Where is the main water shutoff in a house you have never checked?

Check the outside walls of the home, the garage, the basement and closets, since those are places the San Francisco utility names. Locations differ elsewhere. If a short search turns up nothing, stop and call your water utility's emergency line, because running water is doing damage while you look.

Should a homeowner turn the valve at the street or the meter?

Ask the utility first. Rules differ by place. Austin describes a customer valve past the property line, and Denver puts the meter pit with the owner, but neither rule applies to other towns. If you are not sure the valve is yours to use, call the emergency line.

Does the plumber have to tell you to shut off the water?

No. Finding and using the main shutoff is the one job this site tells you to do yourself. Do it first if you can get there safely, then call. If the plumber who answers discourages it, that may be a reason to keep calling.

Right now / Shut it off now or Call the water utility

Shut the water off or wait for the plumber?

Use the main water shutoff now rather than waiting for the plumber, if you can reach it safely. If you cannot find it or it will not turn, never force it. Call your water utility's emergency line.

Updated November 4, 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of this page.

Find your line

If you can reach the valve without stepping through water near electricsShut it off nowTurn it by hand until the water stops, then call the plumber.
If water is near outlets, cords or appliances on the way to the valveCall the water utilityStay out of it. From somewhere dry, also call the power company or 911.
If you cannot find the valve after a quick lookCall the water utilityIts emergency line can help. Do not spend the damage time searching.
If the handle will not moveCall the water utilityNever force it. A broken valve leaves you worse off than a stuck one.
If the only valve you can find is at the street or meterCall the water utilityRules on those valves vary by utility, so ask before touching it.
If a plumber says wait while they drive overShut it off nowEvery minute of running water adds to the damage. Tell them it is off.

Hand turning a red lever valve on a water line beside a meter — A hand closing a lever-handle main shutoff inside a house. Yours may look different, and valves outside the house may be the utility's. AI-generated picture.

Which do you do with water running right now?

	Shut it off now	Call the water utility
When	Valve found and reachable safely	Valve missing, stuck or at the street
Time to act	Now, before calling anyone	Now, from a safe dry place
What you need	Your hands, no force	The utility's emergency line
Main risk	Wet electrics on the way, so stay clear of them	Waiting while water runs
Then what	Call a plumber with the water off	Call a plumber once the utility responds
Who decides on street valves	Not you, unless the utility says so	Your local utility

Sources for this table: SFPUC, Austin Water, Denver Water, American Red Cross

What would change the order of these steps?

You smell gas or rotten eggs. Forget the valve, leave on foot and call from outside.
The way to the valve runs through water near anything electrical. Stay out and call from a dry place.
Sewage is the problem, not supply water. Keep people and pets out and read plumber or the city first.
Your utility has told you a specific rule for your meter or street valve. Follow the utility.

What can it cost you to wait?

This site found no dated figure for simply closing a valve, and none for replacing one that has seized. For that, ask the plumber for a written price before the work.

The gap that matters is this one. In a 2023 survey summary on Bob Vila, updated in June of that year with HomeAdvisor numbers, restoring water damage runs $1,000 to $5,000 while a leak repair runs $150 to $450. Those are old, national and possibly out of date, and prices differ by area, so treat them as a sense of scale. Water that keeps running can move you from the first kind of bill toward the second.

Once the water is off, you also have time to think about price. Emergency rate or next day walks through that choice.

Lever-handle ball valve on a brass and metal water pipe — A lever-handle shutoff valve on a metal water line. Yours may have a round handle instead, and may sit somewhere else.

Who is responsible for the valve and the line?

It depends on where you live, and the local details do not travel. In Austin, the utility describes a customer valve just past the property line that shuts off water to the whole property. In Denver, property owners are responsible for the service lines and meter pits. In San Francisco, the utility says most main shutoffs are on the outside of the home, while others sit in a garage, basement or closet. Yours is often in one of those places, but ask your utility if you are unsure. The San Francisco utility's advice is to learn the location and how to use it before an emergency.

The plumber who works on the valve answers to your state's rules. Washington requires a state certification, and a Texas state board licenses plumbers; your state may differ; see state rules. If you have never seen a shutoff, these ball valves at Plumbing Supply and More, a retailer run by the same team as this site, show one style so you can recognize it. Replacing a valve is a job to ask the plumber about.

Words to use

"The main is off now. Please tell me if there is anything else to do before you get here."

"The valve will not turn and it has not been forced. Can you tell me what that visit will cost?"

"Is this valve the homeowner's responsibility or the water utility's? Please show me the line."

"Before you leave, please show me where the shutoff is and how it closes."

From Cleveland Water, a public water utility, on finding and turning a main valve. Local to Cleveland; your valve may differ. Loads from YouTube only if you press play. 1 minute 56 seconds.

Also asked

Where is the main water shutoff in a house you have never checked?: Check the outside walls of the home, the garage, the basement and closets, since those are places the San Francisco utility names. Locations differ elsewhere. If a short search turns up nothing, stop and call your water utility's emergency line, because running water is doing damage while you look.
Should a homeowner turn the valve at the street or the meter?: Ask the utility first. Rules differ by place. Austin describes a customer valve past the property line, and Denver puts the meter pit with the owner, but neither rule applies to other towns. If you are not sure the valve is yours to use, call the emergency line.
Does the plumber have to tell you to shut off the water?: No. Finding and using the main shutoff is the one job this site tells you to do yourself. Do it first if you can get there safely, then call. If the plumber who answers discourages it, that may be a reason to keep calling.

Next decision in right nowPlumber first or water cleanup company first?

Sources

SFPUC: home water shutoff valve San Francisco: know your shutoff and where it may be
Austin Water: water leaks Austin customer valve past the property line
Denver Water: homeowner responsibility Denver owners answer for service lines and meter pits
American Red Cross: flood safety Staying clear of wet electrics
Bob Vila: How Much Does a Plumber Cost? Scale of leak and water damage bills, June 2023
Washington Labor & Industries: plumber certification Washington state certification for plumbers
Texas plumbing board: license types Who licenses Texas plumbers