Water Damage Restoration in Memphis, TN: Start Here
MLGW's emergency line, 901-528-4465, says it will turn off the water for a burst pipe or water heater leak inside your Memphis home that threatens to flood the building.
Who to Call First in MemphisMemphis Water Damage: First Steps and Local Contacts
If water is coming into a Memphis home right now, the first call depends on the source. For a burst pipe or water heater leak inside the house that threatens to flood the building, MLGW's emergency line is 901-528-4465, and MLGW says it will turn off the water supply. A sewer backup goes to City Public Works. To sort out every case, see who to call first in Memphis.
| Situation | Who handles it | Phone | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burst pipe or water heater leak inside your home | MLGW emergency hotline | 901-528-4465 | Checked: September 2026 |
| Billing and service connections (not an emergency line) | MLGW Residential Customer Care, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. | 901-544-6549 | Checked: September 2026 |
| Sewer backup | City of Memphis Public Works, weekdays | 901-636-6762 | Checked: September 2026 |
| City service requests with a live agent | Memphis 311 | 901-636-6500 | Checked: September 2026 |
| Questions about river or creek floodplains and NFIP participation | Division of Engineering, Civil Design Bureau | 901-636-6700 | Checked: September 2026 |
| Trouble with an insurance company | Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) | 615-741-2218 or 800-342-4029 | Checked: September 2026 |
Numbers that get mixed up: 901-544-6549 is MLGW billing and connections, not an emergency line. In Bartlett, 901-385-5570 is general Public Works, not the water line. In Collierville, 901-457-2240 is utility billing, not a water emergency line.
Once the water is stopped, the rest of this guide helps you think through insurance, drying, cost and choosing a local provider. Read what applies to your house and skip the rest.
What This Guide Is and Is Not
This is an independent consumer guide for homeowners dealing with water damage in Memphis. It works as a referral service that helps you find a local water damage restoration provider. It is not a contractor, and it does not do the work itself. The pages explain who to contact, what agencies say and what to ask before you hire.
- It explains which utility or city office handles which kind of water problem.
- It summarizes what official sources say about mold timing, insurance claim rules and contractor licensing in Tennessee.
- It does not quote prices for restoration work; the cost guide explains how to read national consumer figures.
- It points to official pages for the numbers, rules and dates it quotes, so you can read the source yourself.
- It does not replace your insurer, an attorney or a trade professional's inspection of your house.
When you are ready to talk to a provider, ask for one that serves your address and confirm what they cover before any work begins. Available providers differ, and the guide names none of them.
This guide is general information, not legal or insurance advice. Your policy wording and the facts of your loss decide what applies to you.
The Main Ways Water Gets Into Memphis Homes
Water damage in a Memphis home can start from one of a few sources: a failed pipe or water heater, a leak through the ceiling, a sewer or drain backup, or outside flooding. Each has a different first contact and a different insurance question.
| Source | First contact | Where to read next | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burst pipe or water heater leak inside the home | MLGW, 901-528-4465 | Burst pipe guide for Memphis | Checked: September 2026 |
| Water coming through a ceiling | Depends on the source above it | Ceiling water damage guide for Memphis | Checked: September 2026 |
| Sewer backup | City Public Works, 901-636-6762 | Who to call first in Memphis | Checked: September 2026 |
| Blocked storm drain near the house | Drain Maintenance, 901-357-0100 | Who to call first in Memphis | Checked: September 2026 |
| River or creek floodplain and NFIP participation questions | Civil Design Bureau, 901-636-6700 | Who to call first in Memphis | Checked: September 2026 |
- For a pipe that failed, read the burst pipe water damage guide for Memphis, which covers MLGW, the water service line and freeze dates.
- For water on a ceiling, read the ceiling water damage guide, which covers safety, sources and documenting the damage.
- For water that is already gone but left damp materials behind, read the mold after water damage guide for Memphis.
Each source raises a different insurance question, and your insurer answers them from your policy, not from this guide.
- A failed pipe raises the question of sudden and accidental discharge.
- A ceiling leak raises the question of where the water started.
