Use the intended customer valve

Prefer the building or owner-side shutoff. It often follows the service entry or lies on the private side of the meter, but location and ownership vary. Seattle Public Utilities limits customer operation of meter shutoffs to specified designs, so never assume that a curb stop or meter valve is yours to operate.

Run the safety screen before approaching

Do not attempt a shutoff if the route crosses standing water, passes wet electrical equipment, enters a confined or unstable area, or puts you beneath saturated material. Leave for arcing, shock, gas odor, sewage, structural movement, or rapidly rising water, and use emergency services or the utility as appropriate.

Confirm identity and condition

Use utility or property records, labels, and a prior professional demonstration to identify the owner valve. The valve should be dry, accessible, clearly intended for customer use, and free of obvious damage. Stop for corrosion, a missing handle, heavy resistance, seals, locks, smart-meter wires, or uncertainty; call the utility, property manager, or licensed plumber.

Close only as the valve is designed

Follow the verified valve's instructions and use normal hand pressure only. Do not add a pipe, strike the handle, cut a lock or seal, excavate, or improvise a meter key. Valve designs differ; if the valve resists normal operation, stop without predicting the outcome and call the utility or a licensed plumber.

Verify from a safe fixture

After closure, use a dry, safely reachable cold-water fixture to see whether flow reduces, and observe the leak only from outside any electrical, contamination, or collapse zone. Residual water may remain in piping, and shared, sprinkler, irrigation, or multifamily systems may not follow the same valve. Do not reopen a failed or leaking valve repeatedly.

If water continues

Do not escalate to utility hardware or pipe repair. Leave the affected area if conditions are worsening, call the water utility for its side of service and a licensed plumber for private plumbing, and give responders the valve location, time of attempted closure, and whether flow changed. Fire services may be appropriate for an immediate public-safety emergency, not routine plumbing control.

Prepare before the next emergency

Photograph the access route and valve, label it without obscuring instructions, keep the path clear, and save the utility emergency number. Have a plumber demonstrate safe operation if the valve is older or unfamiliar. A shutoff record is useful, but closing water never establishes that wet electrical or structural areas are safe to enter.

Sources

Use The Water Leak Emergency Triage Guide