Emergency Plumber in Chicago: 24 Hour Costs, Shutoffs and Who to Call

What emergency repairs cost in Chicago

These figures apply the Chicago construction cost factor of 1.20 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, based on Great Lakes (NTC), North Chicago. Prices for your ZIP code are in the table.

Estimates for 2026, including labor and standard parts. Chicago prices use a construction cost factor of 1.20 (US average = 1.00) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors, based on Great Lakes (NTC), North Chicago. Your quote depends on access, materials and the condition of the home.

What common emergencies cost to fix in Chicago

Pipes inside walls, under a slab or under the yard cost the most. They take the longest to reach. Cleanup, drywall and flooring repairs are billed separately. For everyday plumbing prices, Chicago's older pipes and city permit fees, see our Chicago plumbing guide.

How the time of the call changes the rate

The hourly ranges above already include after-hours work at the top end. A 2 a.m. holiday call is worth the price when water is still running, sewage is coming up or gas is in the air. A dripping trap or a slow tub drain can wait for Monday. If you can stop the water at a valve and nothing is getting worse, wait for a daytime visit. It usually costs less.

The first hour: what to do before help arrives

Water coming through a ceiling or wall

Close the main water valve. It usually sits where the supply line enters the house, often in the basement or near the meter. Then shut off breakers for any room where water is reaching outlets, light fixtures or appliances. Open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain what is left in the pipes. Photograph everything before you start mopping.

If water is pouring from the street or the sidewalk, report it to Chicago 311. That is a city problem.

You smell gas, or hear hissing

Do not light anything and do not flip any switch, on or off. Get everyone out. From a safe spot outside, call your gas utility, or 911 if there is fire or anyone is hurt.

Shut the meter only when you smell gas, hear it leaking or see other signs of a leak, and only if you can reach it safely. Once the meter is off, leave it off. The utility has to turn the gas back on and relight the pilots.

The power is out, or something is sparking

Check whether the whole street is dark. In northern Illinois, report it to ComEd at 1-800-334-7661. ComEd asks customers to call every 8 to 12 hours during a long outage so isolated homes are not missed. In Northwest Indiana, call NIPSCO at 1-800-464-7726. Naperville runs its own municipal electric utility, so check your bill for the right number there.

If you see a wire down, treat it as live. ComEd says to leave the area and then call. NIPSCO says stay at least 50 feet away, call 911, then its line. Inside the house, if a panel is hot, you smell burning or smoke comes from an outlet, shut off the main breaker if you can do it without touching water, then leave and call 911.

Who to call in Chicago

Which trade handles which emergency

Call the right trade first and you avoid paying two service fees.

For electrical detail, see our Chicago electrical guide. For storm and roof questions, see Chicago roofing.

Sewer backups: your line or the city's?

Chicago's sewer system is combined: one pipe carries both storm runoff and sanitary waste. Heavy rain can force contaminated water back into basements. The 1997 flood caused hardship and property loss for about 35,000 residents. The city later spent $75 million on inlet restrictor valves and downspout disconnection, about a quarter of what traditional sewer improvements would have cost.

When sewage rises through a shower or floor drain, the first question is where the blockage sits. Private lines may be blocked or damaged, and that is the owner's responsibility. In Chicago, the City may repair sewer drain tiles from residences of up to four units that are broken under the public way, from the city sidewalk to the center of the street, at no cost to the owner. You must hire a licensed sewer contractor to rod or video-inspect the line, and the contractor schedules a review by a city sewer inspector. Requests go through 311.

If neighbors are backing up too, or sewage is coming out of a manhole in the street, call 311 so the city can check the main.

After a backup, one more Chicago rule applies: a sewer permit is required for the construction, repair, adjustment, rodding or cleaning of any subsurface structure carrying storm or sanitary waste water, on private property or in the public way.

In Oak Park, the village runs a Sewer Backup Protection Grant. Eligible homeowners can get 50% of the cost, up to $3,500, to install an overhead sewer or a backflow prevention valve system. The village recommends overhead sewers and notes that sump and ejector pumps must run reliably for these systems to work. Check that the program is open before you apply.

