Leak Detection Near Me: $150 to $400 (HomeAdvisor 2026)

How much does leak detection cost

National figures. No cost guide we checked publishes a separate price for residential roof leak detection, so roof figures are inspection prices.

For a leak under the slab, HomeAdvisor's $150 to $400 and Fixr's $100 to $400 cover most jobs; This Old House's range reaches $600. Fixr says detection can take minutes, or over an hour for harder leaks, and the price follows how invasive the search gets. The repair is billed separately once the leak is found.

Do this now: if you think there is a hidden leak

1. Stay out of standing water near outlets, cords or appliances. The Red Cross warns not to touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water.
2. Shut off the main water valve if water is visibly running.
3. Do a meter test. The EPA says to read the meter, use no water for two hours, then read it again; if it moved, there is a leak.
4. Check the toilets with the EPA dye test: food coloring in the tank, and color in the bowl after 10 minutes means a leak.
5. Photograph the damage before you clean up, then call your insurer. FEMA says to take photos before cleanup begins.
6. Call the line and ask what the detection visit costs before anyone is sent.

Is it urgent? Leak signs that cannot wait

A leak is urgent when water is spreading, because the EPA says wet materials dried within 24 to 48 hours will in most cases not grow mold.

• Call now: water coming through a ceiling or pooling on a floor; see ceiling water damage repair.
• Same day: a warm spot on the floor or the sound of running water with every fixture off, both slab leak signs in HomeAdvisor's guide; see slab leak repair.
• This week: the meter moves during the two-hour test but nothing is wet. The EPA says 9% of homes have leaks wasting 50 gallons or more a day.
• This week: a water bill that jumped with no change in use.

Signs of a hidden water leak

• A water bill that jumps with no change in how you use water.
• Running or hissing water sounds when every tap and appliance is off.
• Your water meter moves when nothing is running. Turn off every faucet, appliance and irrigation zone, note the meter reading, and check it again later without using any water. If it changed, water is going somewhere.
• Damp flooring or cracks in a slab, which Fixr lists among the things a technician checks for a slab leak.
• Soggy patches in the yard; Fixr says detection includes checking landscaping for excess water.
• A musty smell with no visible source. The EPA says to suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy but you cannot see the source, and names the inside of walls around pipes as a possible location.
• Stains on a ceiling or wall; see ceiling water damage repair for what a stain can mean.

How professionals find leaks

The goal is to find the leak without causing more damage. American Leak Detection, a leak detection company, says it uses thermal imaging cameras, snake cameras and acoustic sensor technology for that. Fixr describes the typical steps for a slab leak:

1. Water pressure testing to confirm the system is losing water and narrow down which line.
2. Checking the slab for cracks and moisture.
3. Checking landscaping for excess water.
4. If needed, drilling, digging or running cameras into drain lines to confirm the exact spot.

Ask the company which of these methods it will use on your house, and what the fee covers if it has to open a wall or floor.

Slab leak detection

A slab leak is a leak in a pipe running under or inside a concrete foundation. HomeAdvisor says most homeowners pay $150 to $400 to find one and suggests budgeting about $280; This Old House, citing HomeAdvisor estimates, gives $150 to $600. Finding it is the cheap part. The repair, which can mean cutting through the slab or rerouting the line, is quoted after the leak is located, and any flooring or drywall that got wet is a water damage repair cost on top.

Roof leak detection

No cost guide we checked lists a separate price for residential roof leak detection. Roofers find roof leaks during an inspection. Fixr puts a roof inspection at $426 on average, $307 to $571 typically, with a low of $120 and a high of $800. HomeGuide puts an inspection to locate leak entry points at $100 to $400. Angi and HomeGuide put an infrared roof inspection at $400 to $600, though Fixr says infrared inspections are primarily reserved for commercial roofs.

Do not climb up to look for it yourself. CDC's NIOSH says more than 500,000 people are treated and about 300 die each year from ladder-related injuries. Once the leak is found, Fixr's 2026 leak repair prices by cause give a sense of the fix:

Fixr's roof leak repair average is $800, with a typical range of $350 to $1,500.

See roof leak repair for the roofing side, flashing and vent boot repair for the most common sources, and roof leaks under solar panels if the house has panels. The roof line takes roof repairs you pay for yourself.

After the leak is found: repair and drying

Fix the leak, then dry everything it touched. The EPA says that if wet or damp materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours after a leak, in most cases mold will not grow. HomeAdvisor puts burst pipe repair at $500 on average, $200 to $3,000 typically, with emergency call-out fees of $100 to $300. If walls, floors or a ceiling got wet, a water damage restoration company handles extraction and drying, and if growth has started, mold remediation comes next. Planning an insurance claim? Call your insurer, photograph the damage before cleanup, and do not sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to the contractor.

Preventing the next leak

Fixr lists a few low-cost prevention items. An installed water leak detection system runs $500 to $1,500. Stainless steel washing machine hoses cost $45 to $75 for a pair installed, and a basic water alarm costs about $20.

Leaking pipe under the sink: what to do and what it costs

A leaking pipe under a sink is one of the cheaper leaks to fix, $150 for a drain line by a sink in Angi's July 2026 pipe leak guide and about $190 for a small, easy-to-reach water line leak, against a $500 average across all pipe leaks.

• First: Angi says to shut off the water valves, the stops under the sink if it is a supply line, and then call a plumber. A drain leak only runs when the sink does, so stop using that sink.
• Which pipe: a drip that appears when the faucet is on is usually the drain or the P-trap; a drip that continues with the sink off is a supply line or a stop valve.
• Prices (Angi): drain line by a sink or shower $150, $300 for a severe clog; a pipe behind a kitchen cabinet $500; a diagnostic fee of $80 to $100; a minimum service fee of $50 to $100; plumbers $45 to $200 an hour.
• If the cabinet floor is soft or dark: the leak has been running a while. Angi lists mold remediation at a $2,300 average; see mold remediation and the plumber hub.