Locating the water service
Location and shut off valve
From time to time, homeowners will need to locate where their water pipes route underneath their properties.
Engineering keeps records of connection information for most homes. However, this data will only hint where the pipes have been placed on City property. Generally, there are no records of piping plans for pipe-work situated on private property. The City records, if available, will provide some information for the homeowner to correlate where the services may run on private property.
What will I need to turn off the water from the City water main myself?
- A shut-off key. Shut-off keys are available at Manitoba Works Yard (250 W. 70th Ave) or most Fire Halls. A description of the key and the process of shutting off the water main is available on our Shut-off keys page.
- The shut-off valve location. The shut off valve is typically one to three feet from your property line. If you are having trouble finding your property line stand on the City sidewalk facing your home and look towards your property. If you have a fence or retaining wall it is supposed to be at your property line. You can also look up and down your block to see where your neighbours property lines are. Yours should line up with theirs.
Options for locating your shut off valve:
You can have a City crew locate your water service line and shut the valve off for you:
Often homeowners will accidentally bury the shut off valve cover (cap) or the cap goes missing and soil and dirt will fill up the stand pipe making it very difficult to find the shut-off valve. You can call
and have a City crew come and find your water service for you. If you would like this service, the charge is a $50 flat fee during regular business hours. Regular business hour appointments are scheduled to occur between 9:00am and 5:00pm seven days a week (excluding statutory holidays). Emergency callouts between the hours of 7:00am and 6:30pm seven days a week are also a $50 flat fee (excluding statutory holidays). The $200 flat fee applies to emergency callouts between 6:30pm and 7:00am seven days a week and all statutory holiday callouts
The invoice will be mailed to the customer. The invoice will always have the name of a contact person who will be able to explain the charges in detail should there be any questions. Invoices can be paid in person at Revenue Services, Main Floor City Hall, 453 West 12th Ave (at Cambie) or invoices can be mailed to: City of Vancouver, Revenue Services, PO Box 7747 Stn Terminal, Vancouver, BC V6B 8R1.
The property owner or someone with signing authority is required to approve the crew’s attendance and accept the possibility of charges. There will be no charge to turn the service back on (this is when we turned the service off in the first place) if it is requested within 24 hours. If it is after 24 hours from the shut off time another charge of $50 (flat fee) or $200 (flat fee) will apply. See more information on the residential service turn on/off page.
You can locate the shut off valve location yourself:
If you are a bit handy and a little adventurous and water is not immediately filling your basement, you can locate the shut-off valve on your own.
First, call
and request the water-line location for your address (please note we only have records for Vancouver). The location you will be given has been measured from your property line. Before you dig – Call BC One at 1.800.474.6886 or *6886 with cell phone to ensure gas line and other utility information is on hand.Note: services over 50mm (2 inches) must be turned off by a Waterworks crew.
[top]
What if you can’t find the valve?
Utility information is typically provided by identifying the service from one of two property lines. Most often, staff will refer to the location from a certain distance noted as east of west or north of south, etc. For example, a connection location may be explained as one meter west from the east property line and fronting the street.
If the sidewalk is old and has not been replaced, you can find a "W" inscribed at the back of the sidewalk or on the concrete edge closest to your home (as depicted in the photograph). This is a clue left behind by workers from the past. The "W" indicates where the service travels under the ground and that the valve should be in-line with this mark, approximately 0.3m (1 ft.) on City property.
If you are unable to find where the main potable water shut-off valve to your home is, you need to look for a 4" or 100mm diameter iron cap with the initials VWW (Vancouver Water Works) stamped on the top. The location of the shut-off valve is located directly under the cap, will be between three and four feet (1 to 1.2 meters) below street level and near the front property-line. You will need a special tool or shut-off key to turn the valve and shut-off the water. A quarter turn clockwise is all it will take for most valves. Some valves may need to be turned 360 degrees.
Take a sharp implement like a long screw driver and poke around the area which is in line with the inscribed “W”. Be careful and mindful of other buried utilities and don’t probe too deeply. If you strike a hard buried object, poke around a bit more to determine whether you have found the 100 mm diameter cap or a rock. To locate a city map of your property, go to VanMap.
[top]
VanMap aerial view of Water Service
[top]
Typical water service layout diagram
20 & 25 mm
[top]