How to Shut Off Your Water Main, Gas & Electricity Fast

To shut off your water main, find the main shut-off valve where the water line enters your home and turn it fully clockwise — or, if it’s a lever valve, a quarter turn until the handle sits crosswise to the pipe. That single move stops every drop of water coming into the house, and in a leak or burst pipe it’s the difference between a wet floor and a flooded one. But water is only one of three utilities you may need to control in an emergency, and gas and electricity carry hazards that water doesn’t. This guide covers all three — where each shut-off is, how to operate it, and just as importantly, when not to touch it and to call the utility instead. It’s the hands-on companion to our master guide on what to do when your house floods.

Know where each shut-off is — before you need it

The middle of an emergency is the worst time to go hunting for a valve. Spend ten minutes finding all three shut-offs now, make sure they move, and show everyone in the household. Here’s where they typically live:

Utility	Where to find the shut-off	How to operate it
Water (main)	Where the line enters the home — basement, crawlspace, garage, utility room, often near the water heater or street-facing wall	Wheel valve: clockwise. Lever valve: quarter turn, crosswise to pipe
Water (curb/street)	Underground near the property line, under a metal or plastic lid	Needs a water meter key (curb key)
Water (fixtures)	Under sinks, behind toilets, at the washer and water heater	Turn the small oval or lever handle clockwise
Gas	At the gas meter, usually outside near where the line enters	Quarter turn with a wrench, crosswise to pipe
Electricity (main)	The breaker panel — garage, basement, utility room, or an outside wall	Flip the large main breaker, or shut individual circuits

How to shut off the water main in your house

The water main is the one shut-off most people use in a real emergency, because indoor leaks and burst pipes are common and they keep getting worse every second the water runs.

Step-by-step: the main water valve

Find the main shut-off valve. Look where the water supply line comes through the floor or wall — most often in a basement, crawlspace, garage, or utility area, near the water heater or on the wall facing the street. Homes built on a concrete slab often have it in the garage or just inside an exterior wall.
Identify the valve type. A round handwheel (gate valve) turns like a faucet. A lever (ball valve) turns a quarter turn.
Close it. Turn a handwheel clockwise until it stops — “righty-tighty.” Turn a lever a quarter turn so the handle sits crosswise to the pipe (when the handle lines up with the pipe, it’s open; across the pipe, it’s closed).
Drain the pressure. Open the lowest faucet in the house and flush a toilet to release the water still sitting in the lines. This stops residual leaking and relieves pressure on the break.

If you can’t reach or turn the main

If the indoor valve is stuck, or the leak is outside between the street and the house, use the curb-side shut-off near the property line. It sits underground under a metal or plastic lid and needs a water meter key (a long curb key, sold at hardware stores). Lift the lid, fit the key onto the valve, and turn until it stops. Keep a curb key with your emergency supplies if your home relies on this valve.

Shutting off a single fixture

If the problem is at one fixture — a leaking toilet, a burst supply line under a sink, a failing water heater — there’s usually a local shut-off valve right there. Turn its small handle clockwise to isolate just that fixture and keep water running elsewhere. When in doubt, though, shut the main and stop everything.

The water main is also the first move when a pipe lets go — the full sequence for that specific emergency is in what to do when a pipe bursts in your home.

Source: American Red Cross — Recovering From a Flood

Should you turn off the gas during a flood?

Gas is different from water in one critical way: you can shut it off yourself, but you must never turn it back on yourself. That rule exists because relighting pilots and appliances incorrectly after gas has been off can cause fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide buildup — work that only the gas utility or a qualified technician should do.

When to shut the gas off

Federal and Red Cross guidance is consistent: turn the gas off at the meter if you smell gas, hear a hissing or blowing sound, see a damaged line, or you’re told to evacuate for flooding. In a flood that may submerge gas appliances or the meter, shutting off the supply prevents gas from feeding a leak. If you don’t smell gas and aren’t being told to evacuate, you generally don’t need to shut it off — but know how, in case.

Step-by-step: the gas meter valve

Go to the gas meter, usually outside where the line enters the home.
Find the shut-off valve on the pipe coming out of the ground, before the meter. It’s a rectangular nub or tab.
Use a wrench (a 12-inch adjustable or a dedicated gas shut-off wrench — keep one near the meter) to turn the valve a quarter turn so it sits crosswise to the pipe. Crosswise is off.
Leave it off. Do not turn it back on.

Only the gas utility restores service: they’ll inspect for leaks, turn the gas back on, and relight every appliance correctly. Calling them out takes time — which is exactly why you only shut the gas off when there’s a genuine reason to.

Source: Ready.gov — Floods (Safety & Utilities)

Is it safe to shut off the electricity during flooding?

Electricity is the utility most likely to hurt you, and the rule that governs everything is simple: never enter or touch water to reach an electrical panel, switch, or outlet. Water energized by live wiring carries no warning — it doesn’t spark, hiss, or look any different — and contact can be fatal.

When you can shut it off yourself

If your breaker panel is in a dry location you can reach without standing in or touching any water, you can cut power yourself. Do it when water has reached, or is heading toward, outlets, wiring, or appliances in the area.

