Water line repair cost: $354 to $1,696, who owns the line

National figures. Depth, length, what sits over the line and whether the leak is on your side of the meter set the total.

Do this now: a broken or leaking water line

A water line leak keeps running until the main is closed, so the first step is the shutoff, then the calls in this order:

1. Shut the main. Phoenix Water Services says it is usually at the front of the house near a hose bib, in older homes at the rear, and in homes with basements inside on the street-facing wall. It says not to shut off at the meter; the meter valve is the utility's.
2. Water inside the house? The Red Cross says not to touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. Leave faucets open until the repair is done (Phoenix).
3. Water at the meter or the street? Call the water utility. San Jose Water, for example, owns the line from the main to the curb stop and the meter; the customer owns the pipe from the meter to the house.
4. Call your insurer before you sign anything. Ask whether the policy carries service line coverage; the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel says it is not usually in the base policy and typically covers repair, excavation and landscape restoration when it is.
5. No digging until 811 has marked the yard. CenterPoint Energy's notice says to call 811 at least two working days before digging and to dig by hand near marked lines.
6. Call the plumber line. Ask for the service call fee, whether leak location is included, and a per-foot price for repair and for replacement.

Is it an emergency? Signs the water line cannot wait

A main water line break is an emergency when water is in the house or you have none. HomeGuide's shut-off valve guide prices emergency plumber labor at $100 to $350 or more an hour against $75 to $150 scheduled.

• Call now: water coming up in the yard or through a floor, no water at all, or a sudden pressure drop with damp drywall. Shut the main first. See emergency plumber.
• This week: a bill that jumped with no change in use, grass greener along one strip, a lawn that stays wet, or a sunken spot in the driveway (HomeGuide's signs).
• Book it: discolored water or pressure that has slipped over months in a house with old pipe. A camera or pressure test first; see leak detection.

How much does main water line repair cost?

Main water line repair costs $354 to $1,696 in Angi's September 2026 data, with a $1,025 national average from 1,622 projects; HomeGuide's December 2025 guide lists $400 to $1,500, and HomeAdvisor's 2026 plumber table puts a main line water leak at $600 to $4,500.

Angi's main water line repair cost by problem, plus the digging and restoration lines that come with an underground repair.

Angi puts plumber labor at $70 to $120 an hour and an excavator operator at $120 to $150 an hour. HomeAdvisor's service call fee is $100 to $250 and usually includes the first hour. Flooring and drywall opened to reach a pipe inside are extra: Angi lists $1,500 to $4,900 for flooring and $400 to $650 per 100 square feet of new drywall.

Main water line replacement cost: per foot and in total

Main water line replacement costs $2,000 to $5,000 in HomeGuide's 2026 guide, $3,500 on average with a $620 to $12,500 full range; Angi puts the average at about $2,000 and both guides price the line per foot.

• Per foot: HomeGuide lists $50 to $200 trenched and $70 to $250 trenchless; Angi lists $50 to $250.
• A new line from the meter to the house: $50 to $150 per foot, or $1,700 to $3,000, in HomeGuide's plumbing guide.
• Pipe material, per foot before labor (HomeGuide): PVC $0.50 to $5, PEX $0.50 to $5, copper $2 to $10 or more. Angi lists copper at $2 to $10, PEX at $0.40 to $2.
• Putting the yard back: HomeGuide lists landscaping at $50 to $100 an hour and driveway repair at $100 to $400 for a small patch or $600 to $3,000 for major work; Angi lists landscaping restoration at $1,200 to $6,300.
• Permits: $30 to $500 (HomeGuide); $25 to $500 (Angi). A tap connection is $300 to $500 (HomeGuide).

HomeGuide says main water lines last 50 to 100 years depending on material, with copper up to 100 years and PEX up to 50. When the sewer line is going too, see sewer line replacement cost.

Who is responsible for the water line from the meter to the house?

