Job · Finding the main shutoff
Your main shutoff: finding it and who owns what
Find and label your main shutoff before there is a leak, and leave the meter and curb stop alone: those are for the utility, not you.
Revised November 3, 2026 · who makes this map
| Place | What happens there | Turn to |
|---|---|---|
| DC | DC Water maintains service lines in public space up to the property line or an approved projection. For a water emergency, DC Water's line is 202-612-3400. We could not confirm who owns the meter. | Sheet 1 |
| Arlington | The county maintains the service line from main to meter. The owner has meter to building, plus the interior, including the cost of leaked water. | Sheet 6 |
| Alexandria | Virginia American Water owns the main out to the curb stop, and its page puts the customer's side from the property line to the building. | Sheet 8 |
| Fairfax County | Fairfax Water owns everything up to and including the meter. The owner has the pipe after the meter, or after the curb stop where the meter is inside. | Sheet 12 |
| Town of Vienna | Vienna operates its own water system, and its owner agreement has the owner maintaining water from the end of the meter yoke to the house. | Sheet 14 |
| Herndon and Falls Church | Herndon buys water from Fairfax Water and puts meter to building on the owner. In Falls Church, Fairfax Water owns the city's mains and service lines; the owner's boundary is unconfirmed. | Sheet 15 |
What this page is about
It is about identifying one thing: where your water enters and which valve is your main shutoff. It is not about working on the valve or the meter. Do not operate, repair or replace anything at the street or on the utility side. Leave the curb stop and the meter alone, whoever owns them at your address.
Why the owner needs to know
The main shutoff is the point that separates the house from the utility's pipe in an emergency. In a burst or a flood, someone in the household needs to know where it is. A licensed plumber can show you in a few minutes, and can tell you if it is stuck or leaking.
Knowing it also helps with every other question on this map. Who pays for a leak depends on which side of the meter or property line it is on. See who owns which pipe for the full table.
Where the line crosses from them to you
Ownership is not the same in every place.
In DC, DC Water's responsibility ends at the property line or approved projection in public space. In Arlington, the county's pipe ends at the meter, and a leak after it, including the water lost, is the owner's cost. In Fairfax County, Fairfax Water's pipe runs through the meter. In Falls Church, Fairfax Water owns the mains and service lines, and we could not confirm where the owner's share starts. In Alexandria, the main and service pipe to the curb stop belong to Virginia American Water. In Vienna and Herndon, the owner's pipe starts at or after the meter.
Where a source says meter or curb stop, it means the utility's equipment. Do not tamper with it, and do not assume a box in your yard is yours.
What to do inside the house
Look for the valve where the water line enters the building. Many homes have it in a basement, a utility room or near the water heater, but yours may differ, and apartments and condominiums can be different again. Write down the location and put a tag on it. Show everyone in the house.
If you cannot find it, or it will not move, do not force it. Call a licensed plumber. A seized valve is one a plumber may replace, and that is not a household job.
If a plumber replaces a seized main valve, this is one type they may fit: ball valves at PlumbingSupplyAndMore (that store has the same owners as this map).
In an emergency
In DC, a water emergency goes to DC Water on 202-612-3400. For a gas smell, leave first: use no switches and no phone inside, call 911 from outside, then Washington Gas on 844-927-4427. Water and gas are different systems; do not go looking for a water valve if you smell gas.
If a backup is the problem and not a leak, read basement backups. If the leaked water is lead-related or the service line is old, see lead service lines.
Electrical note
With water near outlets or the panel, keep out and phone an electrician or 911 from a safe spot. Beyond that, call a licensed professional.
Check your own address
- Find your water bill or tax record to confirm which utility serves you; a mailing address in Alexandria or Falls Church can sit in Fairfax County.
- Walk the house and find where the water line enters; photograph the valve and write its location on the inside of a cabinet door.
- Ask your utility, by name, where its equipment ends and yours begins at your address.
- In Arlington, ask the county for the water service line inventory entry if you want to know what is on the county side.
- Ask a licensed plumber to look at the valve once; do not try to test it yourself.
Survey notes: sources for this page
- DC Water design manual, linear infrastructure. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; not opened.
- DC Water, sewer backup. Opened November 3, 2026.
- Arlington County, water service line inventory. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
- Virginia American Water, rights and responsibilities. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; not opened.
- Fairfax Water, meter shop. Known to us only from a search listing of the page; the site would not open for us.
- Town of Vienna, water and sewer agreement. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; not opened.
- Town of Herndon, water and sewer. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; not opened.
- City of Falls Church, licenses and permits. Known to us only from a search listing of the page.; not opened.
- Washington Gas, natural gas safety. Opened November 3, 2026.