One-story brick home under a spreading oak on a sunlit street

Water Damage Restoration in North Richland Hills

A slab leak under a 1950s brick ranch, a supply line in a newer two-story, or water backing up from a main break. One free call at any hour connects you with an independent restoration company that takes NRH calls.

Call (469) 649-7066 The NRH slab leak rule

A 1950s brick town with a modern water bill problem

North Richland Hills started in 1952, when Clarence Jones began dividing his dairy farm into house lots near what is now Cummings Drive. The first section held 188 homes, and building there was limited to brick and masonry.

The city incorporated in 1953, annexed the old community of Smithfield by 1960, and nearly doubled from about 8,662 residents in 1960 to 16,514 in 1970. So a large share of NRH houses date from the 1950s and 1960s, and wherever a home rests on a slab, its water and drain lines have sat beneath that concrete for decades.

Water damage restoration in North Richland Hills often starts with something you cannot see: a floor that feels warm, a baseboard that swells, a bill that keeps rising. Dial (469) 649-7066, day or night, and an automated assistant routes the call to an independent, locally owned restoration company covering NRH.

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

Slab leaks and the North Richland Hills documentation rule

A slab leak is a break in a water line that runs under or inside the concrete foundation. Signs include a damp or warm spot in the floor, the sound of running water when every faucet is off, cracked tile, or a water bill that rises with no change in how you use water.

The plumber's part

North Richland Hills requires a separate permit for plumbing, obtained by a licensed plumber or, under Texas law, the owner of a homestead. When a slab leak can only be reached from under the foundation, the city wants the plumber to record the repair on video or in photos and hand that record to the building inspector so the work can be confirmed.

The restoration company's part

Fixing the pipe does not dry the house. Water that spread under flooring and into the bottom of walls has to be found with moisture meters and dried, and flooring that held water may need to come up. That is the job the free line connects you with.

Plumber in ear protection kneeling on a tile floor with a toolbox, checking for a hidden leak

Keep the plumber's invoice and documentation with your photos. If you file a claim, your insurer will likely ask what failed and when it was fixed. The Texas Department of Insurance notes that policies usually treat sudden water damage differently from a slow leak, so ask your insurer how it views the leak you have.

When the city's mains give out

Breaks on the public side are a recurring NRH story, and they matter to homeowners because a long outage and the pressure surge after it are hard on old fittings inside the house.

June 2018. A 33-inch pipe burst in the northern part of the city, and officials asked residents to conserve water while it was repaired.
Hightower main. An aging 24-inch main near Hightower and Davis Boulevard failed more than once, leaving dozens of homes without running water. Public Works laid a temporary main, and affected households got a credit on their water bills.
February 2021. North Richland Hills was one of the North Texas cities under a boil water notice during the winter storm, when power losses across the region made it hard for utilities to treat and move water.

Public Works handles water distribution and the sanitary sewer. Report a main break or a water or sewer emergency at 817-427-6440 during office hours (Operations, 7200-A Dick Fisher Drive South) or 817-281-1000 after hours; the main Public Works office is 817-427-6400. Once a repaired main is back in service, look over the plumbing you can see, and pay attention to any floor spot that stays damp.

Water damage restoration North Richland Hills homeowners ask about

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.

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.

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 Atmos Energy 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.

Seven creek branches and a floodplain permit

The city lists seven major tributaries running through North Richland Hills, Calloway Branch and Walker Branch among them. Lots near a channel can fall inside the mapped 1% annual chance floodplain.

If yours does, the city requires a Floodplain Development Permit before you add improvements or fill, which can include rebuilding after a flood. North Richland Hills does floodplain determinations if you are not sure where your property sits.

When a creek pushes into a house, the IICRC S500 standard puts that water in Category 3, as contaminated as sewage. Nobody in the family, pets included, should wade in it. Plan on soaked carpet, its pad and the bottom section of affected walls being cut out instead of dried.

Deep cracks in dry clay soil beside the concrete foundation of a brick home

Before you sign with a company in NRH

Ask who handles which permit. Building repairs and plumbing are permitted separately in North Richland Hills. Get it in writing which ones the company pulls. The city's customer service desk at 817-427-6300 can answer questions on a specific project.
Ask how they will check under the slab area. A careful company maps moisture across the whole room, not just the wet spot you see.
Ask for daily readings. Drying is finished when readings say so, not when the fans have run a set number of days.
Ask about credentials you can check. Look the firm up on the IICRC Global Locator and ask for a certificate of insurance from its insurer.
Ask about mold. Mold spread over 25 contiguous square feet or more usually means two separate state license holders: an assessor to write the plan and a remediator to follow it. Check both on the TDLR license search.

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.

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

North Richland Hills water damage questions

Does North Richland Hills require a permit to fix a slab leak?

Plumbing work in North Richland Hills needs its own permit, pulled by a licensed plumber (Texas law also lets a homestead owner pull one). For a slab leak that can only be reached under the foundation, the city also asks the plumber to video or photo document the repair and give it to the building inspector. Ask your plumber to confirm the permit before digging. The water damage itself is a separate job; see slab leak water damage.

Who do I call in NRH when the water main on my street breaks?

Call North Richland Hills Public Works, which runs the city's water distribution and sewer lines. The city's Water Department page lists 817-427-6440 for main breaks and other water or sewer emergencies during office hours and 817-281-1000 after hours. If water is flooding a road or threatens anyone's safety, call 911. Once city water is back on, check inside your home for leaks; our first 48 hours guide lists what to look at.

Is my house in the North Richland Hills floodplain?

The city does floodplain determinations, and it lists seven major creek tributaries, including Calloway Branch and Walker Branch. If your lot sits in the 1% annual chance floodplain, the city requires a Floodplain Development Permit before improvements or fill. Standard homeowners policies leave out flooding, so read our insurance guide and ask your agent about flood coverage.

Does the free line send a crew to my North Richland Hills house?

The line itself sends nobody. It is an automated phone service: it hears your description and routes you to an independent, locally owned restoration company covering NRH. From there the company decides on a visit, measures, prices and carries out any work, with payment going from you or your insurer straight to it. Companies may pay the line a referral fee. How it works.

Wet floor in North Richland Hills? Call the free line

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.