Louisiana ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Louisiana Amendment 7, explained
Public money to replace lead and other hazardous water lines on private property. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.
The official wording
Do you support an amendment to allow for the use of public funds by a political subdivision for the purpose of identifying, inventorying, removing or replacing drinking water utility service lines made of or affected by materials as specified or prescribed by the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, promulgated October 30, 2024, or subsequent promulgation, on property owned by utility customers? (Amends Article VII, Section 14)
This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
What it actually means
A water service line usually runs from the main in the street to the house, and the part on private property is the homeowner's. Article VII, Section 14 of the Louisiana Constitution bars public money from being spent on private property, which has left local utilities unable to pay to replace the private half of a lead line. This amendment adds an exception so they can identify, inventory, remove or replace lines covered by the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements, including on customers' land.
If you vote YES
- A parish, city or other political subdivision could spend public money to identify, inventory, remove or replace drinking water service lines covered by the EPA's Lead and Copper Rule Improvements of October 30, 2024, or a later version, on property owned by utility customers.
- Full lead line replacements could proceed without waiting for a homeowner to pay for the private portion.
- The constitutional prohibition in Article VII, Section 14 on lending, pledging or donating public funds would gain another listed exception.
- Local governments taking this on would need money for it; the amendment authorises the spending but does not provide funding.
If you vote NO
- Public funds could continue to be spent on public water infrastructure but not to remove or replace hazardous service lines on private property.
- Where a lead line crosses from public to private land, the private portion would remain the property owner's responsibility, which can leave part of a line in place after the public half is replaced.
- The federal Lead and Copper Rule Improvements would still apply to Louisiana water systems; the question is only whether local public money can be spent on the private side.
Why supporters say YES
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
Why opponents say NO
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
What’s genuinely uncertain
- No committee has registered on either side and Ballotpedia has located no arguments in opposition, so none are presented. The sponsor, Sen. Royce Duplessis (D-5), said: "At [the] end of the day, this is about protecting public health and working to ensure there's no lead exposure."
- This amendment drew the most legislative dissent of the ten: the Senate passed it 28-9, the House 80-12, and the Senate concurred 32-4. No published explanation of those votes attributable by name was found.
- No estimate of how many Louisiana service lines are affected, or what replacement would cost, was located.
The bottom line
Whether local governments should be allowed to spend public money finishing lead line replacements on private property, against the constitution's general rule that public funds do not go to private property.
One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.
Checking it against the official text
The Louisiana Secretary of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Louisiana Secretary of State.
Other measures on the Louisiana ballot
- Amendment 1 — Transferring a disabled veteran's surviving spouse property tax exemption
- Amendment 2 — Letting local governments lower a millage and later restore it
- Amendment 3 — No post-conviction bail for aggravated offenses against a minor
- Amendment 4 — Lifetime two-term limit for governor
- Amendment 5 — Which pension debt one-time state money must pay down first
- Amendment 6 — Additional property tax exemption for homeowners 65 and older
- Amendment 8 — Barring foreign adversaries from expropriating property
- Amendment 9 — Raising the income limit for the senior assessment freeze to $150,000
- Amendment 10 — Property tax exemption for rehabilitated blighted property
Candidates on the same ballot
- U.S. Senate election in Louisiana
- Louisiana's 1st congressional district
- Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
- Louisiana's 3rd congressional district
- Louisiana's 4th congressional district
- Louisiana's 5th congressional district
- Louisiana's 6th congressional district