A lead-service-line notice can raise several different questions: who owns the pipe, whether the utility may enter the property, what work the owner is authorizing, and who will restore the yard afterward. A notice about identifying pipe material does not necessarily authorize replacement, and permission to replace a service line does not promise repairs to every part of a home’s plumbing.
SWBNO’s current cover letter and Right of Entry agreement give owners separate choices: authorize a small-dig inspection, authorize replacement if lead is confirmed, or review the inspection findings before deciding whether to approve replacement. Reading those choices matters more than relying on a general description of the program.
Current through October 27, 2026. This guide uses SWBNO’s October 19 entry documents and October 23 program update. Amendment 7 is scheduled for the November 3, 2026 ballot and has not yet been decided as of this publication.
An owner and tenant checklist before work begins
The paperwork should identify the work being authorized and the people who need notice. Download the one-page owner and tenant worksheet (PDF) and keep it with the complete SWBNO cover letter and Right of Entry form. The worksheet does not authorize entry or replace the official form.
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Use the arrow keys when the table is focused.
| Before or after the visit | Property owner | Tenant or other resident |
|---|---|---|
| Permission | Keep the signed form and the particular choices made: small-dig inspection, replacement if lead is found, or review of the findings before deciding on replacement. Save proof of delivery. | Forward the form to the owner. Do not sign the ownership declaration as though you own the property. Keep your own copy of notices and access arrangements. |
| Scheduling and notice | Confirm the contractor, work date, access area and expected water interruption. Share these details with occupants. | Keep doorhangers and messages. Tell the owner and program about access issues or a resident’s needs during a water interruption. |
| Before work | Photograph paving, landscaping and visible plumbing; identify existing damage and known underground hazards. | Photograph the areas you use and retain dated messages about existing conditions. Make practical arrangements for the announced work. |
| Completion | Save the inspection findings, completion date, restoration schedule, flushing instructions, filter information and contractor warranty. | Keep the same household instructions and report new damage or incomplete work promptly, with photographs. |
These are separate questions: consent under the entry agreement, notice under an applicable ordinance, and the funding rules discussed below. Act 957 authorizes municipal ordinances addressing entry; it does not, by itself, establish that every proposed entry at a particular address is lawful. Its notice provisions address both owners and residents. Keep the actual notice and the ordinance identified for the work, if entry is being asserted under that authority.
If restoration is incomplete or damage appears
Start with a dated written description: address, inspection or replacement date, contractor, condition before the work, condition afterward and the correction requested. Attach copies of photographs and relevant paperwork while preserving the originals. Ask for the job number, inspection results, work orders, completion records and any existing before-and-after photographs for your property.
The October 2026 cover letter describes surface restoration within two months after replacement, and the agreement describes a one-year warranty provided by the contractor. Keep those commitments separate from any legal deadline. For program assistance, contact 504-420-1357 or [email protected]. The agreement directs claims related to the form to SWBNO Risk Management; ask for the correct submission instructions and a written reference number.
A useful message is: “Work occurred at [address] on [date]. The attached photographs show [specific problem]. Please identify the responsible contractor, provide the restoration or warranty process, preserve the records of this job, and confirm the next step and reference number.” A records request or service complaint does not necessarily preserve a damages claim or extend a filing deadline.
Identify the part of the system involved
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Use the arrow keys when the table is focused.
| Part of the system | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Water main and public portion of the service line | The current SWBNO agreement describes its portion as running from the water main to the property line. Ask for the recorded material and the basis for that classification. |
| Private portion of the service line | The agreement describes the owner’s portion as extending from the property line to the connection outside the building. Confirm the boundary and proposed work at the actual address rather than assuming the meter marks every ownership boundary. |
| Plumbing within the building | Interior plumbing and fixtures can present separate issues. Replacing a service line does not mean that every pipe, fixture, or pre-existing plumbing problem inside the building will be replaced. |
Start with the official SWBNO inventory and lead-awareness resources. A predicted material or an unknown classification should not be mistaken for an inspection finding. An inventory entry also is not a water-quality test of the particular tap. Ask whether both sides of the service line have been verified and how the determination was made.
Inspection and replacement require different decisions
The inspection program distinguishes an aboveground, no-dig check from a small-dig inspection. The cover letter says the no-dig check requires verbal permission; the small-dig check requires the owner’s signed entry form. The absence of a written-form requirement for one step should not be read as permission for every later step.
- No-dig check: Ask who will inspect, what will be examined, and how the result will be provided.
- Small-dig inspection: The current form authorizes access near the property line and related photographs or video. It asks the owner to disclose known underground hazards.
- Replacement: A separate choice authorizes replacement if lead is confirmed. Read the access, restoration, existing-system, and warranty provisions before selecting it.
- Review first: The form includes an option to receive and review the investigation results before deciding whether to authorize replacement.
Select the choices that reflect your decision, and retain the entire completed agreement, not merely its signature page. If selections conflict or instructions are unclear, ask SWBNO to clarify them before work begins. A tenant should forward the form to the owner and arrange access with the owner; the agreement requires the person granting permission to affirm ownership.
Inspection and replacement also have different attendance rules. SWBNO says an owner need not be present for the small-dig inspection. The replacement agreement, however, requires an adult over 18 to remain present throughout replacement. Arrange attendance, access to the building, pets, and water needs with the contractor. The program contact is 504-420-1357 or [email protected].
