Water is coming through the ceiling or across the floor
When a pipe lets go, the instinct is to grab towels or start searching for a plumber's number. Both can wait a few minutes. The single most useful thing you can do is stop the flow of water at your own shutoff valve, because every minute the water runs adds to the damage and to the next bill. In Pickens County that bill comes from either the City of Jasper or the Pickens County Water & Sewer Authority, and the county's rate sheet is explicit that the authority is not responsible for water loss on the customer's side of the meter.
This checklist is written for that first hour. It does not ask you to make any repairs, and it assumes you will hire a licensed plumber for anything beyond closing valves. Where it cites a fee or a rule, the source is a public document from the city, the county or the State of Georgia, linked at the bottom of the page.
If you smell gas, leave the house and call 911 or the gas utility from outside. That is not a plumbing emergency to manage yourself, and nothing on this page replaces emergency services.
Step one: close your own shutoff, not the utility's
Most homes have a main shutoff where the water line enters the house, often in a basement or crawl space wall, near the water heater, or in a small box between the meter and the foundation. Turn it clockwise until it stops. If you have a well, switching off the pump at its breaker stops the pressure as well. Then open a faucet at the lowest point of the house to drain the lines.
Try not to operate the meter valve itself. The meter belongs to the utility, and the Pickens County rate sheet sets an illegal connection fee of a minimum of $250 and up to $1000, with possible legal action, for any customer who illegally turns water on. Turning water back on at a meter that the utility has locked off is exactly the kind of act that fee targets. If your private valve is broken or missing, that is the first thing to ask a plumber to fix.
If water is escaping on the street side of the meter, in the meter box, or from a main in the road, it is the utility's problem. Use the numbers in the table below. They belong to the city and the county, not to this site.
| Office | Purpose stated by the source | Number | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Jasper Water Treatment Plant | After-hours service | 706-692-9102 | City of Jasper Water & Sanitation page |
| City of Jasper Water and Sewer Maintenance Department | Maintenance department | 706-692-9101 | City of Jasper Water & Sanitation page |
| Jasper City Hall, Water Department | Office, Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm | 706-692-9100 | City of Jasper Water & Sanitation page |
| Pickens County Water & Sewer Authority | Emergency after hours | 706-669-3538 | Pickens County Water Rate Sheet |
Step two: power, people and photos
Water and electricity together are the real hazard in the first hour. If water has reached outlets, a breaker panel, a furnace or an electric water heater, keep everyone out of that area and switch the affected circuits off at the panel only if you can reach it without standing in water. A water heater that has lost its water supply should have its power or gas control turned off so it does not heat an empty or draining tank.
Then take photos and short videos before you move anything: the source of the leak, the water level, damaged walls and belongings, and the water meter dial if you can see it safely. If you later ask the county water authority for a leak adjustment under its Policy #8, you will need to show that consumption above your average was caused by a leak or a service line break. Repair receipts and photos are the natural evidence. The Pickens County leak adjustment page explains the thresholds.
If the house is on a City of Jasper account, there is no published leak adjustment policy on the city's water pages, so ask City Hall directly at the office number above once the water is stopped.
Water still moving? Close your own shutoff valve first, then send a Free Quote Request.
Free Quote RequestStep three: decide whose repair it is
A simple rule covers most cases. Anything from the meter to the house, and everything inside the house, is the owner's responsibility and calls for a licensed plumber. Anything at the meter or on the street side belongs to the utility. Sewer backups follow similar logic: a blockage in your own building sewer is a private repair, while an overflowing manhole in the street is a city problem for homes on City of Jasper sewer. Homes on septic systems are entirely private, and the Jasper sewer backup and septic guide covers that case.
Frozen and burst pipes are the most common winter emergency in the mountains, and the burst pipe guide for Jasper covers how to thaw lines safely and what to look for once the water is back on.
Step four: know what the repair will need from the permit office
Emergency repairs still fall under the building codes. Inside the city, Article IV of the Jasper code requires a permit before anyone installs, repairs or replaces a plumbing system covered by the technical codes, with ordinary minor repairs allowed without a permit only with the building official's approval. The city's fee table lists a re-inspection fee of $50.00 and charges 200% of the calculated fee when work starts without a permit.
In unincorporated Pickens County, Planning & Development handles permits in person at 1266 East Church Street, Suite 136, and schedules inspections at 706-253-8850. Its fee schedule doubles permit fees when no permit was obtained. A replacement water heater is the most common emergency job that needs a permit, covered in the Jasper water heater replacement guide.
Step five: if the water was shut off for nonpayment
Sometimes a leak shows up only after a large bill goes unpaid and service is cut. The City of Jasper's Ordinance 2025-17 sets a reconnection fee of $50.00, reconnects only Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., and will not restore service at night or on weekends. If you pay online, the ordinance says it is your responsibility to call City Hall for reconnection.
The county authority disconnects on the third Tuesday of each month and restores service the same day only if payment reaches its office by 5:00 pm. Both schedules are laid out side by side in the shutoff and reconnection rules. Once the water is stopped and the area is safe, the Free Quote Request on this page passes your details to an independent local plumber who serves Pickens County.
Where these facts come from: City of Jasper: Water & Sanitation department page (contacts, forms, reconnection notice); City of Jasper: Water and Sanitation Service Rates (payments, fees, after-hours numbers); Pickens County Water & Sewer Authority: Water Rates & Meter Fees, effective January 1, 2024 (Water Rate Sheet, PDF); Pickens County Water and Sewer Authority: Policy #8, Leak Adjustments (amended February 20, 2023, PDF); City of Jasper: Article IV, Building Permits and Certificates (PDF); City of Jasper: Building Department (2026 codes, permit fees, inspections); Pickens County, GA: Planning & Development (permits, inspections, affidavits); Pickens County Planning and Development Fee Schedule, effective 12/01/2020 (Master Fee Schedule, PDF); City of Jasper Ordinance 2025-17: utility billing, disconnection and reconnection (Chapter 82, Sec. 82-1 to 82-3) (PDF). Checked 2026-10-26.
Describe the problem once. Independent plumbers who work in Pickens County can follow up.
Free Quote RequestQuestions Pickens County homeowners ask
Can I turn the water back on at the meter myself?
The meter belongs to the utility. Pickens County charges an illegal connection fee of a minimum of $250 and up to $1000 to customers who illegally turn water on, so use your own shutoff valve instead.
What is the after-hours number for City of Jasper water?
The City of Jasper lists 706-692-9102 for water treatment plant after-hours service on its Water & Sanitation page.
Does an emergency repair need a permit in Jasper?
The City of Jasper requires a permit for installing, repairing or replacing regulated plumbing systems, and allows ordinary minor repairs without a permit only with the building official's approval.