Emergency Plumbing in Norfolk, VA

Who to call in Norfolk

Leaks on the street side of the water meter, a broken main or no water on the whole street are for the water utility: in Norfolk that is City of Norfolk. Check its website or your water bill for its emergency line.

Leaks, backups and failures on your side of the meter, inside the house or in your sewer lateral, are a plumber's job. Call us and we connect you with an independent, licensed plumbing company that handles emergency calls in Norfolk; when they can arrive depends on that company and the time of day.

Reporting a water emergency in Norfolk

• Norfolk Department of Utilities lists 757-823-1000 as its 24-hour emergency line for water and sewer main breaks and backflow emergencies, with backflow incidents also reported to UTBackFlow@norfolk.gov. Customer service is 757-664-6700. [3]
• Under Norfolk's Right-of-Way Excavation and Restoration Manual, the property owner is responsible for the ownership, maintenance and operation of water service plumbing from the building structure to the water meter box in the right-of-way. [4]
• Norfolk's Department of Utilities Water Distribution Division says it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 757-823-1000 to repair water main breaks. Some repairs require digging up underground pipes, and the city must first order utility markings, a state-required process that can take anywhere from three to 48 hours. [5]
• In a Norfolk Utilities alert titled 'Freezing temps - Winterize pipes now!', the City of Norfolk asks residents whether they know where their home's water shutoff valve is, warning that they don't want to find out after a home water emergency such as a burst frozen pipe. The alert points residents to winterizing tips and lists 757-823-1000. [6]

Other common plumbing calls in Norfolk

• Sewer Line Repair: older laterals crack and settle in wet soils.
• Repiping: about two-thirds of homes predate 1980, with aging supply lines.

Norfolk facts behind this page

• Norfolk draws raw water from eight city-owned reservoirs (including Lake Prince, built in 1918), two rivers and four deep wells; hardness ranges from about 28 to 60 ppm, soft to slightly hard. [1]
• The median home in Norfolk was built in 1965. [2]
• About 67% of Norfolk's housing units were built before 1980, the era of galvanized steel supply pipe, cast iron drains and clay sewer laterals. [2]
• Norfolk Department of Utilities lists 757-823-1000 as its 24-hour emergency line for water and sewer main breaks and backflow emergencies, with backflow incidents also reported to UTBackFlow@norfolk.gov. Customer service is 757-664-6700. [3]
• Under Norfolk's Right-of-Way Excavation and Restoration Manual, the property owner is responsible for the ownership, maintenance and operation of water service plumbing from the building structure to the water meter box in the right-of-way. [4]
• Norfolk's Department of Utilities Water Distribution Division says it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 757-823-1000 to repair water main breaks. Some repairs require digging up underground pipes, and the city must first order utility markings, a state-required process that can take anywhere from three to 48 hours. [5]
• In a Norfolk Utilities alert titled 'Freezing temps - Winterize pipes now!', the City of Norfolk asks residents whether they know where their home's water shutoff valve is, warning that they don't want to find out after a home water emergency such as a burst frozen pipe. The alert points residents to winterizing tips and lists 757-823-1000. [6]