Smell Gas? What to Do First — and When to Call a Plumber

If You Smell Gas Right Now, Stop Reading

1. Leave immediately. Get everyone and any pets out and move upwind, away from the building.
2. Do not touch anything electrical on your way out — no light switches, no garage door opener, no appliances, no phone, no flashlight. Do not start a vehicle parked nearby.
3. From a safe distance, call 9-1-1.
4. Then call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. They respond 24 hours a day and there is no charge to report a leak.
5. Do not go back inside until PG&E or emergency responders tell you it is safe.

Once the emergency is handled, a question comes up that almost nobody knows the answer to in advance: PG&E just shut off my gas and told me to call a plumber — why isn’t this their job?

The answer comes down to a single point on your property, and understanding it before you need to will save you time and confusion. Here is how gas line responsibility works in Contra Costa County.

The Meter Is the Dividing Line

Everything about who fixes what turns on your gas meter.

PG&E owns and maintains the gas line from the street main up to and including the meter. If the leak is on their side, they repair it, and you are not billed for it.

You own everything downstream of the meter outlet. That means all the piping inside your walls, under your floors, and in your attic — plus every buried line running to a detached structure. PG&E will shut that gas off to make it safe, but they will not repair it. That work requires a licensed plumbing contractor.

Homeowners are routinely surprised by how much falls on their side. Customer-owned gas piping typically includes buried lines running to:

• A detached garage, workshop, or ADU
• A pool or spa heater
• An outdoor kitchen, built-in barbecue, or fire pit
• A standby generator
• A guest house or converted outbuilding

Those buried runs are the ones most likely to fail. They are older than people think, often installed during a remodel decades ago, and they sit in the same shifting clay soil that wrecks sewer laterals across the county.

What a Red Tag Means

When PG&E finds a leak on customer-owned piping, they shut off service at the meter and attach a tag — usually called a red tag. Your gas stays off, which means no heat, no hot water, no cooking, until the problem is fixed.

The sequence from there is consistent:

1. PG&E shuts off and locks the meter, documenting what they found.
2. You hire a licensed plumbing contractor to locate and repair the leak.
3. The repaired system is pressure tested to prove it holds — this is the step that actually clears the tag, not the repair itself.
4. Depending on scope, the local building department may need to permit and inspect the work.
5. PG&E returns to verify, restores service, and relights pilots.

Never attempt to turn your own gas back on after a shutoff. Relighting appliances with an unresolved leak, or without properly purging air from the lines, is how a bad situation becomes a fire. PG&E is explicit about this: wait for a qualified professional.

The practical takeaway is that the clock matters. Every day between the shutoff and the pressure test is a day without hot water. Getting a licensed plumber out quickly is the whole game.

Signs of a Gas Leak Beyond the Smell

Natural gas has no odor of its own. Utilities add mercaptan, the sulfur compound responsible for the rotten-egg smell, specifically so leaks can be detected. But PG&E cautions against relying on smell alone — some people have a reduced sense of smell, and a large outdoor leak can disperse before it reaches a nose.

Other indicators worth knowing:

• Hissing, whistling, or roaring near an appliance, a wall, or the ground
• Dead or dying vegetation in an otherwise healthy, watered area — a classic sign of an underground leak
• Dirt or dust blowing up from a spot in the ground with no wind to explain it
• Persistent bubbling in a puddle, pool, pond, or creek
• A gas bill that climbed with no change in usage or weather
• Yellow or orange burner flames instead of crisp blue, or soot around an appliance

That last one deserves emphasis for a different reason. Yellow flames and soot suggest incomplete combustion, which produces carbon monoxide — colorless, odorless, and deadly. A gas leak and a CO problem are different hazards requiring different responses, but both start with a call. California requires working CO alarms in homes with gas appliances, attached garages, or fireplaces. If yours are older than about seven years, replace them; the sensors expire.

