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Salt Lake City, Utah

Water in a Salt Lake City basement? Four steps.

Free service. Call now and we'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works

  1. 1Power and gas first
  2. 2Find where it is coming from
  3. 3Itemize and photograph
  4. 4Call for help
Call (801) 577-3288

Every fact on this page links to its source. Last reviewed October 24, 2026.CDC Salt Lake City Triple-I Utah Insurance Dept. EPA IICRC NOAA and 1 more. See all 10 sources

A restoration technician kneels on pulled-back basement carpet and checks the drywall with a moisture meter below a window well.

How this works

What happens when you call

It is free to call, and calling commits you to nothing.

  1. A woman on the phone at the foot of the basement stairs, looking at a wet patch on the carpet.
    1

    You call

    Tell them what happened and where. Have the address ready.

  2. 2

    We connect you

    A call network puts you through to an independent local restoration company that serves Salt Lake City and is taking calls.

  3. A technician crouches by a basement floor drain, explaining what she sees to the homeowner beside her.
    3

    They assess and quote

    If you want a visit, they look at the damage and quote their own price. Ask for it in writing.

We are a free referral service, not a contractor. The company that answers sets its own prices. How this service works

The first hour

Work down the list. Stop where it stops being safe.

  1. 01
    Before anything else

    Power and gas first

    Breaker off only from a dry spot. Smell gas? Leave, then call.1

  2. 02
    Next

    Find where it is coming from

    Supply line, frozen pipe, groundwater or a drain backing up: each needs something different.2

  3. 03
    Before you haul anything out

    Itemize, then photograph

    List and photograph damaged things before they go to the curb.2,3

  4. 04
    Today

    Call your insurer or agent

    Temporary repairs only, receipts kept, until the insurer inspects.4

  5. 05
    Hours 1 to 48

    Pump it out, then dry it

    Once it is safe: shop vac or pump, then fans. Dry within 24 to 48 hours.1,5

  6. 06
    Any time

    Sewage means stop

    If it came up the drain, it is a professional job.5

The full first hour

Where water gets in

How water reaches a Salt Lake basement

Five routes into a rambler basement. The lettered markers match the notes.

Cross-section of a Salt Lake City rambler with a basement under the Wasatch: the main shutoff where the supply enters the basement, a floor drain on the sewer line to the street main, a window well, the furnace and water heater, and runoff in the street gutter. ABCDE
  1. AMain shutoff. Know where it is to stop a supply line fast.6
  2. BFloor drain. Sewer backups are usually outside a standard Utah policy.4
  3. CWindow well. Outside water gets its category from what is found on site.7
  4. DFurnace and water heater. Do not run a furnace that may be wet until it is checked.1
  5. ERunoff. Snowmelt overflowed Emigration Creek on April 12, 2023.8

The Utah insurance gap

What most Utah homeowners policies leave out

From the Utah Insurance Department and Triple-I. Read your own policy; some insurers sell endorsements that close these gaps.4

Usually covered

  • Wind, wind-driven rain, falling trees or objects, and roof or structure collapse from the weight of ice or snow.4
  • Burst pipes are typically covered under homeowners and renters policies.6

Usually not, without extra cover

  • Backed-up drains or sewers.4
  • Flood damage, and interior water damage from a storm when the roof and walls are undamaged.4
  • Frozen pipes, if the cause is negligence such as not keeping the house heated when you could.4

Insurance in Utah, in full

Salt Lake City's own numbers

Three months of freezing nights, then snowmelt.

