Row of two-story brick homes with young trees along a curving suburban street

Water Damage in Allen, Texas: Who to Call and What Comes Next

A split supply line in a 1980s ranch, a slab leak under a 2000s two-story, water backing up from the street sewer. One free call, any hour, connects you with an independent company that takes Allen jobs.

Call (469) 649-7066 Which pipes are yours in Allen

Water damage in Allen starts with when your house was built

Allen was a railroad town of about 400 people in the mid 1940s. Then the boom came. The Texas Almanac, drawing on the Handbook of Texas, counts 1,940 residents in 1970, 8,314 in 1980, 18,309 in 1990 and 43,554 in 2000, and the 2020 census found 104,627.

That timeline is useful when water damage hits an Allen home. A house from the first wave is now 40 to 55 years old, with original shutoff valves, supply lines and drain lines that have been under pressure for decades. A house from the 1990s and 2000s, in neighborhoods such as Twin Creeks, Star Creek, Suncreek or Waterford Parks, is more likely to fail at an appliance hose, an upstairs bathroom or a water heater in the attic.

Either way, the first job is the same: stop the water, keep people safe, and get the wet materials measured and dried before mold has a chance.

Older one-story brick ranch home with a carport behind a mowed lawn and a shade tree

Your side of the meter, and the city's

Allen draws the line at the water meter. The city's Water and Sewer Division says it owns the pipe from the main to the meter, and the meter; the owner is responsible from the meter to the building. Knowing that saves time when you are standing in a wet hallway.

Where the water is coming from	Who handles the pipe	Who handles the wet house
Main in the street, a hydrant, or the meter box	City of Allen, 214.509.4530, 24 hours	A restoration company, if water reached the house
Yard line between the meter and the house	You, through a plumber	A restoration company, if the foundation or walls got wet
Under the slab or inside a wall	You, through a plumber who locates and repairs it	A restoration company that measures and dries the rooms
An appliance, toilet or water heater	You, through a plumber or appliance repair	A restoration company

The city also notes that extreme weather, drought and construction all strain water lines. Drought matters here because Allen, like most of Collin County, sits on Blackland Prairie clay that shrinks as it dries and swells when the rain returns. That movement works on the pipes under a slab, which is why a jump in the water bill or a warm spot on the floor deserves a call to a plumber.

Hand turning the main water shutoff valve inside a ground-level meter box

The first hour in an Allen home

Find your own shutoff. Turn off the main valve at the house if you can reach it safely. If you cannot, or the leak is at the meter, call the city hotline, 214.509.4530.
Mind the power. Keep out of any puddle that touches a cord, outlet or appliance, and flip breakers only if the floor under the panel is dry. If it is not, phone an electrician or the power company that bills you (rate sites list Oncor for Allen).
Check which gas company you have. Atmos Energy and CoServ Gas both serve parts of Allen. A gas smell means everyone leaves and calls 911 and that company from outside.
Take pictures. Shoot each soaked room from the doorway, then up close, and do it before you carry anything out.
Call your insurer, then the line. Ask the insurer what your policy covers and what it needs from you.

Rowlett Creek and Allen's floodplain

Rowlett Creek and a tributary of it run through Allen, crossing under roads such as McDermott Drive. A leak inside the house and water coming in from a creek or street are very different problems. Water that rises from a creek or flows in from outside is what the IICRC S500 standard files under Category 3, the dirtiest grade: keep clear of it and expect porous materials it touched to be removed.

FEMA finalized new flood maps for Allen, McKinney, Plano and unincorporated Collin County in 2017. Look up your address before assuming you are outside a flood zone.
Allen's Engineering Department handles floodplain development permits and keeps flood studies that can be viewed at City Hall (214.509.4582).
Homeowners policies do not cover flood. A National Flood Insurance Program policy is separate and generally takes 30 days to take effect.

Safety first. Shut off the main water valve if you can get to it without risk. Water and electricity together are the real hazard, so stay out of any puddle that touches an outlet, a cord or an appliance. Switch off the breaker only when the panel can be reached from dry flooring; if it cannot, call Oncor or an electrician. A gas smell means everyone goes outside, and the calls to 911 and the gas company on your bill (Atmos Energy or CoServ Gas) are made from there. Floodwater and sewage are not safe to wade through, for adults, children or pets. Once everyone is safe, take photos for the insurance claim and carry valuables and documents to a dry room.

Services Allen homeowners call about

Water Extraction and Emergency Water Removal

Standing water from a supply line, water heater or storm: what extraction equipment does, carpet and pad decisions, and why drying has to follow.

Burst Pipe Water Damage

Frozen and failed pipes in attics, outside walls and garages. Shut the water off, call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration company for the drying.

Slab Leak Water Damage

A leak under the foundation needs two trades: a licensed plumber finds and repairs the pipe, and a restoration company dries the floors and walls it soaked.

