Everything on the house side of your gas meter is yours to maintain: the pipe to the furnace and water heater, the flex connector behind the range, the buried line out to the BBQ or pool heater. Target Plumbers finds and repairs leaks on that side of the meter, replaces corroded or undersized lines, and runs new gas lines for appliances, then pressure-tests the system before the gas comes back on.
| Where you live | Gas utility | Gas odor line |
|---|---|---|
| Most of Los Angeles and Orange County | SoCalGas | 1-800-427-2200 |
| Long Beach and Signal Hill | Long Beach Utilities | (562) 570-2140 |
| Anywhere, if you feel unsafe | — | 911 |
The utility owns and maintains the pipe from the street up to and including the meter. After the meter, the piping belongs to the property. In SoCalGas‘s words, owners and occupants are “responsible for maintaining all customer-owned gas lines on your side of the meter”, and SoCalGas recommends having buried lines inspected periodically for corrosion and leaks. Long Beach Utilities runs the gas system in Long Beach and Signal Hill on the same split.
That split decides who you call and who pays. A leak at the meter or in the street is the utility’s job. A leak in the line to your water heater, in a yard line to the pool heater, or in an appliance connector is a repair you arrange with a licensed plumber.
| What you notice | What it often points to | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Strong rotten-egg smell indoors | An active leak | Leave, then call the utility or 911 |
| Faint odor only near one appliance | Loose connector, fitting or valve at that appliance | Turn that appliance’s valve off and book a repair |
| Hissing near a gas pipe or meter | Gas escaping under pressure | Leave and call the utility |
| A strip of dead grass or bubbling puddles over a buried line | Leak in an underground yard line | Keep clear and book a leak search |
| Gas bill up with no change in use | A slow leak somewhere after the meter | Meter dial test (FAQ below), then book a leak search |
| Utility tagged the meter after a leak or earthquake | Gas off until the customer-side fault is fixed | Call us with what the utility found |
| Black iron pipe outdoors with flaking rust | Corrosion thinning the pipe wall | Book an inspection before it leaks |
Most indoor leaks sit at a threaded joint, an old shut-off valve or a cracked flexible connector behind a range, dryer or water heater. We replace the failed part, reseal the joint and retest that section.
Exterior black iron and older buried steel lines corrode from the outside in. When a line has rusted through in more than one place, we replace the run instead of patching it, sized for every appliance it feeds.
Lines to a BBQ, fire pit, pool or spa heater, detached garage or ADU are customer-owned, so the 811 marking service won’t paint them. We trace and locate them, expose the leak and repair or replace the buried section.
A gas range where there was electric, a gas dryer, a tankless water heater or an outdoor kitchen each needs a properly sized branch with its own shut-off valve. We check that the existing line can carry the added load before we connect anything.
You get the price for each option that makes sense, after the leak is found.
California law requires a call to 811 at least two working days before you dig, not counting the day you call, and the marking is free (Southern California Edison on 811). But 811 sends out the utilities to mark their own lines. The gas pipe from your meter to a BBQ, pool heater or back building is yours, and nobody marks it unless you have it located. Planning a patio, fence, pool or ADU? Have the customer-owned lines found first.
Replacing a whole yard or house gas line? Ask about 0% financing for up to 48 months, subject to approval.
Yes. In California, gas piping inside your property is plumbing work, and a licensed plumbing contractor can repair, replace and install it. The gas company only works on its own pipes up to and including the meter.
It depends on which side of the meter the problem is on. SoCalGas and Long Beach Utilities maintain their lines up to the meter; everything after the meter, including buried lines to a BBQ, pool heater or detached garage, belongs to the property owner.
A leaking fitting or appliance connector at an accessible spot is a small job. Replacing a buried yard line, or a run inside walls, costs more because of digging or access, the length of pipe, and the permit and pressure test. We quote after we have found the leak.
That depends on your policy and on the cause. Policies often treat sudden damage differently from wear and corrosion, and some insurers offer a separate service-line endorsement for buried lines. Ask your insurer; we can give you a written description of what failed.
It isn’t worth the risk. Gas fittings have to be the right type and properly sealed, and the system needs a pressure test before the gas goes back on. A mistake can leave a slow leak you can’t smell from another room.
New gas piping, rerouted lines and most line replacements need a plumbing permit and an inspection in Los Angeles and Orange County cities. We pull the permit and schedule the inspection as part of the job
If you smell gas strongly, leave and call the gas company first. For a suspected slow leak with no odor, turn off every gas appliance and watch the smallest dial on the meter; if it keeps moving, gas is flowing somewhere after the meter, and we can find where.
Yes. We check that your existing line can carry the extra load, run a new branch to the appliance with its own shut-off valve, and pressure-test it before the appliance is connected.
Your gas line visit is dispatched from whichever of these offices covers your city:
Describe what you’re noticing or what you want connected, and whether the utility has already been out. We’ll call back with a time. Strong gas smell? Leave first and call the gas company from outside.