Emergency Plumbing in Palo Alto
24/7 Emergency Plumber in Palo Alto, CA
Burst pipes, sewage backups, overflowing toilets and failed water heaters, day or night, for Palo Alto homeowners from our shop in San Jose: call (408) 978-3093 any time. Below is what's different in an emergency here: the City runs your water, gas and sewer, so knowing when to call CPAU first, and what it handles, saves time and damage.
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Emergency Plumbing Services for Palo Alto Homes
Emergency Plumbing in Palo Alto: What's Different
City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) provides water, gas, wastewater and electric service, so one City dispatch center handles the utility side of most plumbing emergencies.
One 24-hour number for water, gas and sewer
CPAU Utilities Dispatch, (650) 329-2579, takes water leak emergencies, main breaks, gas leaks and sewer blockages or spills around the clock. Electric outages and downed lines go to (650) 496-6914.
Gas here is the City's, not PG&E's
For a hint of gas, CPAU says to leave and call (650) 329-2579. For a strong smell all around, leave on foot and call 911. Once the City has made it safe, we repair the house line.
Sewage backup? CPAU before the cutter
CPAU asks to be called before a blocked sewer line is cleared, to clear its own section and rule out a gas line bored through the lateral. Bubbles rising in a toilet mean leave the house.
The City's water pipe ends at the meter
Under CPAU Rule 21, the City maintains the service through the meter near the curb. A leak in the meter box, the yard line or the house is the owner's to repair.
Leak alerts from smart meters
Single-family homes with CPAU's AMI meters can get WaterSmart emails when water runs at 5 gallons an hour for 24 hours, or 75 gallons an hour for 8 hours, which can flag a break while you're away.
Eichler leaks in the slab
In Palo Alto's roughly 2,700 Eichlers, plumbing and the original radiant heating were placed in the concrete slab, so a warm floor or a meter that won't stop can mean a leak under the house.
A Homeowner’s Guide to Emergency Plumbing in Palo Alto
Who to call first
In Palo Alto the utility side of a water, gas or sewer emergency goes to one place: City of Palo Alto Utilities. Save both numbers before you need them:
| What’s happening | First call |
|---|---|
| Water leaking that you can’t stop at the house valve, a break at the meter or in the street | CPAU Utilities Dispatch, (650) 329-2579, 24 hours |
| Sewage backing up in the house or spilling outside | CPAU, (650) 329-2579, before anyone clears the line |
| A hint of gas | Leave, then CPAU, (650) 329-2579 |
| A strong gas smell all around, or bubbles rising in a toilet | Leave on foot, then 911 and CPAU from a safe distance |
| Burst pipe, leak or clog on your side of the meter or cleanout | CPI, (408) 978-3093, 24/7 |
| Downed power line or electric outage | CPAU, (650) 496-6914 (911 if anyone is in danger) |
Water leaks and burst pipes
CPAU’s Rule 21 sets the dividing line: the City maintains the water service up to and including the meter near the curb, and the customer owns the meter box and everything after it. So a leak in the yard line, a wall, a ceiling or the slab is the owner’s to repair, and CPAU handles breaks on its side.
The first move is the house shutoff valve, usually where the line enters the house. Find it now and make sure it turns; a valve that hasn’t moved in decades can seize or snap. Then keep clear of water near outlets and the panel. We stop the water, find the break and repair it, often on the same visit. See burst pipe repair.
If your home has a CPAU AMI meter, check that WaterSmart leak alerts are switched on in MyCPAU’s communication preferences. They flag continuous flow, which can be the first sign of a break in a yard line or while you’re away.
Sewage backups
Rule 23 asks customers to report stoppages to CPAU first. The City decides which side of the City Sewer Cleanout the blockage is on and clears its part; stoppages in the owner’s part, and the cleanup from backups they cause, are the owner’s.
The call matters for safety too. Palo Alto has found gas lines bored through sewer laterals, and CPAU says no clearing machine should run on a lateral until the blockage has been assessed. Once CPAU has checked, we clear your section with a cable machine or hydro jetter and camera-inspect it to find the cause. Homes with fixtures at ground level or below should have the backwater valve Rule 23 calls for.
