Emergency plumber in Houston: what to do in the first ten minutes

This website is not an emergency service. We do not answer phones and we cannot send anyone to your home. Not every emergency starts with a plumber, either. Some start with the gas utility, the city or 911. These are the official numbers published by each agency:

The 311 route applies to City of Houston sewer customers. If your water and sewer come from a suburb or a municipal utility district, use the emergency number printed on your utility bill.

1. Close the main shutoff valve.Houston Public Works explains that the city owns the water service line from the main up to the meter, typically at the edge of the property line, and the property owner owns the line from the meter to where it enters the building. Your house shutoff is on that private stretch, often close to where the pipe enters the house or in a garage or utility area. Find your valve and test it before you need it.
2. Keep away from standing water near outlets, cords or appliances. If water may reach electrical equipment, do not walk through it.
3. Open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain the remaining water out of the lines once the main is closed.
4. Turn off the water heater. For a gas unit, set the control to pilot or off; for an electric unit, switch off its breaker if you can reach the panel safely.
5. Photograph the damage before you move anything, for your insurer.

Once the water is off, you have time to compare quotes. HomeAdvisor's 2026 guide puts the average burst pipe repair at $500, within a typical range of $200 to $3,000. Our emergency plumbing cost guide covers after-hours rates and the questions to ask before anyone drives out.

Leave first, call second. CenterPoint Energy tells customers to leave the area immediately on foot, move to a safe location, and then call CenterPoint and 911. It says not to assume someone else has reported it, to warn neighbors if it is safe, and never to try to find or fix a gas leak yourself. While you are near the leak, do not use your cell phone, do not start a car, and avoid anything that could cause a spark. CenterPoint also says not to report a gas leak by email or online.

Gas piping is plumbing work in Texas. Inside the City of Houston, the Houston Permitting Center requires a permit, obtained by a registered master plumber, for a connection to a fuel gas appliance. Do not relight a pilot or reconnect an appliance until the utility or a licensed plumber says it is safe.

Stop running water, flushing toilets and using the washer, so you do not add to the backup. Then go outside and find the sewer cleanout, which Houston Public Works describes as typically a white plastic pipe with a threaded or pull-off cap, sometimes under a metal cover, along public space near the street.

• Sewage standing at the cleanout: the blockage is likely in the public system. Houston Public Works says to call 311 or submit a 311 request.
• No sewage at the cleanout: the city says the blockage is on your private line and suggests contacting a plumber. Problems with private wastewater pipes closer to the home are the homeowner's responsibility.

Houston Public Works also says 70% of the city's sewer overflows are caused by fats, oils and grease poured down drains and wipes flushed down toilets. Our sewer line repair page explains what happens next, and the storm sewer backup guide covers heavy rain.

Hard freezes are rare in Houston but do happen. The American Red Cross advises keeping the faucet open so melting water can flow, warming the pipe with an electric hair dryer, a space heater kept away from flammable materials, or towels soaked in hot water, and applying heat until full pressure returns. It warns never to use a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or other open flame. If you cannot find or thaw the frozen section, or the pipe has split, close the main and call a licensed plumber. Before a freeze, the Red Cross suggests letting cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes and opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors.

Give your address and cross street, what failed, whether the water or gas is off, and how long it has been leaking. Ask for the plumber's name and Texas license number, and the company's Responsible Master Plumber, and check them in the Texas plumbing license search while you wait. Ask for the call-out fee and hourly rate before anyone drives out. Email replies from this site are not immediate, so do not wait for us in an emergency.