Quick answer
Your main water shutoff valve is usually where the water line enters the house: a basement, crawl space, garage, utility room or the foundation wall. It is separate from the utility's meter valve. To test it, close it slowly, confirm the flow stops, reopen it slowly and label it. If it will not turn or it leaks, stop forcing it and call a plumber.
Why this one valve matters
When a pipe bursts, how quickly you can stop the water decides how much damage you have to deal with. The Association of Washington Cities' Risk Management Service Agency tells members to learn where the water shutoff valve is so they can close it fast in a leak or burst, because water damage is the main cost. The City of Everett's frozen pipe brochure goes a step further. It tells residents to find the main shutoff and test that it works, not just know where it is.
The Everett brochure also warns that emergency response times may be longer during freezes. In a bad storm, the person standing in the house is often the fastest help available.
A working main valve also makes it easy to check for hidden leaks. The EPA says to read the water meter, wait two hours without using any water, and read it again. A change means you probably have a leak. Tacoma Water's guide uses a one hour wait for the same check.
The meter valve and the home valve are not the same
Most homes have two places where the water can be stopped. One is at the utility's water meter, usually in a box near the street. The other is the home's main shutoff, inside or beside the house. Who owns what varies by utility, but the pattern is similar. The City of Kirkland says it owns and maintains the meter, and that the customer owns the service line from the building side of the meter to the house. Portland Water Bureau says the city owns the pipes up to and including the meter, and that repairs on the customer's side belong to the property owner. Tacoma Water describes the same split.
Utilities do not agree on whether homeowners should use the meter valve. Kirkland describes the valve in the meter box, which it calls an angle stop, as an emergency shutoff. Tualatin Valley Water District in Oregon says the meter valve is for utility use only and tells residents to use the valve in the home. Eugene Water & Electric Board, also in Oregon, allows a customer hand valve at the meter for emergency shutoff, but says tampering with utility valves is prohibited under Oregon law and can lead to charges. Rules for the utility that serves you may differ from all three, so ask your water provider before you touch anything at the meter.
The home valve is the one to know best. It is the one that stops a leak inside the house. EWEB notes that a whole-house shutoff will not help with a leak outside the home, such as a broken sprinkler line, which is the case where the valve at the meter matters.
Where to look for the main shutoff
Kirkland says the city has no record of where an individual home's main valve is, so the search is yours. Portland Water Bureau says it is usually where the water line enters the house, at the front near a hose connection, in the basement near the water heater, or in the garage. Tacoma Water points to basements and the outside of the foundation. A reasonable approach is to find the hose spigot or water meter nearest the street, then follow the line toward the house and check the wall where it should come through.
Common places to check, drawn from Kirkland, Portland and Tacoma:
If you cannot find it, Tacoma Water advises hiring a plumber to locate it. Everett's brochure says to call its public works line if you cannot find the main valve.
- Basement, especially near the water heater
- Garage or utility room walls
- Laundry room
- Crawl space near the foundation wall
- Outside, near the foundation or the front hose connection
Gate valve or ball valve
Fine Homebuilding explains the two common types. A ball valve has a lever that moves a quarter turn. When the lever lines up with the pipe the valve is open, and when it sits across the pipe the valve is closed. A gate valve has a round wheel handle that raises or lowers a gate inside the valve. Kirkland lists both, plus other types, as things you may find at a home main.
Each has weaknesses. Fine Homebuilding says corrosion can keep a gate valve from fully opening or closing, and that a badly corroded stem can break. It recommends using gate valves only fully open or fully closed. A ball valve closes fast, which makes water hammer, the banging in the pipes, more likely, so turn the lever slowly. The same article says the International Residential Code requires a full-open ball or gate valve at the main, and that ball valves are the most common type today.
How to test it gently
These steps are general practice, not a finding from one source. Tacoma Water's guide supports the main point: open and close valves slowly to avoid water hammer.
- Tell everyone in the house that the water will go off for a few minutes.