Step-by-step: the breaker panel

Confirm the floor in front of the panel is dry and you won’t be standing in water. If it isn’t, stop here and call for help.
Wear dry shoes and, if you have them, dry rubber-soled footwear and gloves. Stand on a dry surface.
Shut off individual circuits first if you only need to de-energize the wet area — flip those breakers to off.
To kill all power, flip the main breaker (the largest single breaker, usually at the top) to off.
Leave it off until the wiring and any submerged outlets or appliances have been inspected.

When you must NOT touch it — call instead

If reaching the panel means wading through water, standing on a wet floor, or touching a wet panel, do not do it. Leave the power on, get clear of the water, and call your electric utility to cut power at the meter or the fire department in an emergency. In a serious flood, the safest path is to have the utility or a licensed electrician disconnect power before floodwater reaches the home’s wiring — never after, with you standing in it.

After any flood, wiring and devices that were submerged should be inspected before power is restored — the full hazard rundown is in electrical safety after a flood.

Source: U.S. CPSC — Electrical Safety After a Flood

What order should you shut off utilities in?

There’s no single fixed order — you control the immediate hazard first:

Indoor leak or burst pipe: water main first, then power to the wet area if you can reach it safely.
You smell gas: gas first, then leave the house and call from outside. Nothing else comes before getting out.
Major flood with rising water: ideally power is disconnected by the utility before water reaches the wiring — but only ever by someone not standing in water. Then gas if you’re evacuating.

The thread running through all three: stop the source, then stay clear of any hazard you can’t safely control yourself. When the safe move is to call the utility, that is the right move — not a failure to handle it.

Why knowing this in advance matters

Most people learn where their shut-offs are during the emergency, which is the worst possible time. Burst pipes, appliance failures, and floods don’t wait for you to read a manual. The households that come through these events with the least damage are the ones where someone already knew exactly where the main water valve was, had a wrench staged by the gas meter, and understood that the breaker panel is off-limits the moment there’s water on the floor.

Walk your home this week. Find the three shut-offs in the table above. Turn the water main off and on once to make sure it works. Note whether you need a curb key or a meter wrench, and buy them if you do. Then tell everyone in the house. It costs an afternoon and it can save you tens of thousands of dollars and, in the case of gas and electricity, far more than that.

For the broader emergency response around these first moves, see the first 24 hours after a flood and our general flood safety guidance, including whether it’s safe to stay in your home after a flood.

Source: CDC — Flood Safety & Returning Home

Emergency shut-off checklist at a glance

Locate the main water valve, the gas meter valve, and the breaker panel — today.
Confirm the water valve turns; label it; stage a curb key and a gas wrench if needed.
Indoor leak: shut the water main (clockwise / quarter turn), then drain low faucets.
Smell gas: shut the gas at the meter (quarter turn, crosswise), leave, call from outside.
Never turn the gas back on yourself — only the utility does that.
Water near wiring: cut power at the breaker, but only if the panel is dry and reachable.
Never step into or touch water to reach an electrical panel — call the utility instead.
After a flood, have submerged wiring, gas, and appliances inspected before restoring service.
Show every adult and older child in the home where all three shut-offs are.

Knowing how to shut off your water main, your gas, and your electricity — and knowing which jobs to hand to the utility — turns a frightening emergency into a series of clear, safe steps. Stop the source you can control, stay out of harm’s way for the ones you can’t, and you’ll protect both your home and the people in it.

Frequently asked questions

How do I shut off the water main in my house?

Find the main shut-off valve where the water line enters your home — usually in a basement, crawlspace, garage, or utility area, often near the water heater or on the wall facing the street. Turn a round handwheel valve fully clockwise, or turn a lever valve a quarter turn so the handle sits crosswise to the pipe. Then open a low faucet to drain the pressure left in the lines. Locate and test this valve before an emergency so you're not searching while water spreads.

Should I turn off the gas during a flood?

Turn off the gas if you smell gas, hear hissing, or are told to evacuate — turn the valve on the meter a quarter turn so it sits crosswise to the pipe. But never turn the gas back on yourself. Once gas is shut off at the meter, only the gas utility or a qualified technician should restore it and relight appliances safely. If you smell gas, leave immediately and call the utility from outside.

Where is my main water shut-off valve located?

It's typically where the supply line enters the home — in a basement, crawlspace, garage, or utility room, often near the water heater or on the wall facing the street. Homes on a slab may have it in the garage or an outside wall. There's also usually a curb-side or street-side shut-off near the property line, covered by a metal or plastic lid, which needs a water meter key to operate.

Is it safe to shut off electricity when there's flooding?

Only if you can reach the breaker panel without standing in or touching water. Never enter standing water to reach an electrical panel — energized water can be deadly and gives no warning. If the panel is wet, surrounded by water, or you'd have to wade to it, leave the power on, stay clear, and call your utility or a licensed electrician to disconnect it safely.

In what order should I shut off utilities in an emergency?

Stop the immediate hazard first. For an indoor water leak, shut the water main first, then cut power to wet areas only if you can reach the panel safely. If you smell gas, shut the gas off first and leave. In a major flood, the safest sequence is often to have the utility or an electrician disconnect power before water reaches outlets — but never put yourself in water to do it.