New water duty now in force — fines up to 10,000 zł
Owners of certain buildings must carry out a water risk assessment and test for Legionella and lead. Non-compliance can bring fines up to 10,000 zł.
A new duty affecting water safety in selected buildings took effect on 21 May 2026. Owners and managers must now carry out a water risk assessment and test for Legionella and lead, with fines up to 10,000 zł for non-compliance.
What changed and why it matters
Poland implemented EU rules through a law dated 13 March 2026. The law set the new framework and made the principle “from source to tap” central to water safety. The ministerial regulation of 22 May 2026 defined detailed testing rules and came into force on 24 June 2026. The change matters because authorities now include internal building plumbing in checks. Water can leave a treatment plant clean and become unsafe inside a building. Old pipes, lead-containing fittings, water stagnation, and wrong temperatures can all create risks for Legionella growth.
Who must carry out a water risk assessment
The strictest duties apply to so-called priority objects. These are non-residential buildings where more than 50 people daily face water-related risks. The law lists many examples: hospitals, care and nursing homes, hospices, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centres, addiction treatment facilities, psychiatric care facilities, spa treatment centres, hotels, motels, guesthouses, holiday resorts, campsites, prisons and detention centres, retirement homes, and public buildings where installations produce a water aerosol. Since Legionella spreads mainly by inhaling tiny contaminated droplets, buildings with showers or aerosol-generating devices carry special risk.
Deadlines, documentation and penalties
Existing owners and managers must submit the first internal system assessment by 30 June 2028. New priority buildings must deliver an assessment within six months of opening. Owners must review and, if needed, update the assessment at least every six years. Keep the documentation for 12 years and attach it to the building log book. If tests show no exceedances, report results to the sanitary inspector within seven working days. If tests show exceedances, inform the inspector and list causes, remedial actions, a timetable and verification methods within seven working days. Authorities can order follow-up testing at the owner’s expense. The administrative fine for priority objects ranges from 100 to 10,000 zł. Water suppliers face separate fines from 100 to 60,000 zł for some breaches. Inspectors issue fines by formal decision, not as automatic on-the-spot tickets.
What this means for apartment blocks and homeowners
The law also affects multi-family residential buildings. Owners associations, housing cooperatives and property managers must conduct a general analysis of internal plumbing. The review should cover the layout, water heating method, temperatures, pipe lengths, materials, possible lead components and suggested sampling points. If the analysis finds problems, managers must notify the State Sanitary Inspection, known colloquially as sanepid. Sanepid can then require monitoring or further testing. Individual tenants do not need to order tests. Importantly, single-family houses and similarly sized homes are exempt from these formal duties. Owners of private wells should still test water after floods, taste or smell changes, or other local events.
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