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Lead in paint vs. lead in pipes — same metal, different exposure
When you read 'lead' in a real-estate disclosure or a public-records search, the meaning depends entirely on the source — paint vs. pipes is a different problem with different remediation.
Published 2026-04-25 · Last reviewed 2026-05-13 · methodology
Lead-based paint
Banned in residential paint in 1978 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Any home built before 1978 is presumed to have lead-based paint until tested.
Federal Title X (1992) requires sellers + landlords of pre-1978 housing to disclose known lead-based paint, provide the EPA pamphlet, and offer a 10-day inspection window.
Exposure pathway: paint chips ingested by children, dust generated by deteriorating paint, or dust from renovations.
Inspection cost: $300-700 for an XRF lead-paint inspection. Risk assessment (testing dust + soil + paint): $400-900.
Lead service lines (LSL)
Underground pipes carrying water from the utility main to your home. Banned in new construction in 1986 by the Safe Drinking Water Act, but ~9 million homes still have lead service lines in 2026.
Federal Lead and Copper Rule (1991, revised 2024 LCRR) requires utilities to inventory + replace LSLs. Deadline: identify by 2024; replace by 2034 (LCRI proposes 2027 inventory + 2037 replacement).
Exposure pathway: water sits in the lead pipe → leaches lead → drinking + cooking exposure. Hot water leaches more.
How the two interact
Older homes (pre-1978) often have BOTH lead paint + lead service lines. The CDC 'safe' blood-lead level was lowered to 3.5 µg/dL in 2021; for kids, no level is considered fully safe.
If you're testing a kid for lead exposure, the source could be either or both — diagnostic samples include water, dust, paint, and soil.
What zipradar shows
EPA SDWIS + LCRR data on the utility's lead-pipe inventory + replacement obligations.
We don't surface lead-paint risk per address — that's tied to housing year-built (NCES has age-of-housing data; we don't yet federate that). Title X disclosure is the existing legal channel for paint.
Per-address lead testing remains the homeowner's job; we link to your state lead-prevention program for low-cost testing where available.
Related zipradar topics
Glossary terms used here
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