Older Homes

Enter the year built. You'll see what houses of that age often have, each with its source and the guide that covers it. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Without a year, the list shows everything, oldest first.

• Lead water pipesBuilt 1929 or earlierMadison says lead water pipes were commonly installed in its homes until 1929. Madison has replaced every lead line it knows of, but a few still turn up, usually when a house is sold.(Madison Water Utility)(Madison Water Utility) Lead service lines by utility.
• Knob-and-tube wiring and a small serviceBuilt 1949 or earlierThe first wiring in most historic Wisconsin houses was knob and tube: two wires, no ground. Early services were usually 30 to 60 amps.(Wisconsin Historical Society) One city building department dates its use to the 1940s.(City of Menlo Park, CA) Old wiring: what to look for.
• Lime mortar in a stone or brick foundationBuilt 1929 or earlierMortar was sand and lime until about the end of the 1800s, and buildings from 1873 to 1930 range from pure lime to lime-cement mixes. Repointing with hard portland cement mortar can crack the old stone or brick.(National Park Service) Old basements and foundations.
• Lead paintBuilt 1977 or earlierLead paint was banned for home use in 1978, and EPA says about three-quarters of U.S. homes built before then still have some. Paint work in these homes falls under Wisconsin's lead-safe renovation rule when a contractor does it.(EPA)(Wisconsin DHS) Lead paint and asbestos rules.
• Vermiculite insulation (asbestos)Built 1990 or earlierA mine near Libby, Montana supplied over 70% of U.S. vermiculite from 1919 to 1990, and it was contaminated with asbestos. EPA says to assume pour-in vermiculite attic insulation came from Libby and leave it alone.(EPA) What to do about asbestos.
• Aluminum branch-circuit wiringBuilt 1965 to 1976Aluminum wiring went into homes from about 1965 to the mid-1970s. A CPSC-sponsored survey found connections in pre-1972 aluminum-wired homes 55 times more likely to reach fire-hazard conditions than in copper-wired homes.(CPSC) Aluminum wiring.
• Lead solder on copper pipesBuilt 1986 or earlierLead solder was used to join pipes in Madison homes until 1986.(Madison Water Utility) Checking your pipes and water.
• Few GFCI outletsBuilt 1989 or earlierThe national electrical code started requiring GFCIs outdoors in 1973, bathrooms in 1975, garages in 1978, kitchens in 1987 and unfinished basements in 1990. CPSC says older homes often lack them, and a GFCI works even on an old two-slot circuit.(CPSC) Two-prong outlets and GFCIs.
• Clay or cast-iron sewer lateralBuilt 1980 or earlierMMSD says homes built after 1980 typically have PVC laterals and older ones likely have clay or cast iron. Clay breaks easily and has weak joints; cast iron corrodes.(MMSD) Sewer laterals: who owns what.
• Built before Wisconsin's dwelling codeBuilt 1979 or earlierWisconsin's Uniform Dwelling Code, which sets today's rules for footings, dampproofing and drain tile, took effect June 1, 1980. Homes started before then are exempt unless a town applies it to them.(SPS 320)(SPS 321) Foundation code and permits.
• An original boiler is near the end of its lifeBuilt 2006 or earlierIf the house has hot-water or steam heat and the boiler is original: HUD's rehab guide puts the service life of most steel boilers at about 20 years and cast iron at about 30. Old natural-draft boilers with pilot lights run 56 to 70% AFUE, against 82 to 84% for gas boilers made since 2021.(HUD)(DOE)(10 CFR 430.32) Radiators and boilers.
• RadonAny houseRadon gets in through cracks and gaps in any foundation, old or new. EPA says every home should be tested.(EPA) Radon testing and $10 kits.
• You own the sewer lateralAny houseIn the 7 towns whose code we could read, the owner owns the whole lateral, from the house to the main in the street.(City of Madison) Lateral ownership by town.

Don't know the year? The assessor's record has it: see when was my house built, or Madison's home age map for your neighborhood.