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Water still coming in? Shut off the main valve first. First-hour checklist
Cost guide

Burst Pipe Repair Cost (2026)

Fixing a burst pipe costs $90⁠–⁠$650 for the plumber. The water is usually the bigger bill: cleaning up one 200 sq ft room runs $1,150⁠–⁠$2,750 when you catch it the same day and it can be dried in place, and $3,950⁠–⁠$8,300 when it’s found days later, because the wet carpet and drywall have to be torn out and replaced.

By Erik Leavell, Editor Updated Oct 2026 · 15 sources
Water spraying from a split copper pipe inside an opened wall onto a wet floor
Water damage, one room 200 sq ft, caught the same day

$1,150–$2,750

Drying and tear-out$1,150–$2,750
Repairs after dryingNone expected

Clean water caught early is dried in place. Add the plumber’s fix, $90⁠–⁠$650, and $350⁠–⁠$660 if a wall was opened to reach the pipe.

Estimate your cost Check a quote Built from 10 published price sheets, trade wages and store prices.

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A 12 by 12 ft room is 144 sq ft.
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$1,150–$2,750

Drying, tear-out and repairs. National prices. Add your ZIP for local ones.

Drying and tear-out$1,150–$2,7503–4 days, right away
Repairs after dryingNone expectedNothing is torn out
See the line items
Estimate by line item
Drying and tear-out
Emergency service call1 visit$118–$279
Water extraction200 sq ft$68–$130
Air movers12–16 unit-days$308–$580
Dehumidifiers3–4 unit-days$305–$664
Technician: setup, daily checks, pickup8–9 hours$396–$626
Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10%$0–$456
Drying and tear-out3–4 days of drying$1,150–$2,750
Repairs after drying
No repairs expectedNothing is torn out$0
TotalDrying, tear-out and repairs$1,150–$2,750

Drying and tear-out (mitigation) for a home, then the repairs after drying: drywall, paint, baseboard, flooring and base cabinets. Drying low end: lower-quartile rates from 10 published price sheets; high end: upper-quartile rates and a day more drying. Repairs are built from published labor hours, local trade wages and store prices for materials, and checked against public price sheets. Both high ends add overhead and profit. Totals are rounded out to the nearest $50, so line items may not add up exactly. How we built it

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Cost factors

What drives the cost

How fast the water is found matters more than anything the plumber does.

  • How fast it’s found

    Water from a supply pipe starts clean. Our calculator treats it as gray once it has sat more than 48 hours: another day of drying, and wet carpet and drywall come out and have to be replaced. The same room goes from $1,150⁠–⁠$2,750 to $3,950⁠–⁠$8,300.

  • Where the pipe is

    Under a sink or in an unfinished basement, the plumber can just reach it. Inside a wall or ceiling, someone has to cut it open and patch it afterward: about $350⁠–⁠$660 for a small opening and a repainted wall.

  • When the plumber comes

    On 12 public plumbing bids and contracts, a plumber’s regular rate runs $88⁠–⁠$155 an hour (middle half, adjusted to national labor costs) and $120⁠–⁠$232 after hours. A night or weekend call can cost more than the fix.

  • How far it spread

    Drying and repairs are priced mostly by the square foot, though some costs, like the service call, don’t grow with size. About two rooms (400 sq ft) found late runs $6,450⁠–⁠$13,700, against $3,950⁠–⁠$8,300 for one.

Clean water doesn’t stay clean

  1. Category 1 Clean water Burst supply line, clean sink overflow $$$Lowest cost
  2. Category 2 Gray water Washing machine, dishwasher, aquarium $$$Higher cost
  3. Category 3 Black water Sewage, sewer backflow, floodwater from outside $$$Highest cost
Water categories and classes explained
Where the money goes when it’s found late One 200 sq ft room, clean water found after 3 days · drying, tear-out and repairs · typical ranges
  • Water extractionPumping and vacuuming out the water $110–$150
  • Drying equipment Check the daily logAir movers and dehumidifiers, billed per day $820–$1,560
  • Technician timeEmergency call, setup, daily moisture checks, pickup $560–$970
  • Tear-outWet carpet and pad, drywall cut 2 ft up $290–$470
  • AntimicrobialApplied to wet materials $20–$50
  • Drywall and paintNew drywall along the cut, primed, walls repainted $760–$1,380
  • New flooringCarpet and pad, or vinyl plank $720–$1,240
  • BaseboardInstalled and painted $300–$560
  • Trips and setupTravel and setup for each trade $380–$520
  • Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10% $0–$1,380
Total, one room found late$3,950–$8,300
By case

Cost by case

Each range is the calculator’s answer for a typical case at national prices, except the plumber and the patch, which are separate bills.

  • The plumber’s fixCutting out the split and joining in new pipe $90–$650
  • Patching an opened wallAbout 8 sq ft of drywall, and the wall repainted $350–$660
  • Under a sink, caught the same day100 sq ft, hard floor and drywall, dried in place $950–$2,300
  • One room, caught the same day200 sq ft, carpet and drywall, dried in place $1,150–$2,750
  • One room, found days laterTreated as gray water: carpet and drywall come out $3,950–$8,300
  • About two rooms, found days later400 sq ft, carpet and drywall come out $6,450–$13,700
  • Leaked into the ceiling below100 sq ft of ceiling, caught the same day, dried and repainted $1,100–$2,700
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What you get back

A fair quote shows

  • The plumber’s repair billed separately from drying
  • Clean water named as Category 1, if it was caught early
  • Drying equipment by the day, backed by a daily moisture log
  • Any drywall cut for the plumber, by the square foot

Red flags

  • Sewage-grade (Category 3) charges for a clean supply line caught early
  • Carpet and drywall torn out on a same-day clean-water job, with no reason written down
  • Pressure to sign before your insurer has seen the damage
See the full price list
Insurance

Will insurance pay?

