Where is my main water shutoff valve?

In most suburban homes, the main shutoff is where the water line enters the house — often near the front foundation wall, in the basement, a crawl space, or a utility area close to the water meter. It's usually a valve you turn clockwise (or a lever you rotate a quarter turn) to shut the water off.

It's worth finding and testing it before an emergency, so you can act in seconds if a pipe bursts. Make sure everyone in the household knows where it is.

If the valve is stuck, corroded, or won't fully close, we can locate and replace it — a seized main shutoff is a problem you don't want to discover during an actual leak.