Water Damage Restoration Houston: $1,383 to $6,369 (2026)

Why Houston homes flood and leak

Houston's best-documented flood event came from rain. The National Weather Service's Houston/Galveston office recorded 54.00 inches of rain from Hurricane Harvey near Bunker Hill Village and 52.30 inches near Webster in August 2017, and the Harris County Flood Control District estimates that nearly 136,000 structures flooded. Water rising from the street is a different job, and a different insurance claim, from a burst supply line inside the house.

Water also comes from inside the house: a failed water heater, a split washer hose, or a roof that let rain in during a storm. If a ceiling stain grows every time it rains, the source is above it. Fix the roof first, then dry the inside. See roof repair in Houston and the ceiling water damage repair guide.

Is it an emergency? When water damage in Houston cannot wait

Water damage is an emergency while water is still coming in, when it is near outlets or the panel, or when a ceiling sags. Even after the leak stops, start drying within 24 to 48 hours: the EPA says wet materials dried in that window usually will not grow mold.

• Floodwater coming in from outside: get yourself out of it first; drying starts once it recedes.
• Now: water near outlets, the panel or a light fixture. Shut off the breaker only from a dry spot, then see electricians in Houston.
• Now: sewage or a toilet backup. It is contaminated water; see sewage cleanup.
• Today: a pipe leak you have shut off. Call a plumber in Houston for the pipe and a restoration company for the drying.
• Can be booked: an old, dry stain with firm drywall and no musty smell. Have it checked soon so it does not become a mold remediation job.

Photograph everything and call your insurer too, and do not sign an assignment of benefits or any paper that hands your claim to a contractor.

Water damage in Houston: what to do in the first hours

1. Keep away from wet electrical. Shut off power at the breaker only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot. If the panel or the floor in front of it is wet, stay out and call an electrician; see electricians in Houston.
2. Stop the source. Close the main water shutoff for a pipe or appliance leak. If floodwater is coming in from outside, get yourself out of it first. Drying starts once it recedes.
3. Photograph before you clean. Take photos room by room, including the water line on the walls.
4. Call your insurer and a restoration company. Do both. Do not sign an assignment of benefits or any paper that hands your claim to the contractor.
5. Dry within 24 to 48 hours. The EPA says that if wet materials are dried in that window, in most cases mold will not grow.

Smell gas? Leave the house and call the gas utility from outside.

How much does water damage restoration cost in Houston

We found no published Houston price, so the figures below are national. HomeAdvisor's June 2026 average is $3,868, with most jobs between $1,383 and $6,369. The kind of water moves the bill most: HomeAdvisor puts extraction and drying at $3 to $4 per square foot for clean water and $7 to $7.50 for black water. The water damage restoration cost guide breaks this down further.

National figures before insurance. We found no Houston-specific price for water damage restoration in the sources we checked.

Houston water bill leak adjustment: get credit for fixing it fast

Houston Public Works rewrote its leak rules on December 13, 2023. The credit now depends on how fast the leak is repaired: 100% if it is fixed within 30 days of starting, 75% within 60 days, and 50% after that. Excess wastewater charges get a 100% credit. The city also dropped its old cap of two adjustments a year and cut the minimum leak balance from $2,000 to $1,000, or to $100 for eligible elderly customers.

File through the city's Universal Adjustment Request page within six months of the repair date. Send the repair date, the address, the type of repair and its cost; a plumber's bill, a parts receipt or a signed statement works as proof. If the bill jumped and you cannot see water anywhere, leak detection finds the source before the 30-day clock runs down.

Mold after a Houston leak: Texas licensing rules

Texas licenses mold assessors and mold remediators through TDLR. Its FAQ says areas of visible mold of less than 25 contiguous square feet can be cleaned up by people who are not licensed, and a homeowner can sometimes do their own remediation under the exemptions. A licensed company has to follow the rules even on a small job.

One company may hold both licenses, but it cannot assess and remediate the same project. In practice, the firm that tests your house should not be the one quoting the cleanup. Costs and testing are covered in mold remediation.

Insurance and contracts: what Texas says

• The Texas Department of Insurance says most homeowner policies cover sudden and accidental water damage, such as a burst pipe or a broken washer hose, but not gradual leaks or seepage, and that includes the mold that follows.
• FEMA says most homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. In 2025 TDI reminded insurers to tell policyholders about the 60-day window to report National Flood Insurance Program losses.
• It is illegal in Texas for a contractor to waive your deductible or promise a rebate for it, per TDI Bulletin B-0007-25.
• Call your insurer as well as the restoration company. Do not sign an assignment of benefits or any contract that hands your claim to the contractor.

Local rules and contacts for Houston, from official and news sources listed below.

Where to complain about a restoration contractor in Houston

We found no City of Houston or Harris County office that takes contractor complaints. Use the Texas Attorney General's online consumer complaint form; it cannot save a half-finished complaint, so have the contract and receipts in front of you. For a licensed mold assessor or remediator, TDLR takes complaints online within two years of the event.

If the leak is under rooftop solar panels, see solar service in Houston. For the full first-48-hours checklist, start at the water damage restoration guide.