Lead Pipe Data by Area — Maryland

Lead pipe replacement law in Maryland

Maryland has not set its own state-specific lead service line REPLACEMENT deadline beyond the federal requirement below, but has a real, distinct state regulation worth noting separately: under the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 09.20.11.10A, lead was removed from the list of acceptable drinking water service line pipe materials effective May 17, 1972 — a state-level ban on installing new lead service lines that predates the federal Lead and Copper Rule framework by nearly two decades. The Maryland Department of the Environment requires every public water system to submit a baseline inventory by November 1, 2027 under the federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, rather than setting an earlier state-specific replacement date of its own.

Separately from any state law, the EPA's federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements require every water system nationwide to submit a baseline inventory and an approved replacement plan by November 1, 2027, then fully replace all lead and "galvanized requiring replacement" lines under its control on a schedule of 10 years or less from that date, replacing at least 10% of its known lead/GRR lines per year. A narrow exception allows a longer schedule only for the roughly 1% of systems with an unusually dense concentration of lead lines, and partial (non-emergency) replacements are prohibited.

• Maryland Department of the Environment: Lead and Drinking Water →
• EPA LCRI technical fact sheet: states and public water systems →
• EPA LCRI technical fact sheet: deferred deadlines →