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 Columbus crews handle?
- Burst & frozen pipes
- Flooded basements & crawl spaces
- Sewage backup & extraction
- Storm & roof-leak flooding
- Ceiling leaks & appliance failures
- Structural drying & dehumidification
Common emergencies in Columbus
- Frozen pipes
- Severe thunderstorms
- Basement flooding
What's different about water damage in Columbus?
Columbus mixes both failure modes: fast-built growth suburbs with attic plumbing and finished basements, and older in-town stock with supply lines at end of life. Hard freezes burst pipes on both sides of that line, spring thunderstorms test sump pumps across Franklin County, and summer humidity keeps anything left damp growing.
In Ohio the coverage that catches homeowners out is sewer and sump backup - both need their own endorsement, an add-on many policies skip. Sudden pipe and appliance failures fall under the standard policy; frozen pipes are covered when the home was reasonably heated.
Your call goes to a crew based in the Columbus area. Serving Columbus, Dublin, Westerville, Grove City, Hilliard, Reynoldsburg, and all of Franklin County.
Repairing water damage in Columbus: rules, homes, and who to call
Start with whose pipe failed. The city owns the curb box and the line on the street side of it; you own the service line from the box to the house, and a leak on your side needs a licensed contractor and a city inspection. Report a sewer backup to the 24-hour Sewer Maintenance Operations Center at (614) 645-7102 and keep the service request number: single- and two-family homes with backups from the public sewer may qualify for Project Dry Basement, which covers an approved backflow prevention device. If the home is in a mapped flood hazard area, repairs need a city floodplain permit or exemption first. To show the work is under the 50% substantial-damage line, Chapter 1150 asks for a written cost estimate plus either a certified appraisal or the county auditor's market value. Two floods in ten years averaging 25% of value also count as substantial damage.
Permits and licensing
Ohio's Construction Industry Licensing Board licenses five trades: electrical, plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration and hydronics. Inside Columbus, contractors in those trades need that state license plus city registration, and structural repair on an existing one-, two- or three-family home needs a city Home Improvement Contractor license. Owners may pull permits only for work they do themselves, not for work they hire out. In a mapped flood hazard area, Columbus City Code Chapter 1150 requires a Special Flood Hazard Area Development and Use Permit. Damage from any cause that costs 50% or more of the structure's pre-damage fair market value to restore is substantial damage, and the rebuilt home must meet the code's elevation rules. These are Columbus rules; suburbs and unincorporated Franklin County set their own.
How Columbus homes are built
The German Village Society says German Village developed mainly between 1840 and 1914, that most of its buildings date from the last quarter of the 1800s, and describes its sturdy red-brick homes. German Village, Italian Village and Victorian Village each have a city historic commission, so exterior repairs there, even a like-for-like roof, start with a Certificate of Appropriateness application.
When emergencies cluster
Winter cold bursts pipes: on January 7, 2014, NWS readings at Port Columbus fell to -7F after wind chills near -33. The June 29, 2012 derecho caused widespread wind damage across the NWS Wilmington area, which includes Columbus, and July 6, 2019 storms dropped 2 to 4 inches quickly across central Ohio. An EF1 tornado ran from Olde Towne East to Mayfair on September 26, 2018.
Water and gas: who handles what
Water and sewer inside Columbus are Columbus Water & Power. Report a water main break to 311 at (614) 645-3111 on weekdays, or after hours to the 24-hour Water Distribution Maintenance desk at (614) 645-7788. Gas is Columbia Gas of Ohio. If you smell gas, leave right away without using switches, phones or the car, then from a safe spot call 911 and 1-800-344-4077.
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.
Sump pump died in a spring storm - covered?
Only with a sump/backup endorsement. The cleanup is the same either way, so photograph everything in case coverage applies.
Finished basement flooded - what's salvageable?
Caught fast: most hard surfaces and the framing. Carpet pad, saturated drywall bottom, and pressboard furniture usually go. Hours matter more than anything else.
Do I need a permit before water damage repairs start in Columbus?
Emergency work on a failed plumbing, electrical, mechanical or structural system can begin first. City guidance says to send a written request to the trade inspection supervisor when applicable, then apply for all needed permits by the next business day, or the job may be treated as work without a permit. Owners cannot pull a permit for work they hire out.
Sewage came up through my basement floor drain. Who do I call?
Call the city's 24-hour Sewer Maintenance Operations Center at (614) 645-7102 and keep the service request number. If the backup came from the public sewer, a single- or two-family home may qualify for Project Dry Basement, which covers an approved backflow device; questions go to (614) 645-8404. Whether the cleanup is covered depends on your policy's sewer backup terms.
I live in German Village. Can storm damage to my roof be repaired right away?
Exterior work in Columbus historic districts starts with a Certificate of Appropriateness application. The city's staff approval list lets staff approve, without a hearing, asphalt-to-asphalt replacement from the approved shingle list, slate repairs with matching slate, and like-for-like gutters and soffits. You still file the application, so include photos of the damage.
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.