If you have a gas leak in a Philadelphia home, PGW responds, makes the house safe and fixes anything on its side of the meter, and its tariff exempts leak calls from the normal service call charge. If the leak is in your own piping or in an appliance, the repair is yours to arrange and pay for, and the gas can stay off until it's done. Below: which side a leak is on, who can do the work, and how the gas comes back on, in the city and in PECO territory. If you smell gas right now, read the first section and go.
If you smell gas right now
These steps come from PGW's emergency page and its gas alarm instructions. PGW says a leak smells like rotten eggs and can sound like hissing or whistling.
- Leave the building and take everyone with you, pets included.
- Avoid sparks. No matches, no lighters, no light switches on or off, and no cell phone until you're out. Don't start a car.
- Leave the valves alone. PGW says not to look for the leak and not to shut off gas valves or appliances yourself. It will do that.
- Call from a safe place: PGW's 24-hour hotline at 215-235-1212, or 911. PECO's customer handbook lists 1-800-841-4141 for gas emergencies.
- Stay out until the Fire Department or PGW says the building is safe.
PGW also warns never to assume someone else has reported a leak, so make the call yourself. In a rowhome or twin, knock on the doors on either side once you're out.
A carbon monoxide alarm is a different emergency. Get to fresh air and call 911. Our guide to smoke and CO detectors covers it.
Where PGW's job ends and yours begins
The dividing line is the meter. PGW's Gas Service Tariff, the rulebook it operates under, says PGW owns and maintains the equipment that brings gas to the point where your piping connects to the meter. Section 9.4 then says all piping, fixtures and appliances on the customer's side "must be installed and maintained by and at the expense of the Customer or Owner of the property."
In plain terms:
- PGW's side: the main in the street, the pipe that brings gas to your meter, the regulator and the meter itself.
- Your side: every pipe after the meter, the valves and connectors along it, and every gas appliance, including the furnace or boiler, water heater, range and dryer.
What the PGW visit costs
Section 12.1 of the tariff sets a Customer Service Call Charge of $72.05 plus $8.53 for each additional tenth of an hour after the first 6 minutes (in the version effective June 1, 2026). The same section exempts "calls for leaks and other safety related conditions." So reporting a leak shouldn't cost you a service call, even if the leak turns out to be yours. The repair itself is a separate bill from whoever you hire.
Why the gas may be off when PGW leaves
Under Section 6.1, PGW can shut off service without notice for safety reasons. If it finds a leak on your premises or another potentially hazardous condition, the tariff says service "shall not be restored until the necessary repairs and alterations have been made."
How much gets shut off depends on what the technician finds, so don't guess. Before they leave, ask:
- Where exactly is the leak: a pipe, a fitting, a valve, a connector or inside an appliance?
- Is it on my side of the meter or PGW's?
- Is the gas off to the whole house or to one appliance?
- What has to be done before you'll turn it back on? Does it need a test or an inspection?
- Who do I call when the repair is finished?
Write the answers down, and photograph any tag or notice left behind. Your contractor will want them, and so will any repair program you apply to.
Who can do the repair in Philadelphia
L&I's mechanical permit page covers equipment and piping that use natural gas under the Philadelphia Mechanical and Fuel Gas Codes. The main points as of November 2026:
- Licensed contractor. The page says a licensed contractor must perform all work, with an active license, current City taxes and insurance on file with L&I.
- Repairs. "Ordinary repairs or maintenance" don't need a mechanical permit. The page doesn't say where a gas leak repair falls. Our reading is that fixing one fitting may qualify and new or rerouted pipe likely won't, but ask the contractor or L&I and get the answer in the written estimate.
- Inspection. When a permit is pulled, a Certificate of Approval follows the required inspections. Ask for a copy.
L&I's page doesn't name the license type for gas piping, so ask the contractor which Philadelphia license covers the work and confirm it. Our guide on how to check a contractor in Philadelphia walks through the license and Pennsylvania registration lookups. For piping, start with a plumber or heating contractor. If the problem is inside a furnace, boiler or water heater, call someone who services that equipment.
What a sound repair looks like
PGW's piping specifications manual (January 2020 edition) reserves the right to refuse to turn gas on to piping that doesn't follow it. It's written mainly for new installations, but a few rules are easy for an owner to ask about:
- No bushings and no cast iron fittings in a fuel line.
