How to shut off your water in a Florida home

What do you need to shut off?

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Whole house: finding the main water shut-off valve

Most Florida houses are built on a concrete slab with no basement, so the main valve is usually outside. Utilities describe two places to look:

1. On the wall where the water line comes up out of the ground. The Village of Tequesta's utility tells customers to find the house (main) shut-off on the water supply riser, which is often near the front or side of the house, below an outdoor faucet (Village of Tequesta).
2. Between the meter box and the house. The City of Tampa says your own shut-off valve is usually on the side of the house, between the meter box and the home (Tampa Water FAQ). The meter itself usually sits in a small box in the ground near the street.

How to close it:

1. If the valve has a round wheel handle, turn it clockwise until it stops (Greensboro Emergency Management). This is a gate valve and can take several turns.
2. If it has a lever, it is usually a ball valve, which closes with a quarter turn (The Home Depot, Mar. 2026). When closed, the lever sits across the pipe instead of in line with it.
3. Open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain the pressure left in the pipes.
4. Check the leak. If water keeps flowing from a supply pipe after the valve is closed, the valve may not be sealing, or the leak may be on the utility side (see the meter section below).

Avoid: Don't open the meter box and turn the utility's valve unless your utility allows it. In Tampa, only authorized City staff may operate the valve at the meter, and damage from unauthorized use is billed to the account holder (City of Tampa Water customer guide).

Next: what to do after a burst pipe

Condo or apartment

1. Look inside your unit first. Many units have their own shut-off, often in a utility or water heater closet, near the washer, or behind an access panel. If you can't find one, close the valve at the leaking fixture (see the next section).
2. Call building security, the front desk or management right away. In a high-rise they may be able to shut off water to your unit or the riser that feeds it. Keep that number in your phone before you need it.
3. Warn the unit below. Water travels down through ceilings and walls, so a leak in one unit can reach several others.
4. Photograph the source and the wet areas in your unit and any others that were hit.

Florida condo law splits repair duties between the association and the unit owner, and the split for a given leak depends on the declaration and the cause. Our Florida insurance guide and the Miami page explain the basics, including section 718.111(11) of the Florida Statutes.

Avoid: Don't close valves in shared mechanical rooms on your own. They can cut water to the whole floor or building.

Next: water coming through the ceiling

One sink, toilet or appliance

You often don't need to shut off the whole house. Most fixtures have their own small stop valve (The Home Depot, Mar. 2026):

• Toilet: on the wall or floor behind the toilet.
• Sink: one or two small valves inside the cabinet, one for cold and one for hot.
• Washing machine: two valves on the wall behind it, hot and cold.
• Dishwasher: usually under the kitchen sink.
• Refrigerator or ice maker: a small valve on the thin supply line, under the sink or behind the fridge.

Turn the oval handle clockwise until it stops. If the small valve leaks or won't close, go to the main shut-off. Small stop valves that haven't been turned in years can start to drip when moved, so keep a towel handy.

Avoid: Don't run the appliance again until the failed hose or part is replaced. Keep the failed part; adjusters often want to see it.

Next: appliance leak cleanup

Water heater

1. Turn off the energy first. Switch off the breaker for an electric heater, or turn a gas heater's control to "off" or "pilot". Heating an empty electric tank can burn out the elements (The Home Depot, Mar. 2026).
2. Close the cold-water supply valve on the pipe that feeds the top of the tank.
3. Keep clear of hot water and the tank surface. Water from the tank or relief valve can scald.
4. If water still flows, close the main shut-off for the house.
5. Photograph the label (it shows the heater's age), the leak point and the wet area.

Many Florida water heaters sit in a garage, a laundry closet or an indoor utility closet. An indoor closet leak can wick into drywall, baseboards and flooring on both sides of the wall, so have the area checked with a moisture meter.

Avoid: Don't try to drain a hot tank during an emergency. Let it cool and leave draining to the plumber.

Next: water heater leaks

Valve stuck, broken or missing

1. Don't force it. A seized valve can snap or start leaking at the stem (Universal Property). Gate valves are more likely to seize than ball valves (The Home Depot).
2. Close fixture valves near the leak if you can, to slow the water while you get help.
3. Call your water utility's emergency line. The street-side valve is hard to turn and needs a special tool (Ready.gov, updated July 31, 2024), and many utilities don't allow customers to touch it. The City of Tampa asks customers without a private valve to call for a turn-off at the curb, and fees may apply for same-day or after-hours service (City of Tampa Water customer guide). The utility numbers we have checked are listed below.
4. Call a plumber to replace the valve once the water is off. Ready.gov advises replacing a valve that is rusted open or won't close all the way.

