Where Is the Main Water Shutoff? Where to Look in Your House

Find it before you need it

Water running where it should not? Turn off the main valve inside the house, typically near where the water pipe comes in, then leave the faucets on.

Do this first

1. Shut off the water at the main valve inside the house, if you can reach it without standing in water that touches anything electrical.
2. No main valve inside, or you cannot reach it safely? Turn the water off at the main shutoff at the curb or near the water meter.
3. Leave the faucets turned on after you shut the main off.
4. If the break is in a hot water pipe, also close the valve on top of the water heater.
5. Stay out of standing water that touches anything electrical. Never turn power on or off while standing in water. If you would have to step into water to reach the breaker panel, call an electrician to turn it off.
6. Cannot find it, or cannot turn it? That is a plumber call. Phone a licensed plumber, and phone your water utility's emergency line too if water is gushing or sewage is backing up (the list is below). Some utilities reserve that line for exactly those cases. Say the water is not off.

Then follow the steps for your problem: burst pipe, frozen pipes or toilet overflowing.

Where to look

Start inside the house. If there is no main valve inside, go to the meter.

Find it on a calm day

• Find the valve now, then show everyone in the house how to turn it. Georgia's frozen-pipe guidance for homeowners recommends exactly that.
• Having the utility turn your water off can cost money. One example: the City of Marietta's FAQ says the charge to turn water off or on is $25 during normal working hours and $65 after hours. Knowing your own valve is cheaper.

Whose pipe is it?

For every utility we checked, the meter is the line of responsibility. Cobb's water system says a leak after the meter is the owner's, Atlanta's watershed department splits it the same way, DeKalb says the owner owns from the meter into the house, and Gwinnett states it will not repair leaks on the customer's side of the meter.

Before the meter, call the utility, not a plumber. After the meter, it is yours.

Not sure the leak is inside the house?

Turn off every fixture and the house's main shutoff, then watch the meter. If it keeps spinning, Cobb's water system says the leak is most likely in the line from the meter to the house. If it stops, Cobb says it could be an intermittent leak. The slab leak page has the full test.

Water emergency lines

Call the line for your city. These are the numbers published by the utilities or by the city itself.

Request a plumber

We're a referral directory, not a contractor; this button opens our request form.

General information, not professional plumbing advice. In an emergency that threatens life or property, call 911.