Gas smells
Because CPAU is the gas utility, PG&E isn’t the call in Palo Alto. CPAU’s guidance scales with the smell: a hint of gas, leave and call (650) 329-2579; a strong smell all around, leave on foot and call 911. Once the City has made it safe, we locate and repair leaks in the house line and at appliances. Digging within 10 feet of a gas service needs an 811 call and CPAU’s permission first (Rule 22). See gas line services.
Water heater failures
A leaking tank can wait for daylight once the water and fuel are off. A standalone replacement at a single-family home can qualify for the City’s Over-the-Counter Residential MEP Permit Pilot, with the permit issued at the appointment if approved. If you’d rather switch to a heat pump, CPAU’s Switch Your Water Heater program offers a full-service option that covers emergency replacements. See water heater service in Palo Alto.
What an emergency visit costs
After-hours work is quoted as a fixed price before we start, typically based on $200–$300 per hour, plus parts and drive time, with a minimum charge. You approve the price before any work begins. Sometimes the best plan is to make it safe tonight and finish the repair during regular hours at regular prices. Repairs carry our 1-year labor warranty, and we’ve served the South Bay since 1986. See our service area.
Sources
City of Palo Alto Utilities: Utilities Safety: water, gas and sewer emergencies · Contact Utilities · Rule 21, Special Water Utility Regulations · Rule 22, Special Gas Utility Regulations · Rule 23, Special Wastewater Utility Regulations (all effective June 1, 2026) · Rule 11, Billing, Adjustments and Payment of Bills (effective July 1, 2026) · Manage Your Water Use With WaterSmart · Switch Your Water Heater. Planning and Development Services: Over-the-Counter Residential MEP Permit Pilot Program · Eichler Neighborhood Design Guidelines (2018). Checked October and November 2026.
Emergency Plumbing Prices in Palo Alto
Most repairs are quoted as a fixed price before we start, so you approve the cost before any work begins. These are typical prices for common jobs in our service area.
| Service | Typical price (USD) |
|---|---|
| Drain cleaning (snaking) | $250–$600 |
| Toilet repair | $150–$600 |
| Leak detection, typical accessible leak | $150–$600 |
| Hydro jetting, main sewer line | $1,500–$2,500 |
| Sewer spot repair | $2,000–$5,000 |
| Inspection feeWaived for service plan members | $59 |
Prices are installed, before any current special, and depend on access, materials and what we find.
Emergency work in Palo Alto is quoted as a fixed price before we start, typically based on $200–$300 per hour, plus parts and drive time, with a minimum charge. A burst pipe in an Eichler slab often means making it safe at night and locating and repairing the leak during regular hours.
Get a free estimate →Our HOA manager recommended CPI when our toilet overflowed on a Saturday evening in July. They picked up the phone at 8:30pm on a Saturday night. One of their plumbers showed up 30 minutes later. He quickly determined that the clog was a bigger issue further down the sewer line which required a professional hydro jetting cleaning to resolve. After checking with the HOA manager, CPI sent a jetter machine and another plumber within half an hour. Their crew worked until 11:30pm to clear the clog. We were so happy that we could use the bathroom again! CPI was responsive, communicated well, worked fast, and resolved the issue during off-hours. We will definitely call them again.
Hattie C.Yelp review
I called your emergency number first thing Saturday morning and Dustin called me right back. He went out there late morning and found a hole in the drain pipe and a backup nearby that was making the leak even worse. He snaked the line and temporarily patched the line so gases wouldn’t escape. He said I would need to get restoration out there to (again) dry out the crawlspace before CPI could replace the drain pipe. It is plastic not cast iron apparently.
Dustin was really great, communicative, and helpful. Really appreciated his work.
Sachin B.Google review
I had a cold water pipe break in the ceiling. Isaac did amazing work. He is very skillful and efficient! The time and material charge is reasonable. I highly recommend him and this company if you ever need plumbing work.
LHYelp review
Current Specials
Save on your visit. Mention the offer when you book.
