diff --git a/kwant/builder.py b/kwant/builder.py
index 79e1f0198c0d2f882bd9cbd736117c2e572e8d08..2ca81a946faf5c9c50201c67a34398a69d46d41c 100644
--- a/kwant/builder.py
+++ b/kwant/builder.py
@@ -1681,7 +1681,13 @@ class Builder:
 
         if hop_range > 1:
             # Automatically increase the period, potentially warn the user.
-            new_lead = Builder(sym.subgroup((hop_range,)))
+            new_lead = Builder(
+                sym.subgroup((hop_range,)),
+                conservation_law=lead_builder.conservation_law,
+                time_reversal=lead_builder.time_reversal,
+                particle_hole=lead_builder.particle_hole,
+                chiral=lead_builder.chiral,
+            )
             with reraise_warnings():
                 new_lead.fill(lead_builder, lambda site: True,
                               lead_builder.sites(), max_sites=float('inf'))
diff --git a/kwant/tests/test_builder.py b/kwant/tests/test_builder.py
index c6f0874865968079ae24b1e8c8f373fd674acd71..bd02f680401420cca03ba4a9933fad4c2f8aa582 100644
--- a/kwant/tests/test_builder.py
+++ b/kwant/tests/test_builder.py
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ def test_fill_sticky():
 
 
 def test_attach_lead():
-    fam = builder.SimpleSiteFamily()
+    fam = builder.SimpleSiteFamily(norbs=1)
     fam_noncommensurate = builder.SimpleSiteFamily(name='other')
 
     syst = builder.Builder()
@@ -878,7 +878,12 @@ def test_attach_lead():
 
     # add some further-than-nearest-neighbor hoppings
     hop_range = 3
-    lead = builder.Builder(VerySimpleSymmetry(1))
+    lead = builder.Builder(
+        VerySimpleSymmetry(1),
+        conservation_law=np.eye(1),
+        time_reversal=np.eye(1),
+        particle_hole=np.eye(1),
+        chiral=np.eye(1))
     lead[fam(0)] = 1
     for i in range(1, hop_range + 1):
         lead[fam(0), fam(i)] = 1
@@ -886,6 +891,10 @@ def test_attach_lead():
     expanded_lead = syst.leads[-1].builder
     assert expanded_lead.symmetry.period == hop_range
     assert len(list(expanded_lead.sites())) == hop_range
+    assert expanded_lead.conservation_law is lead.conservation_law
+    assert expanded_lead.time_reversal is lead.time_reversal
+    assert expanded_lead.particle_hole is lead.particle_hole
+    assert expanded_lead.chiral is lead.chiral
 
     # check that we can actually finalize the system
     syst.finalized()