Why Gas Lines Fail Here

• Soil movement. The expansive clay across Contra Costa County swells and shrinks seasonally, flexing buried pipe and stressing threaded joints.
• Corrosion. Buried steel pipe corrodes, particularly where a protective coating was nicked during installation or where the line passes through a slab.
• Excavation damage. Fence posts, deck footings, irrigation trenching, and landscaping projects strike buried gas lines constantly. Call 811 at least two working days before any digging — it is free and it is state law.
• Aging connections. Threaded fittings, flexible appliance connectors, and shutoff valves all have finite service lives. Older uncoated brass connectors on ranges and dryers are a known failure point.
• Seismic movement. Even minor events shift rigid pipe. An earthquake shutoff valve is worth considering in this region.

What a Licensed Plumber Actually Does

Gas work is not a category where a general handyman is appropriate. In California it requires a licensed contractor, it is permitted work, and the consequences of doing it wrong are severe.

Professional gas line leak detection and repair involves isolating sections of the system and pressure testing each to determine where the loss is, electronic gas detection to pinpoint the source, and line tracing to map buried runs before anything is excavated. Repairs range from replacing a single fitting or corroded section to running a new line entirely — and for buried lines, that can sometimes be routed to avoid tearing up hardscape.

Every repair ends the same way: a pressure test that documents the system holds, which is what PG&E needs to restore your service.

Preventing the Next One

• Have gas appliances and connections inspected periodically, especially in homes over 40 years old
• Replace flexible appliance connectors when you replace the appliance — they are inexpensive and they age out
• Call 811 before every digging project, without exception
• Keep the area around your meter clear and accessible
• Know where your main gas shutoff valve is, and keep a 12–15 inch adjustable wrench nearby
• Test CO alarms monthly and replace them on schedule
• If you have buried lines to a pool heater, ADU, or outbuilding, have them evaluated — they are the most commonly neglected piping on any property

One important caveat on that shutoff valve: PG&E advises turning off gas at the meter only if you smell gas, hear it escaping, see a broken line, or otherwise suspect a leak — and only if you can do it safely from outside. Shutting off gas unnecessarily means waiting for PG&E to restore it and relight every pilot in the house.

Gas Line Repair Across Contra Costa County

Service Pros Plumbers is licensed for natural gas work throughout Antioch, Concord, Walnut Creek, and the surrounding East Bay, with technicians available 24 hours. If PG&E has red-tagged your meter, we can get out, locate the problem, complete the repair, and run the pressure test that gets your gas turned back on.

Call (925) 753-5600 or request service online. CA License 979455.

Reminder: if you currently smell gas, do not call us first. Leave the building, call 9-1-1, then call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Call us once the area is safe and you need the repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does PG&E charge to check for a gas leak?

No. PG&E responds to reported gas odors 24 hours a day at no cost. They will locate the source and determine whether it is on their side of the meter or yours. If it is on their side, they repair it. If it is on yours, they shut off service and you hire a licensed plumber.

How long will my gas be off after a red tag?

It depends entirely on how quickly the repair happens and how extensive it is. A single failed fitting can often be repaired and pressure tested the same day. Replacing a long buried run takes longer, and permitted work adds inspection time. The delay is usually scheduling, not the repair itself — which is why calling immediately matters.

Can I repair a gas line myself?

No. Gas piping work in California requires a licensed contractor and is permitted and inspected. Beyond the legal issue, an improperly sealed joint or an unpurged line creates a fire and explosion hazard, and unpermitted gas work will surface during a home sale.

Who is responsible for the gas line to my pool heater or detached garage?

You are. Any piping downstream of the meter is customer-owned, including buried runs to pool and spa heaters, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, generators, ADUs, and detached garages. These are among the most common leak locations precisely because they are buried, older, and out of sight.

What is the difference between a gas leak and carbon monoxide?

A gas leak is unburned natural gas escaping from piping or a connection — it carries the added rotten-egg odor and creates a fire and explosion risk. Carbon monoxide is a byproduct of gas burning incompletely, usually from a malfunctioning or poorly vented appliance. CO is odorless and colorless, which is why alarms are required. Both are emergencies, and both warrant leaving the building and calling for help.