Yes, NYC tap water is safe to drink for most people, and the source water is genuinely among the best of any large American city. The part that varies is your building: lead can come from a service line laid before 1961, lead solder from before 1987 and brass faucets, and in 2025 16 of the 326 homes the city tested were over 15 ppb. Here is what the city's 2025 water report shows, how to get the city's free lead test, what our $199 city water test adds, and which filter fits NYC water.
Yes, NYC tap water is safe to drink for most people, and the source water is genuinely among the best of any large American city. The part that varies is your building: lead can come from a service line laid before 1961, lead solder from before 1987 and brass faucets, and in 2025 16 of the 326 homes the city tested were over 15 ppb. Here is what the city's 2025 water report shows, how to get the city's free lead test, what our $199 city water test adds, and which filter fits NYC water.