Next: full emergency steps by water source

Who controls which valve

Your utility owns the water main, the service line to the meter and, in most cities, the meter and the valve beside it. You own the pipe from the meter to the house and everything inside. That split decides who to call:

• City of Tampa: the curb stop at the meter is City property, and Tampa City Code allows only authorized City staff to turn water on or off there. The City recommends that customers install a private shut-off valve on their property. The 24/7 water emergency and repair line is (813) 274-7400 (City of Tampa Water customer guide).
• Orlando (OUC): OUC is responsible for the mains and service lines up to and including the meter. The line from the meter to the house, irrigation, hose bibs and indoor plumbing are the owner's. Report a main break or broken meter lid on OUC's 24-hour line, (407) 423-9018 (OUC).
• Miami-Dade Water and Sewer: the 24-hour emergency call center, (305) 274-9272, takes reports of broken or leaking pipes and meters and loss of service (Miami-Dade WASD). Some cities in the county run their own water systems, so check the name on your bill.
• Jacksonville (JEA): during a February 2026 freeze, JEA advised anyone who suspected a burst pipe to shut off the main water valve and call a plumber (Action News Jax).
• Everywhere else: the emergency number is usually printed on your water bill or posted on your city or county utility's website. Save it in your phone now. If you're on a private well, the water comes from your well pump, not a meter, so turn off the pump's power as well as the valve.

For more local detail, see our city pages for Tampa, Orlando, Miami and Jacksonville.

Find and test your valve before you need it

A valve you have never touched is the one that fails in an emergency. Ready.gov suggests finding the shut-off for the main line into your house, tagging it so anyone can find it, and making sure it closes completely; if it is rusted open or won't close all the way, replace it (Ready.gov). Escambia County's emergency office adds that all adults in the home should know where the main shut-offs are and how to work them (Escambia County BeReady).

1. Walk the outside of the house and find the riser where the water line comes out of the ground, and the meter box near the street.
2. Close the house valve and open an indoor faucet. If water keeps running after a few seconds, the valve isn't sealing and needs a plumber.
3. Open the valve again slowly, and check that nothing drips from the valve stem.
4. Take a photo of the valve and share it with everyone in the household. If you rent, ask your landlord where it is.
5. Find the fixture valves under each sink, behind each toilet and behind the washer.

Use your meter to check for a hidden leak

In slab homes, a supply line under the floor can leak for weeks before you see it. The Village of Tequesta's utility describes a simple meter test (Village of Tequesta):

1. Make sure nothing that uses water is running: dishwasher, washer, irrigation, ice maker, toilets.
2. Lift the meter box lid carefully and watch the meter. If the small triangle or dial spins, or the digital number moves, water is flowing somewhere.
3. To tell where, close the house shut-off valve. If the meter still moves, the leak is in the ground between the meter and the house. If it stops, the leak is inside the home.
4. For a toilet, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank and wait about 15 minutes without flushing. Color in the bowl means the toilet is leaking.

A warm spot on a tile floor, the sound of running water when everything is off, or a jump in your water bill are other signs worth checking. See slab leak detection for what comes next.

After the water is off

1. Photograph everything before cleanup: the source, wide shots of each wet room and close-ups of damage.
2. Call a licensed plumber to fix the source. Water damage usually needs a second trade too: a restoration company to extract water and dry walls, cabinets and floors.
3. Start drying the same day. The EPA's mold guidance is built around drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours (EPA).
4. Report the claim promptly. Florida law sets an outer limit of 1 year after the date of loss for notice of a new or reopened property claim (Fla. Stat. 627.70132), but your policy may ask for prompt notice. Stopping the water quickly also helps show you took reasonable steps to prevent further damage. Our insurance claim guide has the details.

Turning the water back on

Once the repair is done, open the main valve slowly, a little at a time. Open a few faucets to let trapped air out until the water runs smoothly, then close them. Turn an electric water heater's power back on only after the tank is full of water again (Universal Property; The Home Depot). Check the repaired spot and the floor around it over the next day.

Common questions

Sources

• City of Tampa Water: customer information guide (accessed Oct. 18, 2026)
• City of Tampa Water: FAQ
• Village of Tequesta Utility: How to check for leaks (accessed Oct. 18, 2026)
• Ready.gov: Shutting off utilities (updated July 31, 2024)
• Escambia County BeReady: Turning off utilities
• Greensboro Emergency Management: Home safety, utilities and water
• The Home Depot: How to turn off the water to your house (Mar. 23, 2026)
• Universal Property: How to turn off the water to your house
• OUC: Report an outage or problem
• Miami-Dade Water and Sewer: Contacts
• Action News Jax: JEA urges caution as freeze disrupts water (Feb. 2026)
• EPA: Mold remediation guidance (Chapter 4)
• Florida Statutes 627.70132: Notice of property insurance claim

This page is general safety information, not professional, legal or insurance advice. Valve locations vary from home to home; if you aren't sure, ask a licensed plumber. Florida Water Damage is a referral service and does not perform plumbing or restoration work.