling on a basement floor beside a copper water pipe running along the foundation wall
  • 17,165Known or presumed lead service lines in the Grand Rapids Water System, of 80,196 (2025 report)
  • 20 YearsMichigan's deadline, from January 2021, for water supplies to replace lead and GPCL lines
  • NSF/ANSI 53Filter standard for lead reduction the City of Grand Rapids and MDHHS point to
  • $25Typical certified lab lead test, per the City of Grand Rapids

Check Your Pipe

Find the water pipe where it comes through the basement wall or floor, just before the meter. Answer what you see; the helper never confirms lead, so the last step always goes to your utility.

Shows your utility's records and contact.
1. Color before scratching
2. Gentle scratch with a coin or key
3. Hold a fridge magnet to it

Scratch with care. EPA says to scratch gently with a coin or key, skip knives and sharp tools, and take care not to puncture the pipe. The test covers only the pipe you can see; the buried part under the yard and street can be a different material.

What Each Pipe Material Looks Like

EPA's pipe identification fact sheet separates four materials with two cheap tools: a coin or key, and a magnet.

Scratch and magnet results by pipe material Lead: dull gray, scratches easily to silver, magnet does not stick. Galvanized steel: gray to dark brown or black, often threaded, hard to scratch, magnet sticks. Copper: penny color, scratches to shiny copper, magnet does not stick. Plastic: white, gray, black, blue or red, no metal, magnet does not stick. Lead Dull gray, soft Scratch: shiny silver Magnet: no A lead source Galvanized Steel Gray, brown or black Scratch: hard, dull Magnet: sticks Potential lead source Copper Penny color, can be dull or green-tinted Scratch: shiny copper Magnet: no Older joints: lead solder Plastic PVC: white or gray PEX: red, blue, white or black Magnet: no Not a lead source
Illustration based on EPA's "Know Your Plumbing!" fact sheet. The buried service line and any lead gooseneck at the main can differ from the pipe you test.
Man in yellow work gloves checking a row of copper pipes in a mechanical room Close-up of a gray plastic pipe elbow with water droplets on its surface Smiling woman in a sweater standing in an unfinished basement near a water tank and overhead pipes

Grand Rapids Records: The Lead Service Line Map

Man and woman talking outside a house beside a gray utility fitting near the garden

The City of Grand Rapids Lead Water Service Line Map at grandrapidsmi.gov/LSLmap shows each property's service line material from city records. The 2025 Water Quality Report counts 17,165 known lead or presumed lead lines among 80,196.

A property built before 1950 without records confirming a non-lead material is assumed to be lead. The city states that it cannot be 100% certain without visually confirming the line.

1

Search the Map

Enter your address, click the circle on your property and read the pop-up. A circle inside a blue square marks replacement scheduled within 24 months.

2

Ask the City

Questions go to 311, (616) 456-3000 or leadfreewater@grcity.us. The city's 2025 report directs residents who want their water tested to Customer Service at the same number.

3

Check the Replacement Rules

The city replaces the private part of a lead line at no cost when a leak appears or the city replaces its part. Voluntary jobs split the cost; Ten-Pay: (616) 456-3041.

Michigan's Lead and Copper Rule: What Water Supplies Must Do

EGLE administers Michigan's Lead and Copper Rule, which puts lead service line replacement on the public water supply rather than the homeowner.

RequirementWhat EGLE describes
Who paysPublic water supplies replace all lead and galvanized previously connected to lead (GPCL) service lines at the water supply's expense.
DeadlineStarting January 2021, community water supplies with lead or GPCL lines replace them within 20 years and file an annual replacement report with EGLE.
Galvanized linesA galvanized line gets replaced when it cannot be proven never to have been connected to lead.
Notices to youWithin 30 days of determining a line is lead or GPCL, the supply notifies the owner and occupant in writing, then again every year until replacement; homes with unknown lines also get yearly notices until the material is identified.
Faster paceA supply over the lead action level after corrosion control raises its replacement rate to at least 7% a year.

A letter from your utility about your service line follows these rules; the utility named on it answers questions about the schedule for your street.

