Lead and Your Drinking Water - Tips

Quick Summary

Lead is a type of metal. People can get sick if they eat or drink something with lead in it. Unfortunately, in the past they used lead in water pipes because lead is flexible and doesn't rust. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission doesn't use lead in the water pipes that deliver water around the city. In the 1980s we removed lead pipes that connect to the water meter. The plumbing in homes, schools, stores and offices is privately owned. Privately owned plumbing sometimes has lead in the pipes or joints. If you live in San Francisco and you think there is lead in the plumbing, we can test your water for $25.

Lead & Your Drinking Water - Tips for Residents

What is the Source of Lead in Drinking Water?

Lead in drinking water differs from home to home because it primarily comes from corrosion of faucets, other plumbing fixtures and lead solder in the home plumbing. Lead may also be present in service pipelines that bring water from the distribution system pipeline to the home.

In San Francisco, all known lead service pipelines from the distribution system were removed in the 1980s; since then, whenever a previously unidentified lead service pipeline is found, it is quickly replaced. More recently, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) completed an inventory that included customer-owned service lines under the Environmental Protection Agency’s updated lead regulation. No customer-owned lead service lines were identified.

What is the Source of Lead in Drinking Water?

When consumed, lead is toxic to the human body. Young children are most susceptible to lead because their bodies absorb lead more readily than adults and are more sensitive to the damaging health effects of lead. Elevated levels of lead can also cause serious health problems to pregnant women and infants.

Reducing Lead in Your System-Identifying and Purchasing Lead-Free Faucets

Do All Faucets Have Lead?

Most faucets purchased prior to 2010 were constructed of brass or chrome-plated brass containing up to 8 percent lead. Water sitting overnight (or for several hours) in a brass faucet tends to leach lead from the brass faucet interior which may produce relatively high lead levels in the first draw of drinking water.

How Can I Reduce Potential Lead Exposure from Drinking Water?

When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can flush your tap until it feels colder, for approximately 1 minute, before using water for drinking or cooking. You can also use certified filters to further reduce any potential lead exposure from drinking water. If you are concerned about lead levels in your water, you may wish to have your water tested.

Can I Have My Water Tested?
If you are a San Francisco resident, you can order a lead test for $25.00 per tap by following the instructions on sfpuc.gov under “Order Lead Testing”, and submit a Lead Testing Application. Participants in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program can request one lead test for free by submitting a Lead Testing Application and completing a WIC voucher issued by a WIC office in San Francisco. For questions, call SFPUC Water Quality Division (WQD) at (650) 652-3100, Monday through Friday between 8 am and 5 pm.

How Can I Tell if a New Faucet is “lead Free”?

Residential kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, bar faucets, drinking fountains, and icemakers sold in the U.S. may be assumed to be lead-free because the Uniform Plumbing Code is enforced and requires that they contain no more than 0.25% lead. You should look for plumbing fixtures marked with a certification mark (such as SA, UL, or NSF) and the identifier NSF/ ANSI 61 Annex G, NSF 61-G, NSF/ANSI 372, NSF-372, the term “Low Lead” or another of the identifiers accepted by NSF International, an independent organization that certifies and tests products to ensure they comply with given standards.

Are There Any Faucets With No Lead at All?

Some faucet manufacturers produce plastic faucets that have virtually zero lead. Other manufacturers use copper tubes inside the brass faucets or apply special coatings on the inside of the faucets to minimize or eliminate lead leaching.

Does It Really Matter if I Have a Lead-free Faucet?

In extreme cases older faucets can contribute up to one-third of the lead in the first draw of water in the morning with the remainder coming from other plumbing such as pre-1988 lead solder joints in copper pipes. Residents who let the water run at the tap in the morning for approximately one minute and use cold water for cooking should have little concern with respect to lead in the drinking water. If residents are still concerned, they can request from the SFPUC a lead test (at a nominal charge that can be waived under special circumstances). Residents always have the option of replacing an older kitchen or bathroom faucet with a new lead-free faucet.

Do Some Plumbing Fixtures Still Contain Lead?

Federal and State lead regulations do not cover hose bibs, bathtub fixtures, shower heads, and industrial faucets. Avoid drinking or cooking with water from these fixtures. Since the year 2010, all kitchen and bathroom faucets sold in California have been lead-free. When water fixtures and fittings intended to convey drinking water are replaced, they must be replaced with lead-free products (containing no more than 0.25% lead).

How Do I Get More Information About Lead?

Drinking Water: 

The SFPUC Water Quality Division can provide information on the quality of your water and can be reached at (650) 652-3100 or email quality@sfwater.org.

General Lead Exposure: 

San Francisco residents may also call the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Environmental Health Branch which strives to promote health and quality of life in San Francisco by ensuring healthy living and working conditions in the City and County of San Francisco.

Please call (415) 252-3800 if you are concerned that a young child may be exposed to lead hazards, such as lead paint.

Consumer Resources: Regulation/health

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800-426-4791

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Lead Information

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Lead and Copper Rule

State Water Resources Control Board: Lead and Copper Rule

California Department of Public Health: Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention

San Francisco Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Lead

National Science Foundation, Water Treatment Products Complying With NSF61-G for Lead
Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units or Filters

We’re Committed to Quality

Our highly trained chemists, technicians and inspectors consistently monitor the water we serve—throughout our system, every day of the year. For additional information and materials, please visit sfpuc.gov/waterquality.

For questions about YOUR water, please call 311. You can also visit sf311.org.

February 2026