Usually, for the water damage from a pipe that burst suddenly. The pipe itself usually isn’t covered, and a pipe that froze in a house left without heat may not be either.

Usually covered

  • Water damage from a sudden burst, including a frozen pipe in a heated home
  • Tearing out a wall or floor to reach the pipe
  • Reasonable costs to stop more damage, like drying (keep receipts)

Usually not covered

  • The broken pipe itself, under standard policy wording
  • Slow leaks and damage from poor upkeep
  • Freezing in a home left without heat, unless the water was shut off and drained

Your policy wording decides.Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?

First hour

Before the plumber arrives

  1. 1

    Shut off the main water valve

    It’s usually where the water line enters the house. Then open a faucet on the lowest floor so the water left in the pipes drains out there instead of through the break.

  2. 2Safety

    Keep clear of water near electrical

    If anything electrical is wet, turn off the power at the main breaker, but only if you can reach it without stepping into water. Otherwise, call an electrician.

  3. 3

    Photograph it, then move things

    Take photos before you move anything, then get furniture and boxes off the wet floor; your insurer can deny a claim if you don’t protect your property. Don’t throw out damaged things until the adjuster has seen them.

  4. 4

    Call your insurer, keep receipts

    An adjuster doesn’t need to see the water before you act. Make only temporary repairs, and keep receipts for anything you buy.

Full first-hour checklist
FAQ

Questions people ask

How much does a plumber charge to fix a burst pipe?

Usually $90⁠–⁠$650 at national prices. That’s one to two billed hours, a service call at the high end, and a coupling and a short piece of new pipe. Our range uses rates from 12 public plumbing bids and contracts: $88⁠–⁠$155 an hour on regular time and $120⁠–⁠$232 after hours. Replacing a long run of pipe, a slab leak or an outdoor line costs more.

Does homeowners insurance cover a burst pipe?

Usually, if it burst suddenly. Homeowners policies cover damage from a sudden and accidental discharge from a plumbing system, the NAIC says. Standard wording pays to tear out and replace the part of the house needed to reach the pipe, but not for the pipe itself. If your insurer decides you didn’t take steps to keep pipes from freezing, the damage may not be covered.

Can I dry it out myself?

A small spill on a hard floor, caught right away, often yes. The EPA says to dry wet areas within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold. Water that got inside walls, under flooring or into carpet pad is harder: you can’t see whether it’s dry, and drying companies check it with moisture meters.

Why do pipes burst when they freeze?

Ice blocks the pipe, and as it keeps growing it builds up pressure in the water trapped behind the blockage until the pipe splits, University of Illinois research found. Pipes in outside walls, attics, crawl spaces and unheated garages freeze first.

How do I keep pipes from freezing?

Keep the heat at 55°F or higher, even when no one is home, IBHS says. On very cold nights, let cold water drip from faucets fed by exposed pipes, and open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks so warm air reaches the plumbing, the Red Cross says.

What if the house was empty when it froze?

Read your policy’s freezing condition. Standard wording covers freezing only if you used reasonable care to keep the heat on, or shut off the water and drained the pipes. Many policies also limit coverage once a home has been vacant for a set time, often 30 to 60 days.

How we got these numbers

Drying prices come from 10 published price sheets. Repair prices are built from published labor hours, federal wage data for each trade and store prices for materials, then checked against public repair price sheets. Both are adjusted for labor costs near your ZIP. Ranges are national until you add one. The plumber’s fix comes from 12 public plumbing bids and contracts and store prices for parts; the hours are our assumption. Read the full methodology.

  1. Published restoration price sheets (state and county contracts, contractor price lists), RestoreCost. 10 published price sheets, collected Oct 2026.
  2. Public plumbing bids and contracts (2022–2026), RestoreCost. 12 public plumbing bids and contracts: hourly rates, service calls and parts markups. Collected Oct 2026.
  3. Seabee Planner’s and Estimator’s Handbook (NAVFAC P-405), U.S. Navy. Labor hours for repairs. 1996 edition.
  4. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trade wages by metro. Checked Oct 2026.
  5. Will my homeowners insurance policy cover water damage from a burst pipe?, NAIC. Feb 8, 2024.
  6. Homeowners 3 – Special Form (HO 00 03 10 00), sample policy, ISO, hosted by the Insurance Information Institute. 2000 edition; your policy’s wording may differ.
  7. When are water damage and mold covered by insurance?, Texas Department of Insurance. Updated Apr 24, 2025.
  8. Unexpected indoor waterfall? Home or renters insurance might help, Texas Department of Insurance. Jan 29, 2026.
  9. Surviving severe cold weather, Insurance Information Institute. Checked Oct 2026.
  10. When no one’s home: understanding the role of vacancy insurance, Insurance Information Institute. Jun 3, 2025.
  11. Preventing & Thawing Frozen Pipes, American Red Cross. Checked Oct 2026.
  12. Winter weather ready guide, IBHS. Nov 14, 2024.
  13. Pipe freezing study (Research Report 96-1), University of Illinois Building Research Council. J. R. Gordon, 1996.
  14. What to Do to Protect Yourself From Electrical Hazards, CDC. Aug 26, 2026.
  15. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, U.S. EPA. Updated Feb 18, 2026.