What happens when you call
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Tell us what happened. 30 seconds - where the water is and how bad.
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You're connected with a local restoration crew while you're on the line.
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The crew confirms timing and sets your arrival time with you directly.
What do Austin crews handle?
- Burst & frozen pipes
- Slab leaks & flooded crawl spaces
- Sewage backup & extraction
- Storm & roof-leak flooding
- Ceiling leaks & appliance failures
- Structural drying & dehumidification
Common emergencies in Austin
- Flash flooding
- Hail
- Hard freezes
What's different about water damage in Austin?
Austin's limestone terrain sheds heavy rain fast - Flash Flood Alley storms overwhelm drainage and push water into garages and lower floors with little warning. The 2021 freeze burst pipes across Travis County's fast-built housing stock, much of it with supply runs in uninsulated attics, and growth suburbs add new slab foundations to the mix every year.
Texas policies commonly carry a separate percentage deductible for wind and hail - a different number than your flat deductible, worth checking before storm season. Sudden water losses like burst pipes fall under the standard deductible.
Your call goes to a crew based in the Austin area. Serving Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, and all of Travis County.
Repairing water damage in Austin: rules, homes, and who to call
In Austin, the flood map changes the permit, not just the claim. While its own map update is pending, the city regulates to FEMA's 500-year floodplain, a wider area than the 100-year floodplain, so check your address on ATXFloodPro before signing a repair contract. Any repair inside that floodplain needs a cost estimate of all proposed work, including a labor estimate if you do the work yourself, because city rules limit how much work an existing building can get before the whole building must be brought into compliance with current floodplain rules. The city's Floodplain Office is at 512-974-2843. Texas Gas Service advises against using any gas appliance that floodwater reached, even if it seems to work. In unincorporated Travis County, the county requires a development permit for all repairs to flood-damaged structures, with a line-item cost estimate on contractor letterhead.
Permits and licensing
Texas licenses plumbers through the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners and electricians and electrical contractors through TDLR, so ask for a license number and check it on the agency's site. Inside Austin city limits, Development Services exempts small work, such as residential drywall repairs up to 128 square feet, but larger repairs need a permit, and plumbing, electrical or mechanical work may need its own trade permit. Express Permit applications for fire-damage repairs need a fire incident report, photos and a structural report or drawings stamped by a Texas-registered engineer. In the city's regulatory floodplain, currently based on FEMA's 500-year floodplain, every repair needs a cost estimate of all proposed work. Unincorporated Travis County is permitted by the county instead.
How Austin homes are built
Hyde Park, platted in 1891, had its biggest building boom from 1924 to 1935, leaving many bungalows. The city's design standards for its historic district ask new houses to raise floors to match existing pier-and-beam houses. In Rogers Washington Holy Cross, mostly built from 1950 to 1965, the city's standards describe Minimal Traditional and Ranch houses on pier-and-beam or slab foundations, with wood or asbestos-shingle siding among their original materials.
When emergencies cluster
Floods cluster in spring and fall; freezes burst pipes in winter. NWS Austin/San Antonio records the Halloween flood of October 30-31, 2013; Memorial Day flash flooding across Travis County on May 25, 2015; and October 30-31, 2015, when a gauge on Onion Creek at Highway 183 logged 15.5 inches of rain. The February 10-18, 2021 winter storm burst pipes statewide, and an ice storm followed January 30-February 2, 2023.
Water and gas: who handles what
Austin Water owns the line from the main to the meter box; the service line and cut-off valve past the meter are yours, so find that valve now. Check the utility's online Leak Response Map, and if a leak is not listed, call Austin Water's 24/7 line at 512-972-1000. If Texas Gas Service supplies your gas and you smell it, leave the area first, then call 911 and 800-959-5325.
Also serving nearby
Common questions
How fast can someone be here?
Our line is answered 24/7, and you're connected with a local restoration crew while you're on the call. The crew confirms timing and sets your arrival time with you directly.
Is water damage from the next hard freeze covered?
Sudden freeze-burst pipes are typically covered under Texas homeowner's policies if you followed the policy's freeze precautions - usually maintaining heat, or shutting off the water and draining the pipes. Review your policy, including endorsements. Prevention tip, not a coverage rule: in a hard freeze, dripping faucets and opening cabinet doors under sinks can help prevent bursts.
Does a plumbing leak under the slab change my claim?
It can. Damage from gradual soil movement typically isn't covered, but if a sudden plumbing failure caused the moisture, the resulting water damage may be. Review your policy, including endorsements. Document the leak before repairs.
Do I need a permit to replace water-damaged drywall in Austin?
Inside city limits, residential drywall repair up to 128 square feet is exempt if it is not part of a fire-rated assembly, a shear wall or a tub or shower surround. Larger repairs can often use an Express Permit, which the city says it issues in one business day for most projects, though timing can differ in a floodplain or historic district. Unincorporated Travis County has its own rules.
Will my homeowners policy cover mold from a slow leak?
Often not. The Texas Attorney General notes that most homeowners policies sold in Texas are HO-A policies, which generally cover sudden and accidental leaks but not continuous or repeated leakage. Many exclude mold remediation or cap it. Your policy may also require reporting water damage within a set time, often 30 days after discovery, so check your policy.
Water is bubbling up near my meter. Is that Austin Water's job or mine?
Austin Water owns and maintains the main and the service line up to the meter box at your property line. The service line and cut-off valve past the meter are yours, along with your home's plumbing. Check the Leak Response Map first, and if the leak is not listed, call 512-972-1000, which the utility staffs 24/7.
Do you work with my insurance?
Many restoration contractors work with adjusters. Ask how billing works on the call, and ask the contractor about documentation and coordination with your adjuster. Sudden, accidental water damage is typically covered by homeowner's insurance. Review your policy, including endorsements.
What does it cost?
It depends on how far the water spread. Ask for a written scope and estimate before work starts. Sudden, accidental water damage is typically covered by homeowner's insurance. Review your policy, including endorsements.
What should I do while I wait?
If it's safe, shut off the water source and power to wet areas, and move valuables up off the floor. The crew handles the rest.