What happens when you call
-
Tell us what happened. 30 seconds - where the water is and how bad.
-
You're connected with a local restoration crew while you're on the line.
-
The crew confirms timing and sets your arrival time with you directly.
What do Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia
- Nor'easters
- Frozen pipes
- Flash flooding
What's different about water damage in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia's rowhomes share party walls, so one burst pipe routinely becomes two houses' problem - water travels along joists straight into the neighbor's ceiling. Original cast-iron stacks and galvanized supply lines are at end of life across whole blocks, basements sit below grade, and hard freezes find the pipes in unheated cellars first.
Pennsylvania policies cover sudden failures including freeze-bursts when the home was reasonably heated. Sewer and drain backup - a common Philadelphia basement claim - needs its own endorsement, and party-wall losses get sorted between insurers after each home documents its own damage.
Your call goes to a crew based in the Philadelphia area. Serving Philadelphia, Camden, Cherry Hill, Upper Darby, Norristown, Bensalem, and all of Philadelphia County.
Repairing water damage in Philadelphia: rules, homes, and who to call
Check your address on the FEMA flood map before signing a repair contract. In the Special Flood Hazard Area, L&I requires a Flood Protection Form with the building permit application. It compares the cost of all proposed work with the building's market value, taken from the Taxable and Exempt Improvement values on property.phila.gov. If the work equals or exceeds 50% of that value, the building generally must be brought into floodplain compliance, and work values add up over five years. Expect to attach a detailed cost estimate or signed contract, a FIRMette, and a list of open permits and permits from the last 12 months. To dispute the city's value, submit a certified appraisal and seek a variance from the Board of Building Standards. Projects of $50,000 or more need a scoping meeting first. The service line from the main to your house is the owner's to repair.
Permits and licensing
Pennsylvania requires contractors who do at least $5,000 of home improvement work a year to register with the state Attorney General, whose website lets you check a registration. Inside Philadelphia, L&I adds its own rules. A city contractor license is required for construction, demolition and repair work, but a business that works only on existing one- or two-family homes registers with the state as a home improvement contractor instead. Plumbing and electrical work need specialized city licenses, and a licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work. Major repairs that aren't regular maintenance need a building permit. Painting, wallboard over existing walls and new cabinets often don't, unless the property is on the city's historic registry. Suburbs such as Upper Darby and Bensalem set their own rules.
How Philadelphia homes are built
The city's Rowhouse Manual places small 19th-century workingman's rowhouses in South, North and West Philadelphia and Manayunk, and larger streetcar rowhouses with front porches and bay windows in North, South and West Philadelphia. Postwar rowhouses with a lower-level garage appear in Northeast Philadelphia, Roxborough and East Mount Airy. The manual notes joists typically span party wall to party wall, and some party walls carry floor and roof.
When emergencies cluster
Some of the worst recent river flooding came from late-summer tropical storms. On August 4, 2020, Isaias pushed the Schuylkill at Philadelphia to 13.28 feet, moderate flooding. Ida's remnants on September 1, 2021 sent Frankford Creek to major flood stage, and the Schuylkill crested at 16.35 feet, major flooding, the next morning. Winter rain matters too: on December 25, 2020, heavy rain pushed the Schuylkill above flood stage.
Water and gas: who handles what
Water and sewer are the Philadelphia Water Department. Its 24-hour Water Emergency Hotline, (215) 685-6300, takes reports of water on the street. Gas is Philadelphia Gas Works. If you smell gas, leave right away and call PGW at (215) 235-1212 from a safe place. Don't use electrical devices or flames, don't try to shut gas valves, and stay out until PGW says it is safe.
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.
Water came through the party wall from next door - who pays?
Your own policy typically covers your side first; check your policy for how a neighbor's leak is handled. What matters is documenting that the source was next door before it's repaired.
Is my rowhome basement backup covered?
Only with a sewer/drain backup endorsement - worth checking your declarations page before the next summer downpour.
Do I need a permit to repair water damage in my Philadelphia rowhouse?
It depends on the work. L&I requires a building permit for major repairs that aren't regular maintenance. Painting, wallboard over existing walls and new cabinets often need none, unless the home is on the city's historic registry. Stopping a leak needs no plumbing permit, but replacing pipes generally does, and a licensed master plumber must oversee plumbing work. Ask to see the permit before work starts.
My basement backs up every heavy rain. Can the city help?
Possibly. PWD's Basement Backup Protection Program offers free backwater valve installation, plus downspout changes if needed, to homeowners whose basements back up in wet weather. Your water bill must be current or on a payment agreement. If PWD issues a Notice of Defect for your sewer line, its HELP program offers zero-interest loans for repairs. Coverage for backup damage typically depends on your policy, so check it.
Does Pennsylvania require a mold license or a mold clearance certificate?
No. The state Department of Health says there are no federal or Pennsylvania regulations about mold, and Philadelphia has none either. So the documents that matter are the ones you keep: a written contract and scope of work, before and after photos, and proof the moisture source was fixed. Check the contractor's home improvement registration with the Attorney General.
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.