Lead Service Line Replacement in Troy

• Confirming the pipe material. A scratch test and photo at the basement wall show whether the line is lead.
• Checking for a free city project. The plumber helps you ask DPU if your street is scheduled, since that work costs you nothing.
• Permit. Filed before work starts.
• Digging or pulling new copper. Thick type K copper runs from the curb valve in to the foundation, by trench or by pulling it through the ground.
• A new main shutoff. A quarter turn ball valve where the line comes through the wall.
• DPU form help. The city's notification form goes in with your work date and a picture showing what the city half is made of.
• Flushing instructions. Simple steps to clear the lines after the work.
• A photo record. Pictures of the old pipe and the new copper for DPU, buyers and your files.

• Old homes, old lines. Lead was a common service pipe when much of Troy was built, and plenty of those connections are still in use.
• The city is working on it. State and federal money totaling $16.7 million is aimed at roughly 1,100 lines, and over 200 came out in 2024 alone, per city reports.
• Testing in 2024 raised concern. Sampling that year found readings over the federal action level in a share of homes, so the city started a phosphate treatment to protect pipes.
• You can move faster. Owners who do not want to wait for a city project can replace their side now and have DPU follow.
• Partial jobs are risky. DPU advises against replacing only one side, because disturbing the old lead can raise levels for a while.

• Single family homes with a lead service from the original build, often hidden behind a newer meter.
• Two and three family houses where one service feeds several units.
• Row houses with short services and shared walls. The work is often done from the basement and a small hole near the curb.
• Mixed use buildings downtown with shops below and apartments above.
• Galvanized lines once tied to lead. A short lead connector called a gooseneck may still sit at the main, so the plumber asks DPU about it.
• Lines under porches and stoops, where pulling new pipe saves tearing out steps.

Customer side lead line replacement is the same careful job whatever the building type.

Both sides are replaced free during planned DPU street projects. If none is planned for your street, you can replace your side now and the city follows.

Good questions to ask DPU at 518 237 0343 before you book:

• Is my street on a planned sidewalk or paving project?
• What is the city side of my line made of?
• When can the city crew do its side?

Program details come from troyny.gov and can change. Last checked October 2026.

These are the lead line calls that come up most often.

• Two family home where a new owner wanted the lead gone before tenants moved in.
• Home sale where the buyer asked for a replaced service with permit records before closing.
• Family with a new baby who decided not to wait for a city project on their street.
• Landlord with several buildings who replaced the services one at a time, sending a DPU form for each address.

A partial replacement leaves one side lead while the other side is new. Here is how to avoid it.

• Send the DPU form early. As soon as the work is planned, so the city side can be done at the same time if possible.
• Share a photo of the city side. DPU uses it to plan its part of the job.
• Ask DPU for a date. The city has to replace its side within 45 days of yours, and knowing the date helps you plan flushing.
• Flush taps after the work. Run cold water for several minutes at each tap.
• Clean faucet aerators. Rinse the small screens, since bits of lead can collect there.