Slab leak water damage in Fort Lauderdale
In a house built on a concrete slab, water and drain lines run underneath or inside the concrete. When one of those lines leaks, water spreads under tile and wood floors and wicks up into baseboards and drywall. A warm patch on the floor, the sound of running water with every faucet off, or a sudden jump in the water bill are the usual first signs.
Finding and fixing the pipe is a plumber's job. Drying the house is a separate job, and it goes faster once the leak is stopped. Under the City of Fort Lauderdale's own rule, the pipe from the meter to the house is the homeowner's, so a leak on that line is yours to repair. A suspected leak in the meter or on the street side goes to the city at 954-828-8000.
Your call is connected with an independent local company. Water category for this page: category 1 from a supply line; category 3 if the leak is a drain or sewer line under the slab.
Illustrative photo.
Right now
- 1Close the main shutoff. If the meter's low-flow indicator stops spinning, the leak is on your side.
- 2If the leak seems to be on the hot side (a warm floor), switch off the water heater too.
- 3Lift rugs and move furniture off the damp area so it can start to dry.
- 4Photograph the floor, the meter and your recent water bills for your records.
- 5Ask the plumber to note where the leak was and how it was fixed. The drying plan depends on it.
Fort Lauderdale facts for this problem
The City of Fort Lauderdale's property stops at the meter, so a leak under the slab of a house is the owner's to find and repair.
The city does not check private property for leaks.
Leaks at the meter or on the street side go to the city's 24-hour line at 954-828-8000.
The city's utility billing customer service line for questions after a leak is 954-828-5150.
About 65% of homes in Fort Lauderdale's ten residential ZIP codes were built before 1980, by Census estimates for ACS 5-year 2020-2024.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, tables B25034 and B25035, calculated by Lauderdale Flood Line on November 12, 2026.
The median home in ZIP 33306 was built in 1967; in ZIP 33301 the median is 2006 (Census ACS 5-year).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, tables B25034 and B25035, calculated by Lauderdale Flood Line on November 12, 2026.
The City of Fort Lauderdale says it does not check private property for leaks, so a slab leak is usually found by a plumber the owner hires. If you think the leak is at the meter or on the street side, report it to the city's 24-hour line at 954-828-8000.
Sources: City of Fort Lauderdale: Utility Billing FAQ; City of Fort Lauderdale: Sanitation Service Tips
What the work usually involves
Use this as a checklist when a company walks you through the job.
- Locate the wet areaMoisture readings across the floor and up the walls show how far the water traveled from the leak.
- Plumbing repairA plumber finds the pipe with acoustic or pressure testing and repairs it, sometimes by rerouting the line through the walls.
- Lift what's trappedWood or laminate over a wet slab usually has to come up. Tile often stays, with drying through the grout and edges.
- Dry the slabConcrete holds water and dries slowly. Dehumidifiers and air movers run with daily readings until the slab and walls test dry.
- Confirm before new floorsNew flooring goes down only after the slab reads dry, or it can cup, lift or grow mold underneath.
How insurance usually treats it
Many homeowners policies pay differently for the water damage than for finding and fixing the pipe, and some cap the cost of tearing out and replacing the floor to reach it. Leaks that went on for weeks may be excluded as seepage. Your policy's water damage and plumbing sections spell out which applies.
General information, not insurance advice. Your policy decides. Florida rules at a glance.
What changes the size of the job
- How many days or weeks the leak went unnoticed
- Flooring type: tile, wood, laminate or carpet over the slab
- Whether the line was a supply line or a drain line
- How many rooms the water reached
- Slab drying time
We don't quote prices. A company measures moisture on site and writes an itemized estimate.
Questions people ask
What are the signs of a slab leak in a Fort Lauderdale house?
Turn off every faucet and appliance, then watch the water meter's low-flow indicator. If it keeps moving, water is leaving somewhere. Warm spots on the floor, damp grout, hollow-sounding tiles and mildew smell near baseboards are other common signs.
Does the City of Fort Lauderdale fix leaks under my house?
No. The city's utility billing FAQ says the city's property stops at the meter and pipe going to the home is the homeowner's. For billing questions after a leak, the FAQ lists Utility Billing Customer Service at 954-828-5150.
How long does it take to dry a slab?
Longer than drywall. Concrete releases water slowly, and a humid house slows it further. Daily moisture readings are the only reliable way to know when it is done.