Chicago weather that causes emergency calls

Deep freeze and burst pipes

O'Hare's 1991 to 2020 normals show January average highs of 31.6°F and lows of 18.8°F. On average 121 days a year have a low at or below 32°F, 43 days stay at or below freezing all day, and 6.5 nights reach 0°F or colder. The record January low is -27°F, set January 20, 1985.

That cold can freeze pipes in exterior walls, unheated crawl spaces and garages. If a pipe freezes, shut off the main before it thaws, because the leak appears when ice turns back to water. If a pipe has already burst, close the main and call a plumber.

Basement backups in heavy rain

Annual precipitation at O'Hare is 37.86 inches, with May (4.49 inches) and August (4.25 inches) the wettest months. On July 2, 2023, slow-moving storms dropped 3 to 7 inches across much of Chicago and more than 8 inches on the far west side and in Cicero, Berwyn and Oak Park. NWS reports list flooded basements and roads.

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District's Tunnel and Reservoir Plan, the Deep Tunnel, has 110 miles of tunnels holding 2.3 billion gallons, and will hold 17.5 billion gallons of combined sewage when its reservoirs are complete. Until the reservoirs are complete, a heavy storm can still back water into basements.

Winter storms and wind

The Groundhog Day Blizzard of January 31 to February 2, 2011 dropped 21.2 inches at O'Hare, the third largest snowstorm on record for Chicago. Peak gusts reached 70 mph on the lakefront, 61 at O'Hare, 59 in Aurora and 52 in Joliet. Storms like that bring downed lines, damaged service masts and roof leaks.

Heat waves and power loss

Highs reach 90°F or more on about 17 days a year. A long outage in a heat wave is a health risk, especially for older residents. ComEd restores life safety facilities such as hospitals first, then emergency response customers such as police, fire and pumping facilities, then outages affecting the largest number of customers. That order is why a small block can wait.

Do you need a permit for emergency work?

Yes. Chicago law lets the repair come first. Under Section 14A-4-401 of the Municipal Code, emergency repair or stabilization work that normally requires a building permit may be done before getting the permit if it is needed to prevent imminent harm to people or property. A permit application covering the scope of the work must go to the Department of Buildings on the next business day, and the work may not be concealed without approval of a city building inspector. If emergency scaffolding is needed, the application is due within 3 business days.

The waiver covers only the permit timing. The work must still meet all Chicago Construction Codes, and lead-safe and asbestos-safe work practices still apply.

Some repairs need no permit at all. Stopping leaks in drains or in water, soil, waste or vent pipes within a building or within 5 feet of the foundation does not require one. Neither does clearing stoppages or repairing leaks in pipes, valves or fixtures, as long as the work does not involve replacing or rearranging valves, pipes or fixtures or go beyond 5 feet from the foundation. In-kind replacement of a water heater or furnace in a residential building of up to 4 stories also needs no permit.

Outside Chicago, each suburb runs its own building department under its adopted codes. In Naperville, a permit is required before beginning any electrical work, and electricians must be registered as an Electrical Contractor with the city. In Northwest Indiana, the 2020 Indiana Residential Code applies to one- and two-family homes, enforced by the city, town or county building department.

Insurance: what to record during an emergency

Insurers usually pay for sudden events, not slow ones. Before cleanup, take wide photos of each room and close-ups of the damage, the water line on walls and the failed part. Keep the broken part if the pro removes it. Ask for an invoice that states the cause in plain words, and save every receipt for drying, cleanup and hotel stays.

Illinois and Indiana both give you contract protections. Under the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act, work over $1,000 needs a written contract or work order with the total cost, parts and materials, any charge for an estimate, and the business name and address. In Indiana, home improvement contracts over $150 must be in writing, and the Attorney General advises paying no more than one third of the total as a down payment.

Areas we cover

GOLDGCP's 24/7 line takes emergency calls across the Chicago metro, in Illinois and Northwest Indiana.

• Chicago, from the Loop to the Bungalow Belt and the far west side
• Evanston and Oak Park
• Naperville and Schaumburg
• Aurora and Joliet
• Northwest Indiana, including Gary, Hammond and Valparaiso

Enter your ZIP code to see emergency pros and prices for your area.