Ceiling Water Damage

A brown ring, a bubble in the paint or a ceiling that has started to sag. What each sign means, how to stay safe under it and how a company decides to dry or replace.

Sewage Cleanup

A toilet, tub or floor drain pushing up dirty water is a Category 3 mess. Who owns the pipe, who to call first and what a careful cleanup looks like.

Water Damage Repair

Putting a house back together after the drying is done: drywall, floors, cabinets and paint, who does each part, permits in Dallas and the paperwork your insurer will want.

Before you sign with a company in Allen

Ask for the moisture readings in writing, and readings again on the last day.
Ask which repairs will need an Allen permit and who will pull it. Allen wants owners to make sure that paperwork exists before the first wall comes down.
Ask whether the firm appears on the IICRC Global Locator, and look it up yourself.
Ask for a certificate of insurance sent to you from the company's insurer.
If mold is found, ask how large the area is. Past 25 contiguous square feet, Texas generally wants one licensed firm writing the cleanup plan and a different licensed firm doing it; look up each one on the TDLR license search.
Get the estimate on paper before demolition begins.

Kitchen with a water heater closet door open and a small puddle on the floor

Ask your insurer, not the contractor. Guidance from the Texas Department of Insurance separates water that shows up suddenly and by accident, like a split pipe, an overflowing toilet or a failed washer hose, which most home and renter policies include, from slow leaks and seepage, which they usually leave out. Flooding is excluded from home policies altogether and needs a separate flood policy. Insurers can also refuse a claim when the owner did not take reasonable steps to limit further damage. Before you sign for any work, pull out your policy and call the insurer about what it includes. More on water damage and insurance.

What happens when an Allen call comes in

Water Damage Pro Dallas does no drying, cleaning or repair. It is a free number that answers at any hour and hands your call to an independent company.

Call the numberAn automated assistant answers (469) 649-7066 at any hour and asks what you need help with. The same number answers other home service calls too, so start with "water damage" or "mold".
Describe what happenedA burst pipe, standing water, a wet ceiling, a slab leak, a sewage backup or mold, plus your town and whether water is still coming in.
Get transferredWater damage calls go to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company; mold removal calls go to an independent mold remediation company. Each hears a short summary before it picks up. Mold testing calls are taken as a message for now.
Deal with that company directlyIt inspects, quotes and does the work, and you pay it (or your insurer does, as you arrange). If it cannot answer, it gets your name, number, city and problem so it can call you back.

Tell the assistant you are calling from Allen and whether the water is still running. A restoration company that takes Allen calls picks up after hearing a short summary, and its estimate comes from its own visit, not from the line.

Call (469) 649-7066

About this line: Water Damage Pro Dallas is a free phone line, not a restoration or mold company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. Calling the line costs you nothing. See how a call is handled.

More pages that may help

Other DFW towns the line covers

Allen water damage questions

What number do I call in Allen for a water emergency?

The City of Allen runs a 24 hour water and sewer emergency hotline at 214.509.4530. Use it for a main break, a leaking hydrant, a sewer problem in the street, or if you need help shutting water off at your house. Smaller things, such as a broken sprinkler head or water standing in an alley, can go through the MyAllen app. Once the water is off, call the line about getting the water out.

Is the leak my responsibility or the city's?

It depends on which side of the meter it is on. Allen says the city owns the line from the main to the water meter, and the meter itself; the property owner is responsible from the meter to the house. A leak in your yard after the meter, under your slab or inside your walls is yours to have repaired, usually by a plumber. The slab leak page explains who does what.

Do I need an Allen permit to repair a leak?

Often not for the leak itself. Allen's permit rules exempt clearing a stoppage or repairing a leak in a pipe, valve or fixture, as long as nothing is replaced or rearranged. Replacing pipes, a water heater or wiring is different. Building Services answers questions at 214.509.4130, and the city asks homeowners to confirm the contractor pulled any needed permit. See water damage repair.

Who supplies natural gas in Allen, Atmos or CoServ?

Both appear in Texas Railroad Commission listings for Allen, so it depends on your address. Look at your gas bill now, before you need it. If you ever smell gas after a leak or a flood, do not hunt for the source: get everyone outside, then call 911 and the gas company on your bill. Read the first 48 hours guide for the other safety steps.

Water damage in Allen? The free line is open now

Say what happened and which town you are in. The automated assistant passes a water damage call to an independent, locally owned DFW restoration company, and a mold removal call to an independent mold remediation company. That company comes out, sees the damage and prices the work itself.

Call (469) 649-7066

Answers day or nightPipes burst at 3 a.m. and storms roll in after dark. The assistant picks up at any hour, every day of the year.
Free to callThe line never bills you. Any price comes from the company you are connected with, and you can ask for it in writing.
Mold testing is separateTexas keeps the mold assessor and the remediator on one job apart, so testing calls are taken as a message.
You decideHear what the company found, read its estimate, ask your insurer your questions, and say yes only when it makes sense.