- A sewer backup raises the question of whether an endorsement covers it.
- Outside flooding raises the question of whether you hold a separate flood policy.
Sewage and floodwater can carry contamination, and the Red Cross warns that floodwater may contain sewage. As general safety advice, keep children and pets away and do not touch damaged electrical equipment.
The City of Memphis describes more than 3,000 miles of sewers and about 100 sewer lift stations under its care, and says Public Works is responsible for streets, sanitary sewers, storm drains, bridges and flood control. Ask Public Works who is responsible for the pipe where your backup starts before you pay for repairs.
The First Steps at Home
A water problem starts with safety and the source of the water, not with cleanup. Use the checklist below as a general guide, and follow any instruction from MLGW, the city, your insurer or emergency responders over anything written here. It does not replace professional advice for your house.
- Keep people and pets away from water near electrical outlets, appliances or fixtures, and away from any ceiling that sags or bulges. Call 911 for immediate danger such as a gas smell or suspected electrocution.
- The Red Cross advises leaving immediately if you smell gas or hear hissing, and calling the fire department after you reach safety.
- Use your home's main shut-off valve if you can reach it safely. Do not force a valve you cannot operate; seek qualified help.
- Take photos and video of the source, the water and the damaged belongings before cleanup, where it is safe. TDCI and the Red Cross both recommend documenting damage.
- Tell your insurer promptly and keep receipts for anything you spend on temporary protection. TDCI advises temporary protective repairs first and inspection before permanent repairs where possible.
- Avoid contact with sewage or floodwater, which can carry contamination.
Do not assume that water is clean because it came from a pipe. Water that has passed through drains, or that comes from outside, can be contaminated. Ask a professional to assess it.
Rivers, Creeks, Freezes and the Memphis Calendar
Memphis has two seasons that matter for water damage: river and creek high water, and winter freezes. The city says flood events and elevated flood stages have historically occurred from November through May each year. The National Weather Service lists the average first freeze at Memphis as November 12 and the average last as March 18.
- The city's regulatory floodplain comes from Nonconnah Creek, the Wolf and Loosahatchie Rivers and backwater from the Mississippi River.
- The city's flood control system includes about 20 miles of earthen levee, 2 miles of concrete floodwall with 30 gate closures, 643 acres of reservoir and 7 flood control pumping stations.
- Memphis has taken part in the National Flood Insurance Program since December 1, 1982. The city's engineering division page has the details.
- The National Weather Service defines a freeze date as the date the minimum temperature reached 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Its frost and freeze page shows records through 2020.
These are averages and historical patterns, not forecasts. A freeze can arrive earlier or later than the average date, and high water depends on the year. Use the dates to decide when to check your plumbing and your flood coverage, not to predict a specific event.
If you are unsure whether your house sits in a mapped flood hazard area, start with the FEMA flood maps and then ask the city. Inside Memphis, the Civil Design Bureau at 901-636-6700 takes questions about the city's involvement in the flood insurance program. A flood policy has a waiting period, so the time to ask is before high water, not during it.
- Check where your house sits on the FEMA flood maps page.
- Ask your insurance agent whether your current policy covers flood, sewer or drain backup, and water from plumbing.
- Locate your main shut-off valve and make sure everyone in the household knows about it.
Insurance Basics for Memphis Homeowners
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude flood, and many exclude sewer or drain backup unless an endorsement adds it. Sudden and accidental water discharge from plumbing is often covered, but your policy controls. Flood coverage usually comes from a separate policy, such as one through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
- FEMA lists NFIP limits of up to $250,000 for the building and up to $100,000 for contents on one-to-four-unit homes, with a 30-day waiting period.
- Under Tennessee rule 0780-01-05-.08, within 60 days after properly completed and executed proofs of loss, an insurer must accept or deny liability or notify you that more investigation is needed. If the investigation stays incomplete, it sends letters with reasons 60 days after that notice and every 60 days thereafter. Payment is due within 30 days after the insurer affirms liability, if the amount is determined and not in dispute. The rule text is public.
