Town water — the main valve where the line enters the building, usually near the meter. Well — the valve on the outlet side of the pressure tank, then the pump breaker.
Pick what’s happening. You’ll get the next sixty seconds, what not to do, and an honest read on whether this needs someone tonight or can wait until morning — because half of what gets billed as an emergency isn’t one, and you deserve to know which half you’re in.
Where your main shut-off is. On town water it’s where the service line comes through the foundation, usually near the meter, and it’s often a gate valve that hasn’t been turned in a decade. Turn it fully closed and back open once a year so it doesn’t seize. On a well, the equivalent is the valve on the outlet side of the pressure tank — and the pump breaker, which is what actually stops water being pushed into the house.
Where your electrical panel is, and which breaker is which. In a wet basement you want to kill a circuit at the panel, not by reaching for a plug while standing in water. Twenty minutes with a label maker on a dry afternoon is worth more than anything else on this page.
Full walkthrough in Know Your Shut-Offs.
General guidance for common household situations, not a substitute for judgment on the scene. If you smell gas, if water is contacting an electrical panel or service entrance, or if anyone’s safety is in question, get out and call 911 or your utility first.
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