- A shutoff valve upstream of every flexible appliance connector.
- A gas shutoff and sediment trap within 6 feet of each appliance casing. The manual exempts ranges, domestic dryers and movable appliances from the sediment trap.
The manual's pressure test requirement is written for new piping other than single-family homes, so ask PGW or your contractor whether your repair needs one.
Getting the gas turned back on
- Finish the repair and get a written note of what was fixed, plus the permit paperwork if there is any.
- Leave the work visible. The manual says PGW shall visually inspect fuel line installations before interior walls go in, so don't close up a wall or ceiling until you know whether PGW needs to see the pipe.
- Call the number the technician gave you to schedule the turn-on. Ask then whether any charge applies to that visit. The tariff exempts leak calls but doesn't spell out the return trip.
- Let only PGW turn it on. Section 8.2 says the customer shall not allow anyone except PGW employees with credentials to turn on the gas supply. Section 6.1 treats using gas at a location where it was turned off and not reconnected by PGW as unauthorized use. A contractor who offers to reopen the meter valve to save you the wait is offering you a new problem.
If PECO is your gas company
The rules read much the same. PECO's gas tariff (the version effective December 1, 2024) says the customer must report any leak immediately, that PECO may shut off service without notice if the customer's installation "has become hazardous or defective," and that it may refuse to connect a defective installation. It also says gas is introduced to a customer's installation by or under the supervision of a PECO representative, so ask PECO how the turn-on works in your case. Permits in Bucks and Montgomery counties generally come from your township or borough rather than L&I, so call the local code office before the work starts.
If the leak is underground
If your meter sits away from the house, or a buried line runs to a detached garage or an outdoor grill, that pipe is on your side too. A federal rule, 49 CFR 192.16, requires gas operators that don't maintain a customer's buried piping to tell the customer so. The notice has to warn that unmaintained buried pipe can corrode and leak, that it should be inspected periodically, and that it should be located before digging and excavated by hand.
Three things to check before a leak happens
- Old brass connectors. The CPSC warns that some older uncoated brass connectors have come apart and caused fires and explosions, and that many are still in use. Don't pull a range or dryer out to look: the CPSC says moving the appliance even slightly can make a weakened connector fail. Have a qualified pro check it. The CPSC says any uncoated brass connector should be replaced with a new plastic-coated brass or stainless steel one, and that connectors should always be replaced when an appliance is replaced or moved.
- A yearly check of your side. PGW's safety page says appliance maintenance is the customer's responsibility and recommends a licensed professional inspect appliances at least once a year. Our heating tune-up guide covers that visit.
- PGW's free meter inspection. The same page says PGW inspects the meter and service lines every 3 years at no cost, and that you can call 215-235-1000 if you get a Gas Safety Home Inspection request. As PGW describes it, that covers the meter and service lines, not your appliances.
Help paying for the repair
- Basic Systems Repair Program. The City's emergency repairs page offers help to owner-occupants who meet income guidelines. Gas piping isn't named on its list of covered systems, and the plumbing work PHDC describes is sewer and water lines, so don't count on it. It's still worth calling PHDC at 215-448-2160: a PGW defect notice is one of the documents PHDC says helps it prioritize a repair.
- Heater Hotline. If you've lost your heat and your income qualifies, the City's free emergency heater repair program is at 215-568-7190. Our guide to home repair help in Philadelphia lists the income limits and other programs.
- PGW's Parts & Labor Plan. The plan page covers listed appliances such as gas house heaters, water heaters and clothes dryers. It doesn't address gas piping, so check your contract before you count on it.
When to call a pro
For gas, the answer is nearly always. Call one when PGW or PECO has shut off the gas or an appliance, when a technician has flagged a defect, when you want a connector replaced, or when you're adding or moving a gas line. Don't tighten a fitting and hope.
When you describe the job, include where the leak was, what the utility told you, whether the gas is off, whether you've lost heat or hot water, and a photo of any notice. You can post your project on HomeKept and compare up to 3 estimates from local pros, free for homeowners. A person reviews every pro profile, and license and insurance badges appear only after documents are checked. It isn't a background check, so ask each contractor about the Philadelphia license for gas work too.
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