Free water test for Chicago residents. If you’re concerned about the lead levels in your water Chicago residents can test their water for free.
How it works
To get your free test you can either call 311 or fill out a form here to request a kit.
The City of Chicago Department of Water Management (DWM) will send you a kit that consists of three bottles, a mailing box, and instructions. After you’re done you have to call and the DWM will pick it up. You have to place the kit in a location where they can grab it like your front porch. For high rise dwellers you can leave it with your doorman for pick up.
Water Department appointment
If you would prefer to schedule a time for a DWM representative to come to your home to take water samples, keep in mind that this appointment must be scheduled for a time when you are home and you have not used your water for over 6 hours. Call 311 or fill out the form below and a representative will reach out to you to schedule a visit.
You can also click here for results from residences that have already tested their water. And check back periodically to see if your results show up.
2016 testing experience
I applied for my kit online on Sept. 9, 2016. You will be given a service request number SRXX-XXXXXXXX to track your request. On Sept. 21 I received the confirmation email below. The kit showed up on Sept. 30. The instructions are very clear. It takes less than ten minutes to do the test. You must get your test picked up within four days of taking your samples in order for it to be tested. It took about ten weeks to get the results. YMMV.
2019 testing experience
I applied for my kit online on July 13, 2019. I received a confirmation email with a service request number SRXX-XXXXXXXX saying that my request would be completed in 7 days. More info to follow.
