Emergency Plumber Denver: $300 to $1,575 + Do This First

Denver rows are Angi's local figures; national rows are labeled.

Do this now: before the Denver plumber arrives

1. Smell gas? Get out and call Xcel Energy or 911 from outside. Angi says not to try shutting off the gas yourself. See gas leak: what to do.
2. Close the main water shutoff. Denver Water says it is usually in the basement or crawl space on the wall facing the street.
3. Keep away from water near outlets. Shut off power at the breaker only if you can reach it from a dry spot.
4. Water from the street side, a broken main or a water emergency on Denver Water's side: call Denver Water's emergency line, 303-628-6801.
5. Sewage coming up a floor drain? Report it to the City at 303-446-3400 first; it will tell you whether the block is in the public main or your private line.
6. Frozen pipe: keep the faucet open and thaw with a hair dryer or heating pad, never a torch or open flame, the American Red Cross says.

Is it an emergency? What counts in Denver

A burst pipe, a sewer backup, a gas smell or water near wiring is an emergency in Denver; a slow drain or a dripping faucet is not. Freezes are the big driver: Denver International Airport averages 156.3 nights a year at or below 32 F and 6.2 nights at or below 0 F, NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals show. Angi lists burst pipes, sewer backups, gas leaks, no hot water, overflowing toilets and frozen underground pipes as common emergencies. A clogged sink with a second bathroom working can wait for business hours, when Angi's Denver guide puts a standard plumbing job at $203 to $544; see drain cleaning in Denver.

What an emergency plumber costs in Denver

Angi puts a Denver emergency plumbing visit at $300 to $1,575 in its September 2026 data, below Los Angeles at $300 to $1,800 and above Phoenix at $300 to $1,400. Angi's Denver plumber guide says emergency service runs 1.5 to 2 times standard prices and burst pipe repairs $1,000 to $4,000. Nationally, HomeAdvisor says after-hours calls add $100 to $300 or more and that most emergency plumbers charge time and a half to triple their hourly rate. Ask for the trip fee and the hourly rate before the plumber drives out. The national emergency plumber cost guide lists the hourly rates by day and time.

Denver Water and the City: who to call for what

• Denver Water emergencies: 303-628-6801. Customer Care is 303-893-2444.
• Sewer backups: the City and County of Denver, 303-446-3400. The City says it is only responsible for main public sewers; if the problem is in your private line, it is your responsibility to call a plumber.
• Lead service lines: Denver Water estimates 60,000 to 64,000 homes have a possible lead service line, and replaces customer-owned lead lines at no direct charge when it finds them during a main replacement project.
• The bill after a leak: Denver Water may adjust it once the leak is repaired, comparing use with your three-year average; one adjustment covers up to three bills, and you apply within 12 months.

Checking an emergency plumber in Denver

Only a registered plumbing contractor or the homeowner may do plumbing work in Colorado, the state's Division of Professions and Occupations says, and Denver runs its own plumbing inspection program. Ask for the Colorado plumbing license number and check it on DORA's online lookup. Ask whether the price includes the trip fee, and get it in writing before work starts. Complaints go to the Colorado State Plumbing Board, or for a dispute to the Colorado Attorney General at StopFraudColorado.gov or 800-222-4444. The Denver DA's fraud hotline is 720-913-9179.

Local rules, programs and climate for Denver, from official city, state, utility, Census and NOAA pages. Aurora, Lakewood and other metro cities set their own rules.

More Denver plumbing guides

All plumbing in the city: plumber in Denver. Backups and roots: sewer line repair in Denver. No hot water: water heater repair in Denver. Water in the walls: water damage restoration in Denver (call your insurer too). Other cold cities: emergency plumber in Salt Lake City and emergency plumber in Minneapolis. Prevent the next freeze with frozen pipes: what to do. Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job (how calls work).