Steps the City Asks Residents to Take

Cold water running from a chrome kitchen faucet into a stainless steel sink

The City of Grand Rapids lists these steps for homes with a lead service line, lead or galvanized plumbing, or faucets and fittings sold before 2014. Its 2025 report states that there is no safe level of lead in drinking water.

  • Use cold water for drinking, cooking, making ice, beverages and infant formula. Boiling does not remove lead.
  • Run the tap for at least 5 minutes when water has sat for a few hours, or run the dishwasher, shower or washer.
  • Clean faucet aerators every six months.
Clear water pouring from a kitchen faucet into a drinking glass
Filters

Look for NSF/ANSI 53 on the Box

The city points to filters meeting NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53; MDHHS names NSF/ANSI 53 for lead and 42 for particulates (Class I). Replace cartridges on the maker's schedule. MDHHS's Statewide Filter Support Program provides free certified filters to eligible Medicaid households; the MDHHS Drinking Water Hotline is (844) 934-1315.

Testing

Lab Tests Run About $25

The City of Grand Rapids puts a certified lab lead test at around $25 and lists three labs:

  • State of Michigan Drinking Water Laboratory: (517) 335-8184, $26
  • Prein and Newhof Laboratory: (616) 364-7600, $25
  • Alliance Analytical Laboratories: (616) 837-7670, $21

Third Ward households with a lead service line get a free lead-reducing water kit through Healthy Homes Coalition of West Michigan, (616) 241-3300. The city is not affiliated with any company offering free water tests or selling filtration systems.

Lead also comes from older faucets, fittings and solder inside the house; the water quality services page covers certified filter installation.

Common Questions

How do I find out if my Grand Rapids home has a lead service line?

Search your address on the City of Grand Rapids Lead Water Service Line Map at grandrapidsmi.gov/LSLmap. The city states that it cannot be 100% certain without visually confirming the line, and that a property built before 1950 without records confirming a non-lead material is assumed to be lead. Questions go to 311, (616) 456-3000 or leadfreewater@grcity.us.

Does Grand Rapids replace lead service lines for free?

In two cases, yes. Under Water System Rules §7.16, the city replaces the privately owned part of a lead line at no cost when a leak or failure appears on either part of the line, or when the city replaces its own part on a planned or emergency basis. For a voluntary replacement, the city replaces the public side and the owner pays for the private side, with a Ten-Pay plan at (616) 456-3041.

What does the scratch test show?

EPA describes lead as a dull, gray, soft metal that scratches to a silver color and does not hold a magnet. Galvanized steel also looks silver when new, but a magnet clings to it and it resists scratching, so the magnet separates the two. The test covers only the pipe you can see; the buried part of the line, and any lead gooseneck at the main, can differ.

Which filter reduces lead?

The City of Grand Rapids tells residents to consider a filter that meets NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53, and MDHHS points to NSF/ANSI 53 for lead and NSF/ANSI 42 for particulates (Class I), listed on the package. Both say to follow the manufacturer's maintenance and cartridge replacement schedule. A water softener does not target lead.

Does boiling water remove lead?

No. The City of Grand Rapids states that boiling water does not remove lead, and directs residents to use cold water for drinking, cooking, making ice, beverages and infant formula.

Related Services and Guides

Sources and How This Tool Works

The helper follows EPA's pipe-identification fact sheet: lead is dull gray and soft, scratches to a silver color and does not hold a magnet; galvanized steel holds a magnet and resists scratching; copper scratches to a shiny copper color; plastic shows no metal. Town results come from each utility's published reports and this site's verified town data. The helper never confirms lead: only the utility's records, a visual check of the full line or a certified laboratory test do that.

General information for Grand Rapids-area properties, reviewed October 24, 2026. Rules, rates and programs change; the linked source's current version controls. This tool does not test water, confirm pipe material or assess health. Only a certified laboratory test shows whether lead is in your water, and only your utility's records or a check of the full line confirm the service line material. Health questions, including blood lead testing, go to a health care provider or the Kent County Health Department at (616) 632-7100. Health wording on this page comes from the City of Grand Rapids, EPA, EGLE and MDHHS.

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