The city's own pages describe two very different floods in recent years.8,2

24.2°F

Salt Lake City's normal January overnight low. December through February average below freezing.9

24.2°
28.6°
25.3°
NOAA NCEI monthly climate normals (overnight low), 1991 to 2020, station USW00024127. Averages; single nights run colder.9
Normal overnight low by month, Salt Lake City International Airport, 1991 to 2020
January24.2 °F
February28.6 °F
March36.3 °F
April41.8 °F
May50.4 °F
June59.1 °F
July68.2 °F
August66.6 °F
September56.3 °F
October43.6 °F
November32.8 °F
December25.3 °F

  • April 12, 2023: snowmelt

    Runoff overflowed Emigration Creek and sent water down 1700 South and 1500 East.8

  • One October storm: 2.5 inches in 14 hours

    The National Weather Service reported it as the most rain in a day in more than 124 years; Rose Park flooded.2

  • Winter: pipes on outside walls

    Exterior walls and unheated spaces such as basements and garages are the vulnerable spots.10

Salt Lake City's water calendar

Guides for Salt Lake homes

Start with what happened

Questions

What Salt Lake homeowners ask

Who picks up when I call?

An independent local restoration provider, reached through our call-tracking line. Not us. We do not answer calls or control who is available, what they charge, or how fast they arrive.

Does homeowners insurance cover a sewer backup in Utah?

Most standard policies do not. The Utah Insurance Department lists backed-up drains or sewers among things typically not covered, though some insurers sell endorsements that add it.4

Who handles a flooded street or storm drain: the city or me?

Salt Lake City's Public Utilities department can make an initial assessment of water, sewer or storm-drain problems. Interior electrical, gas, and water or sewer issues in the house may need private contractors.2

How long until mold starts after a basement leak?

The EPA's guidance is to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours; in most cases mold will not grow if they are dried in that window.5

Does it cost anything to call?

No. The company that answers sets its own prices, so ask for a written estimate before agreeing to work.

All questions

An older couple on the front step of their brick rambler talk with a technician, the Wasatch peaks behind them.

Want someone to look at the basement?

Call and an independent Salt Lake-area restoration company answers. Free to call, nothing agreed until you agree it.

Call (801) 577-3288

Salt Lake Water Damage Advice is a free referral and information service, not a contractor. Calls are answered by independent local restoration companies through a pay-per-call network, and we may be paid when a call qualifies. We do not do the work and do not set prices or availability. How it works

Sources

Each numbered note on this page points here. We read every page on October 24, 2026. Where sources disagree we say so; where we could not find a source we left the claim out. We are not affiliated with any of these organizations.

  1. CDC, Safety Guidelines: Reentering Your Flooded Home. Page updated August 24, 2026. www.cdc.gov/floods/safety/reentering-your-flooded-home-safety.html
  2. Salt Lake City Corporation, Rose Park Neighborhood Flooding. Storm of October 3-4 (year not shown in the text we read). www.slc.gov/em/rose-park-neighborhood-flooding/
  3. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), Settling insurance claims after a disaster. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/settling-insurance-claims-after-a-disaster
  4. Utah Insurance Department, Home Claims Information. No date shown. insurance.utah.gov/consumers/home-insurance/home-claims-info/
  5. U.S. EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Page updated February 18, 2026. www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home
  6. Triple-I (Insurance Information Institute), How to protect your home from water damage. No date shown (page copyright 2026). www.iii.org/article/how-to-protect-your-home-from-water-damage
  7. IICRC, ANSI/IICRC S500 Consensus Body Issues Position Statement on Category of Water Damage and Weather-Related Events (press release). March 16, 2026. iicrc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Weather-Related-Water-Damage-Position-PR_March-2026.p…
  8. Salt Lake City Corporation, 2023 Salt Lake City Flooding Events. Event of April 12, 2023. www.slc.gov/em/2023-salt-lake-city-flooding-events/
  9. NOAA NCEI, U.S. Monthly Climate Normals 1991-2020, Salt Lake City International Airport (station USW00024127), minimum temperature. 1991-2020 normals. www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00…
  10. American Red Cross, Preventing & Thawing Frozen Pipes. Copyright 2026. www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/winter-storm…
Call (801) 577-3288Free service. We'll connect you with a local restoration company. How it works