Read restoration, warranty, and existing-system terms
The cover letter describes qualifying program replacement as being at no cost to the owner. That statement should not be expanded into a promise to repair every pre-existing electrical or plumbing condition, or to maintain the private line indefinitely.
The current agreement and cover letter address several points worth confirming in writing:
- Restoration: The agreement calls for return to the prior condition or as close to it as reasonably possible. The cover letter distinguishes filling holes from completing surface restoration; it gives a period of up to two months after replacement for the latter. Ask specifically about paving, landscaping, irrigation, and other affected improvements.
- Existing systems: The agreement states that SWBNO and its contractors are not responsible for damage or failure of existing systems, including faulty electrical or plumbing systems. If improper electrical service or grounding is found, the owner must arrange correction before service-line work proceeds. The effect of a particular clause or disputed damage requires its own legal analysis.
- Warranty: The agreement describes a one-year contractor warranty for the new service line. Obtain the contractor’s actual warranty and claim procedure. A stated warranty term should not be treated as an answer to every possible claim or deadline.
- Photographs and video: Replacement permission includes documenting the interior or exterior area of the service line before and after installation. Ask where access will be needed and protect unrelated personal information.
- Claims and maintenance: The agreement directs related claims to SWBNO Risk Management and states that performing the work does not assume ongoing maintenance of private water service or fixtures. Save the signed terms and any later claim correspondence.
Take dated photographs before work and after completion. Record the condition of surfaces and nearby improvements, identify any immediate problem promptly, and ask for a written restoration schedule. A photograph documents a condition; it does not, by itself, establish who caused it.
Act 957 concerns entry and notice; Amendment 7 concerns funding
Louisiana’s Act 957 of 2026, effective August 1 according to the legislative record, enacted R.S. 33:4081.2. It permits a municipality to adopt an ordinance authorizing entry related to lead-service-line replacement. The statute is not itself proof that a particular New Orleans ordinance applies to a particular visit.
Under that statutory route, the owner and residents generally must receive at least seven days’ notice; the law provides an emergency exception. It requires an attempt at personal notice and, if the person cannot be reached, certified mail or prominently posted notice. The notice must address the scheduled work, who will perform it, likely water disruption, available supplementary water locations, if any, and remedies if access is unavailable. The law also requires a certified completion letter to the owner. If this authority is invoked, request the ordinance and notice relied upon.
The separate Amendment 7 proposal, Act 607, would expressly permit public funds to be used for identifying, inventorying, removing, and replacing affected service lines on private customer property. Funding authority, permission to enter, and the scope of an individual owner’s agreement remain distinct questions. A favorable vote would not itself schedule an individual replacement.
Nor should an owner assume all New Orleans work must wait for that vote. In its October 23 update, SWBNO states that a May 2026 Attorney General opinion provides a conditional legal pathway for its program. That is SWBNO’s description of the opinion. The same update describes inspections underway and replacements planned to begin in early 2027. Ask the utility which funding and access authority applies to your property.
Keep an address-specific project file
- Original notices, envelopes, emails, and any door hanger identifying the visiting contractor.
- The inventory classification, whether it is predicted or verified, and inspection results for both portions of the line.
- The complete signed entry agreement and every selected authorization or reservation.
- Before-and-after photographs, known underground hazards, and access arrangements.
- The written scope of replacement, material installed, work dates, water-interruption notice, and completion record.
- The restoration schedule, warranty, flushing instructions, filter instructions, and any unresolved complaint.
Confirm the identity of the contractor through SWBNO using a published contact number. Our Louisiana contractor-verification guide explains why business identity, licensing, insurance, and project records answer different questions. A legitimate program does not establish the identity of every person who arrives at the door.
A public-records request owners can adapt
Existing project records can be requested through SWBNO’s public-records portal. Identify the address, approximate dates, and documents sought. Avoid sending Social Security numbers or unrelated medical information. A focused request might read:
Please provide existing records concerning service-line inspection or replacement at [address] during [date range], including the inventory classification and basis for it; inspection findings and photographs for the public and private portions; the executed entry agreement; work orders and the replacement scope; completion and restoration records; and the applicable warranty. Please identify or provide the ordinance, program policy, and funding authorization relied upon for this work. Electronic copies are preferred. If part of a record is withheld, please identify the basis and provide the remaining portions that may be released.
This requests existing records. It does not require the utility to create a new technical opinion or decide a private legal claim. Ask separately for the May 2026 Attorney General opinion if the utility relies on it and its application matters to your question. Tenants may seek relevant project information without signing an ownership declaration; access to particular personal information may be limited.
Reduce exposure while the project is pending
Follow the utility’s property-specific flushing and post-work instructions. EPA advises using cold water for drinking, cooking, and preparing infant formula; boiling does not remove lead. Use a filter certified to remove lead and replace cartridges as directed. Ask SWBNO about testing and the filter provided under the replacement program. The current agreement calls for using its provided pitcher filter for six months after replacement. See EPA’s drinking-water guidance.
A suspected exposure warrants advice from an appropriate health-care professional, particularly for a child or pregnant person. Water testing, pipe identification, and medical testing answer different questions. Keep any results and the dates associated with them.
EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements provide the broader federal framework. For renters facing additional habitability or repair issues, our Louisiana Legal Research collection includes related housing and public-records resources. This article provides general information; a disputed entry, contract term, or damage claim requires review of the actual documents and facts.