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

What emergency repairs cost in Los Angeles

The figures below start from HomeGuide's national emergency rates and apply the Los Angeles Area cost factor of 1.14 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The table fills in prices for your part of the metro.

Estimates for 2026, including labor and standard parts. Los Angeles prices use the metro's construction cost factor of 1.14 (US average = 1.00) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Area Cost Factors. Your quote depends on access, materials and the condition of the home.

How the time of the call changes the rate

HomeGuide splits emergency plumbing rates by when you call. Here are those bands converted to LA prices. They are hourly labor only, before the service call fee and parts.

A night call is worth paying for 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, booking a daytime visit usually saves a few hundred dollars.

What common emergencies cost to fix in LA

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

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 on the street side, and there is usually a second valve at the meter near the curb. 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, that is a city problem. Report a water main break to LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397), which answers outage and emergency calls around the clock.

You smell gas, or hear hissing

SoCalGas gives clear instructions. Don't light anything and don't flip any switch, on or off. Get everyone out. From a safe spot outside, call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200, or 911 if there is fire or anyone is hurt.

Shutting the meter is the right move only when you smell gas, hear it leaking or see other signs of a leak, and only if you can reach it safely. Use a 12-inch or larger adjustable wrench and turn the valve a quarter turn until it sits crosswise to the pipe. Once the meter is off, leave it off. SoCalGas 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 the City of Los Angeles, report it to LADWP at 1-800-342-5397. Homes on Southern California Edison service report at 1-800-611-1911. Some cities in the area run their own utilities, so save the number printed on your bill.

If you see a wire down, SCE's rule is to treat it as live and stay at least 100 feet away. Call 911 and tell the operator it is an electrical emergency. Inside the house, a hot panel, a burning smell or smoke from an outlet means you should shut off the main breaker if you can do it without touching water, then leave and call 911.

Who to call in Los Angeles

Which trade handles which emergency

Calling the right trade first avoids paying two service fees.

For electrical detail, see our electrical pillar. For storm and roof questions, see roofing. If the emergency is a failed water heater, the water heater guide covers repair versus replacement.

Sewer backups: your lateral or LA Sanitation's main?

When sewage rises through a shower or floor drain, the first question is where the blockage sits. LA Sanitation owns the public mainline under the street and runs more than 6,700 miles of public sewers. The pipe from your house to that main is the lateral, and it belongs to you, including the lower part under the sidewalk out to the middle of the street.

According to LA Sanitation, more than half of sewer backups come from tree roots and from fats, oils and grease poured down drains. Both problems are on the private side, so most backups need a plumber, not a city crew. If neighbors are backing up too, or sewage is coming out of a manhole in the street, call LA Sanitation's 24-hour line at 1-800-773-2489 so they can check the main.

Two more LA rules come up after a backup:

1. If the lowest drain in your home sits below the street manhole cover, the city requires a backwater valve, which needs an LADBS permit.
2. Repairs that dig under the sidewalk or street need a Class "A" permit from the Bureau of Engineering, on top of the plumbing permit.

LA disasters that cause emergency calls

Earthquakes and the Great ShakeOut

During shaking, the ShakeOut advice is to drop, take cover under a sturdy table and hold on until it stops. Stay inside and move no more than a few steps. The 2026 Great California ShakeOut drill is on Thursday, October 15, at 10:15 a.m. It is a good day to find your water main and gas meter and put a wrench next to the meter.

After a quake, the common calls are broken supply lines, shifted water heaters and separated vent pipes. SoCalGas warns that a water heater or furnace vent knocked loose can leak fumes into the house. Watch for moisture on the inside of windows or an odd smell when the appliance runs. In the City of LA, a building permit of $10,000 or more on a home with gas piping triggers a seismic gas shutoff valve that closes in a quake of about magnitude 5.4 or larger.

Atmospheric river storms

NOAA describes atmospheric rivers as long, narrow bands of water vapor, like rivers in the sky. The strongest ones bring flooding and mudslides. On February 4, 2024, Downtown LA recorded 4.10 inches of rain in one day, beating a 1927 record of 2.55 inches. That month ended at 12.56 inches, the fourth wettest February since 1877.

Heavy rain finds every weak spot in a roof. During an active leak, put a bucket under the drip, move belongings out of the way, and switch off the breaker for any light fixture that is getting wet. Call a roofer to tarp or repair it once it is safe to get up there.

Santa Ana winds, wildfire and power shutoffs

The National Weather Service defines Santa Ana winds as strong, hot, dust-bearing winds that come down to the coast around Los Angeles from the inland deserts. In January 2025 they drove the Palisades Fire, which destroyed 6,837 structures, and the Eaton Fire, which destroyed 9,414, according to LA County.

During fire weather, SCE can cut power on purpose to keep its lines from starting a fire. It starts sending notices up to three days ahead when it can.

Do you need a permit for emergency work?

Yes, and LA law lets the repair come first. Under Los Angeles Municipal Code 94.103.1.1.4, a plumber who starts work without a permit faces no fine or investigation fee if the permit is pulled by noon on the third business day after the work began. So a pipe can be fixed on Saturday night and permitted early the next week.

Ask the plumber to confirm in writing that they will pull the permit. Permit fees for water heaters and repipes are listed in our plumbing guide. Cities like Pasadena, Glendale, Long Beach and the Orange County cities run their own building departments.

Insurance: what to record during an emergency

Insurers pay for sudden events far more often than slow ones. HomeGuide notes that a policy typically covers a pipe that bursts and the water damage it causes, but not a leak from a pipe that rusted through over time. Three gaps matter in Los Angeles:

• Earthquake: The California Department of Insurance says standard homeowners policies do not cover earthquake damage. It takes a separate policy.
• Flood: FEMA says most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage, which includes storm water flowing in from outside.
• Sewer backup: The Insurance Information Institute says most policies leave it out unless you add a sewer backup endorsement.

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 plumber removes it. Ask for an invoice that states the cause in plain words, and save every receipt for drying, cleanup and hotel stays. Call your insurer the same day if you can.

Areas we cover

GOLDGCP's 24/7 line takes emergency calls across the Los Angeles metro, including:

• Los Angeles, from Downtown to the Westside and South LA
• Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank
• The San Fernando Valley
• Santa Monica and Torrance
• Long Beach
• Orange County, including Irvine and Anaheim

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