The homeowner owns the water line from the meter to the house at nearly every utility, and the utility owns the main, the tap and, usually, the meter: San Jose Water puts the split at the meter under California PUC Rule 16, and Phoenix says leaks on the customer's side of the meter are the owner's to fix.

Published responsibility rules. Angi says to call your town or city to confirm who is responsible beyond your property line, because the split varies.

• Some cities put the split at the property line or the curb stop rather than the meter; HomeGuide's general rule is the property line to the home. Ask your utility, in writing, before you pay for street work.
• Water surfacing at the meter box or between the curb and the street is the utility's call first; a leak between the meter and the house is yours.
• City pages with the local rule and the utility's number: plumber in Phoenix, San Antonio, Denver and Chicago.

Does homeowners insurance cover a water line repair?

A standard homeowners policy does not usually pay to repair or replace a buried water service line, but a service line endorsement does: the Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel gives $10,000 or $25,000 of coverage with a $500 deductible as a typical example and says it is not usually in the base policy.

• What it covers (Texas OPIC): repair or replacement of the line plus excavation and landscape restoration; typically wear and tear, rust, corrosion, decay, tree roots, freezing and collapse; typically not pipes under or through the house.
• Limits by age (Maryland Insurance Administration): $10,000 for a line under 50 years old, $2,500 for one 50 or older, with the policy deductible applying; usually no payment for a blockage with no physical damage.
• Not a warranty. Maryland says service line warranties sold by non-insurers protect differently. HomeGuide says some policies exclude the service line or offer it only as an add-on.
• Water damage inside is a separate question. Florida's Department of Financial Services says a water backup endorsement covers water that backs up from a sewer or drain; sudden pipe damage inside is a different claim. Photograph everything, call your insurer, and do not sign your claim over to a contractor.

Signs of a broken water line

A broken water line shows up as a sudden pressure drop and water where it should not be, and HomeGuide and Angi list the same seven or so signs.

• HomeGuide: water pressure drops throughout the home; interior drywall feels damp; the water bill rises without added use; faucet water is discolored; grass is greener along the line's path; the lawn has puddles or stays saturated; sunken spots appear in the driveway.
• Angi: puddles or standing water in the yard; a sudden pressure drop; cracks appearing in the foundation; frequent clogs; smelly or rust-colored water; soil erosion.
• Angi's meter check for a hidden leak and the gauge test for pressure are on low water pressure. A leak under the slab inside the house is a different job; see slab leak repair.

Repair or replace the water line?

Repair makes sense for one cracked section, $500 to $1,000 in Angi's figures, and replacement when the pipe is corroded along its length, which Angi prices at $600 to $5,000 to repair against about $2,000 on average to replace.

• HomeGuide puts water lines at 50 to 100 years; a line near the end of that in galvanized or old copper is a replacement candidate rather than a third repair.
• HomeAdvisor says older homes may still have galvanized, lead or other outdated pipe. Lead and galvanized service lines are replaced, not patched; see repiping cost for galvanized and polybutylene prices inside the house.
• Trenchless replacement, $70 to $250 per foot in HomeGuide's guide, pulls a new line through without a full trench; ask for it priced beside a dig when a driveway or mature tree sits over the line.
• A burst inside the house is its own page: burst pipe repair.

Questions to ask before you approve a water line quote

• Where exactly is the leak? Your side of the meter or the utility's; in feet from the meter.
• Repair or replace, and how many feet at what per-foot price?
• Trenched or trenchless? And what is included to put the yard, driveway or sidewalk back.
• Who calls 811, pulls the permit and pays any utility shutoff fee? HomeGuide says some areas charge when the plumber has to shut off the city's main.
• Is the pipe material in writing? Copper, PEX or PVC, and the warranty on each.
• License number and proof of insurance. Ask for the plumber's license number and proof of insurance yourself; the plumbing license table shows who licenses plumbers in six states.

More plumbing prices: how much a plumber costs, emergency plumber and home repair costs. Calls go to an independent company that serves your area and takes this kind of job; hours vary. How calls work.