First steps after a leak or flood in Burbank
Census, FEMA and NOAA figures for the Burbank area, and what to do with them.
FEMA's National Risk Index expects inland flooding to cost about $208 a year for every $100,000 of building value in Burbank's ZIP codes.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Written estimate before work starts
- Water removal, drying and repair
What happens when you call
Call (833) 728-2327
Say what is wet, where the water came from and whether it is still running. The call is answered any hour.
Stop the source
If water is still coming in, you are walked through the shutoff valve or the breaker first.
Inspection and written estimate
The crew checks the water category, measures moisture in walls and floors, photographs the damage and writes the estimate before work starts.
Written for homeowners in the Burbank area.
In Burbank, 35% of homes were built before 1950, when walls were often finished in plaster rather than drywall.
What matters most in Burbank
In Burbank, 73% of homes were built before 1980 and 35% before 1950, so the first move after a leak is finding a shutoff valve that may be decades old. Turn the main valve clockwise until the flow stops. If it is stiff or seized, close the small valve under the sink, toilet or water heater instead.
Next, switch off the breakers for any room with standing water or wet outlets, and stay out of water that touches cords or appliances. Then take photos and short videos of the source, the water line on the walls and every damaged item before anything moves. Lift furniture onto blocks or foil, carry rugs and boxes to a dry room, and get papers and electronics off the floor.
Census figures show 57% of Burbank homes are rented and 40% sit in buildings with 5 or more units. If you rent, tell the landlord or building manager right away, because water from one unit often runs into the unit below.
Drywall pulls water upward like a wick, and subfloors soak it in from the edges, so the EPA advises drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours to limit mold. Once the water is off and the photos are taken, phone the 911 Water Damage Fix line, which answers 24/7. The restoration crew begins with water removal, then sets drying equipment and checks moisture inside the walls of homes across the Burbank area.
The first-hour checklist
Do these in order, and only what is safe to do.
- Shut off the water at the main valve or the fixture valve.
- Turn off power to wet rooms at the breaker if you can reach it without stepping in water.
- Photograph every wet room, the source and the water line.
- Lift furniture off wet carpet and move papers, photos and electronics to a dry room.
- Call (833) 728-2327 for extraction and drying, and tell your insurer.
- Keep people and pets away from sewage or floodwater.
Burbank figures worth knowing
Calls for the Burbank area come from 142 ZIP codes; the figures below are the city's own.
40% of homes in Burbank are in buildings with five or more units.
57% of homes in Burbank are rented, against 54% across Los Angeles County. If you rent, tell your landlord or property manager about the leak right away.
- 208 Yearly inland flood loss per $100,000 of building valueLos Angeles County: 164
- 46,301 Housing units
- 105,165 Residents
- 35% Homes built before 1950Los Angeles County: 24%
- 40% Homes in buildings with 5 or more unitsLos Angeles County: 36%
- 57% Homes that are rentedLos Angeles County: 54%
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates; FEMA OpenFEMA, FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, claims from 2016 to 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Residential Penetration Rates v1 (not endorsed by FEMA); FEMA National Risk Index v1.20, December 2025 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, nearest weather station; FEMA OpenFEMA, Disaster Declarations Summaries v2 (not endorsed by FEMA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 2016 to 2025.
Local notes for Burbank
Burbank's housing is older than California's as a whole: 73% of homes predate 1980, against 57% statewide. In houses that age, the main shutoff is often in a box near the street or where the line enters the crawlspace, and it may be a gate valve that sticks. Find it and test it before you need it. Older homes may also still have rubber supply hoses and galvanized pipe that fails at the joints, so the restoration crew will check those first after a leak.
With 40% of homes in buildings of 5 or more units, a leak here is often someone else's leak. Tell the building manager, knock on the unit above, and photograph the ceiling stain before it grows. Ceiling water damage repair usually waits until the source is found and the cavity inside is dry.
Freezing is rare. NOAA's climate normals show about 1 night a year at or below 32 degrees, so pipes in exterior walls are a smaller worry here than old fittings. Rain is the bigger outside threat. Burbank averages 5 days a year with an inch of rain or more. FEMA's National Risk Index puts its yearly inland flood loss at 208 per $100,000 of building value, above the county's 164.
Storm water that enters from outside counts as a flood, which standard homeowners policies usually exclude. Only 0.5% of Los Angeles County homes carry federal flood insurance, so read your own policy before flood damage restoration begins.
Mistakes to avoid after a leak
Do not walk into standing water near outlets, extension cords or appliances that are still plugged in. Do not turn on ceiling lights or fans under a wet or sagging ceiling, and keep people out from under it. Do not use a household vacuum on standing water. Do not crank the heat to dry the house: warm, wet air spreads moisture into dry rooms and helps mold start. Do not throw out damaged carpet, furniture or boxes before they are photographed and listed. And do not paint over a stain or close up a wet wall; it has to be measured dry first. Carpet soaked by clean water can often be saved by wet carpet drying if extraction starts early.
What Burbank callers ask first
Should I run fans to dry water damage myself in Burbank?
Is it safe to turn the power back on after water damage?
Where is the main water shutoff in a Burbank house?
How long can water sit before mold starts in a Burbank home?
Can I stay in my Burbank home during water damage drying?
More Burbank guides
water damage cost guide around Burbank
Price ranges, cost drivers and estimate checks for Burbank homes.
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Which kinds of water damage insurance usually pays for in Burbank, and how to document a claim.
guide to flood and storm water risk for Burbank
Flood risk, flood insurance claims and storm water in Burbank, from FEMA and NOAA figures.
guide to burst and frozen pipes for Burbank
Why pipes burst in Burbank homes, what freezing nights and older plumbing mean, and what to do first.
One call for water damage in Burbank
Any hour, any day. Nothing starts until you approve a written estimate.