Main water line leak repair in Colorado Springs yards
Once the pipe that feeds your house crosses into your yard, it is yours to fix. We prove the leak, pin the spot, dig once and repair below frost depth.
- Phones answered 24/7
- Leak located before we dig
- Repairs below frost depth
Updated October 2026Phones answered 24/7
Water running right now?
Close the main shut-off, then call. A person answers 24/7.
Quick answer
A main water line leak in Colorado Springs sits on pipe that belongs below El Paso County's 30-inch frost line, so the first job is finding it before anyone digs. The stretch from the right-of-way line to your house is the owner's to repair; the curb stop belongs to the utility to operate and repair.
Warning signs
Signs the leak is in the service line
Meter moving with everything off
The low-flow dial turns with every fixture and the sprinklers closed.
A green or soggy strip
Grass over the line stays wetter or greener than the rest.
Hissing at the main shut-off
Water rushing through the line where it enters the house.
Settling or a small sinkhole
Soil washing out leaves a dip along the line's path.
Finding the leak before the shovel goes in
A leaking service line rarely surfaces where the leak is. Water follows the trench backfill and shows up downhill, at the foundation, or nowhere at all, only as a meter that turns with every tap closed. We start with that meter test, then listen along the line to narrow the spot. If the line proves tight, the leak is inside, and that is leak detection work instead.
Once the pipe is exposed, the repair depends on what failed. Split copper gets a cut-out and repair couplings or a short new section. Polyethylene usually cracks at barbed fittings or clamps. Old galvanized has rotted from the outside and is rarely worth more than an emergency patch. When the pipe is too far gone, replacing the line is the honest recommendation.
How the job runs
How we repair a leaking service line
Meter test
Every fixture off, meter watched, leak confirmed on the line.
Locate
Listening gear and the line path narrow it to one spot.
Excavate
Utilities marked, then one hole dug below frost depth.
Repair
Bad section cut out, couplings or new pipe, sand bedding.
Test and backfill
Water on, joint watched under pressure, fill compacted.
Leaks between the curb and the house
This is the stretch you own, and most service line leaks happen here: at old compression couplings, under a driveway where the pipe was pinched, or where shifting ground has pulled a joint. A meter moving with nothing running, a hiss at the main shut-off, or pressure that sags are the usual clues. We dig one hole at the located spot, deep enough to work below frost depth, repair the pipe and bed it in sand. If the inside shut-off is seized too, swapping it while the water is already off is cheap insurance; see main valve replacement.
Wet spots or sinkholes in the yard
A strip of grass that stays green through a dry spell, a patch that never dries, or soil that has slumped into a dip along the line's path all mean water is moving underground. A sinkhole means the leak has run long enough to wash soil away, and it should not wait. Before digging we rule out the usual impostors, an irrigation lateral or a downspout drain. Then we excavate, repair and compact the fill in layers so the yard does not settle again.
Leaks at the meter connection
Leaks at or near the meter are where ownership gets confusing. City code makes the curb stop jointly owned, but only the utility may operate or repair it, so we never turn or repair one ourselves. What we do is expose the connection, find exactly which joint is wet, and fix whatever sits on the house side of that boundary, such as a corroded coupling or a cracked fitting. When the leak is at the curb stop or on the utility's piping, we show you where and tell you to call the utility.
Local conditions
Who owns which part of the line, and how deep it runs
Under Colorado Springs city code 12.4.409, the utility handles the water service line in the public right-of-way, while the property owner is solely responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement from the right-of-way or easement line to the building. Curb stops are jointly owned, but only the utility may operate or repair them. Depth matters too: El Paso County's frost line is 30 inches below grade, so a repaired section has to go back below it or it becomes next winter's frozen line.
Do it yourself?
What to do yourself, and the one valve to leave alone
A few steps are safe for any homeowner while you wait for us.
| Task | Homeowner | Plumber |
|---|---|---|
| Stop the water | Close the main shut-off inside the house | Replace the valve if it will not close |
| Curb stop | Leave it; only the utility may operate it | Tell you when the utility must shut it |
| Confirm the leak | Run the meter test with everything off | Pinpoint it with listening gear |
| Dig a test hole | Do not dig before utility locates | Excavate after locates, below frost depth |
Meter turning with every tap closed?
Call us any hour and we will help you shut the water and find the leak.
Cost
What main line work costs nationally
One repair hole in open lawn is far smaller than a line under a driveway, or the replacement totals HomeAdvisor reports below. Published national figures, not our price.
What moves the price
- How precisely the leak can be located
- Depth of the line
- Driveway, walk or roots over the leak
- Copper, galvanized or polyethylene pipe
- Extra bad joints found once exposed
- Sod, gravel or concrete restoration
Ranges are published market figures for planning, not a quote. We price your job after we see it.
FAQ
Main water line leak questions
From the right-of-way or easement line to the house, yes. The utility handles the public side and is the only party allowed to operate the curb stop. Our guide on who owns which line covers the sewer side too.
Turn off every faucet, appliance and the sprinklers, then watch the meter's low-flow indicator. If it keeps turning, water is going somewhere. Close the main shut-off inside; if the meter still moves, the leak is likely between the meter and the house.
No. A located leak needs one excavation at that spot, a few feet across. Trenching or boring the full length comes in only when the line is being replaced, and that is a separate conversation about the pipe as a whole.
Shallow sections can freeze, and freeze-thaw movement works joints loose over time. If the repair shows the pipe sits shallower than the frost line, we tell you, because burying it deeper or replacing it may be the better fix.
From when we expose the leak until the repair is tested, usually a few hours. Until then we keep the water on as long as the leak allows, and we tell you before shutting it off.
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