- Open a cold tap at the lowest point of the house, or an outdoor spigot, so you can see the flow.
- Turn the main valve slowly toward closed. A ball valve lever turns a quarter turn. A gate valve wheel usually turns clockwise until it stops.
- Watch the tap. The flow should drop to a trickle and stop. If water keeps running, the valve is not sealing.
- Check around the valve handle for drips while it is closed and after you reopen it.
- Reopen the valve slowly and fully, then let the tap run until the flow is steady.
- Tie a tag to the valve, or mark the wall, noting how it closes.
If it will not turn or it leaks
Do not force it. A corroded gate valve stem can snap, which turns a stuck valve into a flooding one. Do not use a long pipe on the handle to gain leverage. If the valve will not close fully, only slows the water, or weeps from the handle or the packing nut, treat it as unreliable and plan to have it repaired or replaced.
Until it is fixed, know your backup. That might be the meter valve if your utility allows it, the utility's emergency line, or a plumber. Replacing a main valve means the water has to be stopped upstream of it, and depending on your setup that can involve the utility, which is one reason to deal with a bad valve before there is an emergency.
Know the water heater and fixture shutoffs too
The main valve is not the only shutoff worth knowing. Portland Water Bureau tells residents with a burst pipe to close the main and also shut off the water heater at its dedicated cold water inlet valve. Tacoma Water adds that individual fixtures have their own shutoff valves, which let you close one fixture without cutting water to the whole house, and that in a freeze with no water at all you should turn off power to the water heater to protect it.
Find the small valves under sinks and behind toilets now, and the cold inlet valve at the water heater. If you ever smell gas near a water heater or anywhere in the home, leave the house and call 911 or the gas utility. That is not a shutoff problem to solve yourself.
When to call Pyper Plumbing
Call Pyper Plumbing if your main valve cannot be found, will not close, leaks at the handle, or no longer shuts the water off all the way. A failing main valve is worth fixing before it fails during a leak. Pyper provides emergency plumbing repair, leak detection and repair, water heater service and repiping in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and Island counties.
If water is already flowing and you cannot stop it, close what you can, try the water heater inlet, and call for emergency help. For leaks outside the house or on the street side of the meter, contact your water utility.
Common questions
Should I shut the water off at the meter or inside my home?
Use the valve inside your home first for a leak in the house. Utilities differ on whether homeowners may operate the meter valve. Tualatin Valley Water District reserves it for the utility, while Kirkland and EWEB describe it as an emergency option. Ask your own water provider.
How often should I test the main shutoff?
No source reviewed sets a required interval. Everett's brochure says to find the valve and test that it works before an emergency. A sensible habit is to test it when you first find it, before freezing weather, and after any plumbing work.
Which way does the main valve turn to close?
A ball valve closes when the lever sits across the pipe. A gate valve closes when you turn its wheel until it stops, usually clockwise. Turn either one slowly to limit water hammer.
What if water still trickles after I close the main?
Some water remains in the pipes and drains out of an open tap. If it keeps running at a steady rate, the valve is not sealing and should be repaired or replaced by a plumber.
Sources
Facts in this guide come from the following references. Local rules and manufacturer instructions can differ, so follow your utility and your equipment manual.
- Understanding Your Home's Water System (City of Kirkland)
- What to do if water pipes freeze, leak or burst as temperatures rise (Portland Water Bureau)
- Fix and prevent water leaks (Tacoma Water)
- FAQs: shutting off your water (Tualatin Valley Water District)
- How to shut off your water supply (Eugene Water & Electric Board)
- Preventing frozen pipes brochure (City of Everett)
- Frozen and bursting pipe prevention (Association of Washington Cities, RMSA)
- What's the difference: shutoff valves, ball, gate and globe (Fine Homebuilding)
- Fix a Leak Week (U.S. EPA WaterSense)
This guide is general information, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. If you smell natural gas, leave the building and call 911 or your gas utility. Pyper does not perform gas line work.
