Do this right away
- Get everyone outLeave the house with people and pets. If it’s quick and safe, leave the door open on your way out.
- Don’t create a sparkDon’t flip light switches, use appliances, light matches or start a car in an attached garage.
- Call from outsideOnce you’re a safe distance away, call SoCalGas at 1-800-427-2200 or 911.
- Stay outDon’t go back inside until the gas company or fire department says it’s safe.
Signs of a gas leak
- A rotten-egg or sulfur smell.
- A hissing or whistling sound near a gas line, the meter or an appliance.
- Dead or dying plants along a buried gas line.
- Bubbles in standing water near a gas line.
Should I turn off the gas at the meter?
Only if you smell gas, hear it escaping or see damage, and only if you can do it safely on your way out. It takes a wrench to turn the valve a quarter turn. Once it’s off, SoCalGas needs to turn it back on and relight your appliances.
What happens next
SoCalGas will check for the leak and make the area safe. If the leak is on your side of the meter, in your home’s gas lines or appliances, a licensed plumber repairs it, and the line is pressure-tested before the gas goes back on.
Preventing gas leaks
- Replace old flexible gas connectors on stoves, dryers and water heaters.
- Have new gas lines and appliance hookups done by a licensed plumber.
- Consider an earthquake shutoff valve at your gas meter.
- Install carbon monoxide alarms, which California requires in homes with gas appliances.