The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued two new guidance documents designed to help public water systems comply with lead service line inventory and replacement requirements under the 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI). The Access Tips guide and the Service Line Inventory Tips guide present existing federal requirements in plain language and use worked examples to clarify how utilities and state regulators can carry out the rule. EPA opened both documents for public comment in April 2026 and finalized them in August 2026 as part of a broader effort to pair guidance with funding and technical assistance.
Under the LCRI, water systems completed an initial inventory of service line materials in October 2024. A baseline inventory update is due by November 1, 2027, with annual updates required thereafter. Most systems have until December 31, 2037, to resolve any service lines still classified as “unknown.” The inventory guidance is intended to help systems move unknowns to known categories efficiently while remaining in compliance with the rule’s documentation standards.
The Service Line Inventory Tips guide outlines acceptable evidence sources beyond direct visual inspection. Examples include construction and plumbing code records, documented statements from experienced water system personnel, and statistical or predictive modeling, including AI-based models, when approved by a state primacy agency. The document also explains how to determine that a galvanized line is not “galvanized requiring replacement” by demonstrating that it was never downstream of a lead line, using neighborhood-level records such as local ordinances that prohibited lead pipe installation during particular construction periods.
The Access Tips guide addresses circumstances where a water system cannot physically reach a service line to replace it. The LCRI requires replacement of lead and galvanized requiring replacement lines that are under the control of the water system, and it directs each system to determine and document when such control is lacking. The guide defines a “reasonable effort” to obtain property owner consent as four contact attempts using at least two different communication methods, and it describes other common barriers such as ordinances that limit excavation to periods of water main work or state laws that require the use of state-contracted crews on fixed schedules.
Worked examples in the access guide show how systems can remain in compliance while barriers persist. Utilities are instructed to continue reporting the barrier and to reassess access as circumstances change, for example if new funding becomes available or if a local ordinance expires. These examples aim to standardize documentation practices across systems and support consistent decision-making by state primacy agencies.
EPA positioned the two guides within a broader set of tools and resources focused on reducing lead exposure from drinking water. This includes a redesigned lead information hub, a new children’s health StoryMap, and continued support through the Real Water Technical Assistance program. In 2026, EPA announced nearly three billion dollars to accelerate lead service line identification and removal, and the agency indicated that the new guidance is intended to help systems align project planning and reporting with available technical assistance and funding.
Together, the Access Tips and Service Line Inventory Tips documents are meant to reduce uncertainty for utilities implementing the LCRI. By clarifying evidence standards, inventory timelines, and documentation for access constraints, the guidance provides a framework for systems to advance replacement programs while maintaining compliance and consistent communication with state regulators.