Before adjourning for the summer, the Illinois Legislature passed SB4025 on May 28, 2026. Sponsored by Senator Ram Villivalam, the legislation modifies the Illinois Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act to require property owners to allow community water suppliers access to replace, on the private side, a lead service line (or galvanized requiring replacement) so long as the water supplier is offering that replacement at no cost to the property owner. The amendment further specifies that any legal occupant (e.g. a tenant) may grant permission and complete forms for access. Water suppliers may use any available legal options and remedies to obtain this access. (See section qq at the very end of the linked bill).
While Illinois law has forbidden partial service line replacement, and federal and state awards have allowed communities to pay for the full replacement, many water systems have reported difficulty in persuading property owners to grant them permission to replace the service line. While Cook County TAP strongly encourages municipalities to continue to utilize best practices for engaging and communicating with their customers, we believe this legal change is a potential game changer in setting the expectation that water utilities must be afforded access for LSLR. Even though the law does not create new legal tools to enforce this access, the reframing of access from “an ask” to “a requirement” alone is likely to significantly increase participation.
SB4025 also modifies the requirements for notification, allowing community water supplies to use “another method approved by the State” instead of an individualized written notice when they determine a location has a lead service line. It is currently unclear what alternative methods IEPA may allow.
As originally drafted, SB4025’s changes would have only applied to the City of Chicago. However, advocates worked with the sponsor and legislators to amend the bill to apply statewide.
We anticipate Governor Pritzker will sign the bill, in which case the changes will become effective immediately upon his signature. The bill must be acted upon by the Governor in the next 90 days. In addition to providing an update on the status of this legislation, we will review LSLR elements included in final state budget in future newsletters.