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 Los Angeles crews handle?
- Burst pipes & supply-line failures
- Slab leaks & flooded crawl spaces
- Sewage backup & extraction
- Storm & roof-leak flooding
- Ceiling leaks & appliance failures
- Structural drying & dehumidification
Common emergencies in Los Angeles
- Earthquakes
- Wildfires & smoke
- Winter rainstorms
What's different about water damage in Los Angeles?
Much of LA's housing stock predates 1970 - original galvanized and cast-iron lines corrode and fail behind walls, and slab leaks are routine in post-war neighborhoods. Atmospheric-river storms overwhelm hillside drainage in a single weekend, and seismic movement quietly works plumbing joints loose between the storms.
California policies cover sudden water damage, but pipe breaks caused by an earthquake need separate earthquake coverage, and mold remediation is often capped unless it stems from a covered sudden loss.
Your call goes to a crew based in the Los Angeles area. Serving Los Angeles, Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Torrance, Inglewood, and all of LA County.
Repairing water damage in Los Angeles: rules, homes, and who to call
If your home sits in a mapped flood hazard area, the city's Flood Hazard Management Ordinance changes the repair. A structure is substantially damaged when restoring it would cost 50% or more of its market value before the damage, or when flood damage on two occasions within 10 years averages 25% or more each time. Market value means the structure only, not the land, and LADBS may estimate it from the assessed improvement value. If your permit valuation passes 40% of market value, the Bureau of Engineering may verify both figures, using an appraisal by a California-certified appraiser. Substantially damaged homes must fully meet the ordinance. Smaller jobs often fit LADBS express permits, including water damage repair under 10% of replacement cost. For a broken city main, call LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP, and close your own main valve for anything on your side.
Permits and licensing
California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). Since January 1, 2025, an unlicensed person may take a job only if it totals under $1,000, needs no permit of any kind and uses no hired workers; otherwise a CSLB license is required. California has no state license or certification specific to mold remediation. Inside city limits, LADBS issues repair permits; its express permit list, with no plan check, includes water or fire damage repair to homes within 10% of the building's replacement cost, drywall replacement in houses and duplexes, water heater replacement and repair of damaged wiring. In mapped flood hazard areas, the city's Flood Hazard Management Ordinance adds a substantial-damage test. Glendale, Pasadena and unincorporated Altadena are outside LADBS jurisdiction.
How Los Angeles homes are built
Angelino Heights, the city's first Historic Preservation Overlay Zone, has the city's highest concentration of 19th-century Victorian homes on the 1300 block of Carroll Avenue. Jefferson Park is known for single-story Arts and Crafts bungalows from the early 1900s. Highland Park-Garvanza has about 4,000 structures in styles from the 1880s to 1940s, many of them Craftsman. In an HPOZ, most exterior changes, even some simple repairs, need City Planning approval.
When emergencies cluster
Water emergencies cluster in the winter storm season, with occasional late-summer tropical rain, and January 2025 showed major fires can strike in winter. Hilary and its remnants set a downtown daily rain record of 2.48 inches on August 20, 2023. A February 2024 storm dropped more than 8 inches downtown in four days. On January 7, 2025, the Palisades and Eaton fires began, destroying over 16,000 structures between them.
Water and gas: who handles what
Inside city limits, water comes from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. For water emergencies and outages, LADWP's 24/7 line is 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). Gas is SoCalGas. If you smell gas, leave right away, then call 1-800-427-2200 from a safe place, and 911 if the leak could endanger people or property. Do not use switches or flames, and do not try to fix the leak.
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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 after an earthquake covered?
Earthquake damage and resulting water damage can be treated differently. Ask your insurer to review your homeowners and any earthquake coverage.
Are slab leaks in older LA homes covered?
The water damage usually is; the pipe repair itself often isn't. Original galvanized and cast-iron systems fail predictably - documenting a sudden failure is what matters.
Do I need a permit to fix water damage in my Los Angeles house?
Often yes. Inside city limits, LADBS issues express permits, without plan check, for water damage repair under 10% of the building's replacement cost, drywall replacement in houses and duplexes, and water heater replacement. Larger repairs need plan check. In a flood hazard area, repairs at 50% or more of the structure's market value trigger full floodplain compliance. In an HPOZ, exterior work also needs City Planning approval.
Does California license mold removal companies?
No. The California Department of Public Health says there is no state license or certification specific to mold. Contractor law still applies to repair work such as replacing drywall: a job of $1,000 or more, one that needs a permit, or one using hired workers requires a CSLB license. You can check any license number on the CSLB website before signing.
Can I get help paying for crime scene cleanup in Los Angeles?
Possibly. The California Victim Compensation Board may reimburse up to $1,709 for cleaning biohazard materials from a crime scene in a residence or vehicle. It pays only when the cleanup was done by a practitioner registered with the California Department of Public Health, and it does not cover damaged property. You can ask to see the registration before work starts.
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.