- Any Plumbing Service$50 OFFGet Offer: Any Plumbing ServiceLimit 1 per household. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires January 15, 2028. See details for Any Plumbing Service
- Sewer Line InspectionFREECamera inspectionGet Offer: Sewer Line InspectionLimit 1 per household. Cannot be combined with other offers. Expires January 15, 2028. See details for Sewer Line Inspection
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Emergency Plumbing in Palo Alto FAQs
A pipe burst in my Palo Alto house. What do I do first?
Close your house shutoff valve, usually where the water line enters the house, often near a front hose bib or in the garage, then keep people away from water near outlets or the electrical panel. If the house valve won't close, the leak is at the meter or in the street, or water is coming up in the sidewalk, call CPAU Utilities Dispatch at (650) 329-2579, which takes water leak emergencies 24 hours a day. For the repair on your side of the meter, call us at (408) 978-3093. See burst pipe repair.
I smell gas in my Palo Alto home. Should I call PG&E?
No. Palo Alto runs its own gas utility, so the call goes to the City. CPAU's guidance: if you smell a hint of gas, leave and call the dispatch center at (650) 329-2579; if the smell is strong all around, leave on foot and call 911. Avoid light switches and anything that could spark until you're outside. After CPAU has made the area safe, we find and repair leaks in the house line. See gas line services.
Sewage is coming up through a drain in Palo Alto. Who do I call?
Stop using water, then call CPAU at (650) 329-2579. Under Rule 23, CPAU works out whether the stoppage is in the City's part of the lateral, clears that part, and checks for a cross-bored gas line before anyone runs a cutter through the pipe. If the blockage is in your part, call us at (408) 978-3093. If you see bubbles rising in a toilet or smell gas, leave the house with the doors open and call 911 and CPAU from outside. See drain cleaning in Palo Alto.
My water heater is leaking at night. Can it wait until morning?
Often, yes, once it's shut down: close the cold water valve on top of the tank, and turn the gas control to off or switch off the breaker. If water is spreading toward finished floors, or the relief valve keeps discharging, call us any time. A standalone replacement at a single-family home can go through the City's Over-the-Counter Residential MEP Permit Pilot, and CPAU's Switch Your Water Heater program offers a full-service option that includes emergency replacements with a heat pump water heater. See water heater service in Palo Alto.
Part of my Eichler floor is warm and the meter keeps turning. Is that an emergency?
It's a leak, and it's worth acting on quickly, but it rarely needs a middle-of-the-night visit. Palo Alto's Eichler guidelines note that plumbing and radiant heating were laid in the concrete slab, so the leak may be in a hot water line or the heating loop. If you can, close the house shutoff overnight. We then find the leak with acoustic, thermal and pressure testing and repair it in place or reroute the line. See leak detection in Palo Alto.
Will CPAU adjust my bill after a burst pipe?
Only if your home doesn't have an AMI meter. CPAU's Rule 11 leaves AMI customers out because they can get leak alerts. Others may apply within 60 days of the due date of the bill for the high-use period, once in any 36 months, and only after the leak is repaired; shutting off the water doesn't count as a repair. Keep our invoice as proof.
How much does emergency plumbing cost in Palo Alto?
Most jobs are quoted as a fixed price before we start, so you know the cost up front. Typical prices: drain cleaning (snaking) $250–$600; toilet repair $150–$600; leak detection, typical accessible leak $150–$600; hydro jetting, main sewer line $1,500–$2,500; sewer spot repair $2,000–$5,000. The inspection fee is $59, waived for service plan members.
Need an emergency plumber in Palo Alto? Call us.
- CSLB License #1101278 (opens CSLB in a new tab): C-36 Plumbing · C-20 HVAC · A General Engineering
- 1-year labor warranty on our work
- BBB A+ Accredited Business (opens BBB in a new tab)
- Technicians trained and certified: NASSCO PACP, MACP and LACP · Rheem heat pump · Noritz Level 3 tankless · OSHA safety
- Member of IAPMO, NASSCO, BOMA, IFMA · Se habla español