- A Tennessee public adjuster's fee is capped at 15% of settlement proceeds if the contract precedes the insurer's offer; after an offer, it is capped at 25% of the increase over the insurer's last offer before the contract.
- The Tennessee water damage insurance claim guide walks through the claim process step by step.
If you rent, tell your landlord in writing right away. A renters policy covers your belongings, not the building.
Vetting a Restoration Provider in Memphis
A restoration provider deals with water removal, drying and cleanup, and some also handle repairs. Before you agree to work, ask for proof of insurance and any trade license the job requires, and get the scope and price in writing. What a job costs turns on the water category, how much area is affected and which materials are involved.
- For a prime contractor, Tennessee requires a contractor license on projects costing $25,000 or more; ask the provider which license your job needs.
- In Shelby County, a home improvement license is required for residential remodeling projects costing $3,000–$24,999, according to the state home improvement license page.
- Ask which parts of the job the company does itself and which it hires out.
- Ask what the written scope covers and what would change the price.
- Ask which water category the company is treating and why.
- Ask what the company found and what it could not check.
- Do not sign an assignment of benefits or a public adjuster contract until you have read the fee, scope, cancellation and payment terms.
Water from a broken supply line is generally clean at first, while used water from drains and sewage are treated as contaminated. Providers describe this to you as the water category, and it affects the work involved.
National consumer cost guides exist, and the Memphis cost guide explains how to read them and what to ask for in an estimate.
Beyond City Limits: Suburbs, County and Permits
Bartlett, Collierville and Germantown are in Shelby County, Tennessee. For municipal water or sewer problems in Bartlett, Collierville or Germantown, use that municipality's contacts. Olive Branch is in DeSoto County, Mississippi, where different insurance and contractor rules apply. The who-to-call page lists the contact for each place.
- Inside Memphis city limits, any development inside the regulatory floodplain requires a Floodplain Development Permit, applied for through the Develop901 portal.
- In unincorporated Shelby County, the County Engineer takes flood map questions at 901-545-4320; in Bartlett, Collierville or Germantown, use that municipality's contacts.
- Shelby County Permits & Codes, part of the Division of Planning and Development, is at 901-222-8300.
- Olive Branch, Mississippi: Public Works is 662-893-5208. Mississippi caps public adjuster fees at 10 percent (Mississippi Code section 83-17-523, as amended by HB 1174, effective July 1, 2025), and Mississippi requires a remodeler license for residential improvement work above $10,000; a residential builder license applies to new residential construction above $50,000. The Mississippi Insurance Department's consumer line is 601-359-2453 or 800-562-2957.
- Ask the permitting office for your address before you start electrical, plumbing or structural repairs.
The suburbs sit on different waterways. Bartlett's storm water program describes a northern watershed flowing to the Loosahatchie River and a southern one flowing to the Wolf River, with Howard, Raner, Buckhead, Oliver and Harrington Creeks among its waterways. Germantown's flood control programs focus on the Wolf River and Nonconnah Creek. Collierville's flood maps were issued effective February 6, 2013, with a revision for Nonconnah Creek effective March 3, 2017.
City limits are the first test. Inside the city, ask the City of Memphis; outside it, ask the county office for your address.
If That Did Not Work
If the first call does not solve your problem, you have three exits: try again with clearer details, use a different route, or contact the agency that oversees the party holding things up. This guide cannot say how long any office will take to respond, so it does not try.
- Try again: call the same office again and say plainly whether water is still running and whether it is inside the building.
- Another route: for a city sewer or drain issue, switch between Public Works at 901-636-6762 and Memphis 311 at 901-636-6500. For a leak inside the home, MLGW is at 901-528-4465.
- Who to contact: if your insurer is the obstacle, TDCI takes policy questions at 615-741-2218 or 800-342-4029. See its complaint page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this guide connect me with a provider?
What is the difference between a restoration provider and my insurance adjuster?
When is flood season in Memphis?
Do repairs after water damage need a permit in Memphis?
What should I have ready before I talk to a provider?
Is this guide legal or insurance advice?
Water in your home right now?
See who to call first in Memphis, how to reach your water provider, and how to check your flood zone.
Who to Call First in Memphis