Lead Action Level: 15 ppb Now, 10 ppb From 2027, and Copper 1.3 ppm

You’ll mostly see an action level in the lead and copper row of your water quality report. Lead and copper usually get into water from pipes and fixtures rather than the water source, so instead of a legal maximum (an MCL), the EPA regulates them with a treatment technique: utilities must control how corrosive their water is and sample at customers’ taps. The action level is the number that tells them when to do more.

Is the lead action level a safe level?

No, and it isn’t meant to be. In the final Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, the EPA says the action level “is not a health-based number”: it’s a tool to judge whether corrosion control is working. The health goal for lead is zero. So a utility under the action level isn’t telling you your own tap is free of lead, and a home result under 15 ppb isn’t a clean bill of health. Our lead guide covers how to check your service line and test your taps.

What happens when a utility exceeds the action level?

The utility samples taps in homes more likely to have lead plumbing. If more than 10% of samples are above the action level, which is what a 90th percentile result above it means, the EPA’s lead basics page says the utility must take further steps, such as improving corrosion control, educating the public and replacing lead service lines under its control. An exceedance isn’t a violation by itself; failing to take those steps is.

What changes for the lead action level in 2027?

The Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, published October 30, 2024 and in effect since December 30, 2024, lower the lead action level from 15 ppb to 10 ppb starting November 1, 2027, and drop the separate 10 ppb “trigger level” that the 2021 revisions had added. The copper action level stays at 1.3 ppm. Until that date, the 15 ppb action level still applies, as the EPA’s table of drinking water regulations shows. As of October 10, 2026, the EPA still presents the rule as final with that date.

Where do I find it in my water report?

The lead and copper row must show the 90th percentile result from the latest sampling, how many sites were over the action level, and the range of results. Our guide to reading your water quality report walks through that row.