A flooded living room floor in a Katy, Texas home with a wet-vacuum hose and moisture meter set up during early water damage cleanup.

Water Damage Restoration in Katy, TX: What to Do First

Katy spans Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties, and some homes get water service from a Municipal Utility District, not the City of Katy.

Who to Call First in Katy

What to Do in the First Hour

If water is coming into your Katy home right now, protect people first, then stop the source only if you can reach it safely, then document everything before you start cleanup. Do not go into a room with standing floodwater, a gas smell, exposed wiring, or visible structural damage. Call your water provider, then call your insurer.

Leave the area if officials order an evacuation, and do not return until they say it is safe.
Do not walk, swim, or drive through floodwater. Six inches can knock you down; a foot can float a car.
Turn off electricity at the breaker only if you can reach it safely and it is dry. Never touch wet electrical equipment.
Run a generator outdoors only, away from windows and doors — never inside the house or garage.
Photograph and video every room, the water line, and the source before moving anything, if it is safe to do so.
Call your insurer as soon as you can, and keep receipts for temporary repairs, lodging, or cleanup supplies.
Do not throw out damaged belongings until your insurer has seen them, unless they are a safety hazard — photograph them first.
Remove wet carpet, furniture, and other soaked materials promptly. Mold can start growing on wet materials within 24 to 48 hours.

Shutting Off the Water

Use your home's main shut-off valve if you can reach it safely. Do not force a valve you cannot operate — seek qualified help instead. If you are inside Katy city limits and cannot stop the water yourself, call the City of Katy main number, 281-391-4800. Outside city limits, contact the MUD listed on your water bill. For a broken supply line, see burst pipe water damage repair steps for Katy homes.

Who to Call in Katy: City, MUD, or County

Katy sits across Harris, Fort Bend, and Waller counties, and some neighborhoods get water and sewer service from a Municipal Utility District (MUD), not the City of Katy. Check your water bill or the state's MUD map before you call anyone — if a MUD serves your address, contact the MUD listed on your water bill.

Inside city limits: City of Katy main number, 281-391-4800.
After regular business hours, on weekends, or on a holiday: the Katy Police Department, 281-391-4848, contacts Public Works for emergencies like a broken main or a sewer backup.
Outside city limits: call the Municipal Utility District number printed on your water bill, not the City of Katy.
Not sure which one serves you: use the TCEQ Interactive Water Utility District viewer or check with your HOA.
Repair permit: City of Katy Permit & Building Services Division inside city limits; outside city limits, the county office for your address.

Flooding Katy Has Seen Before

Katy has flooded more than once in the past decade, including the Tax Day Flood in April 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in August 2017. That history is part of why the City runs the KTALERT emergency notification system.

Register for KTALERT to get emergency alerts for your address, including flood notices. Sign up through the City of Katy or by calling 281-574-8633.

How Restoration Works, Step by Step

A restoration job in a Katy home generally moves through four stages: assessment, water extraction, structural drying, and repair. A provider tests how far water traveled behind walls and under flooring, pulls out standing water, sets up equipment to dry the space, then rebuilds what had to come out. Ask for a written plan, not a promised date — every house dries at a different pace.

Assessment: the provider checks how far the water spread and what got wet, including behind walls and under flooring.
Categorization: water is described as clean supply water, used household ("gray") water, or sewage and floodwater — the category affects material handling, not job speed.
Extraction: standing water is pulled out of the space.
Drying and monitoring: equipment runs until moisture readings in the affected materials drop back down, and the provider should be able to show you those readings.
Cleaning and rebuild: salvageable materials are cleaned, and anything torn out — flooring, drywall, cabinetry — gets replaced.

Materials that stayed wet too long, or damage involving sewage or floodwater, carry a higher mold risk later. See mold risk after a water leak in a Katy home for how Texas licensing rules apply.

No one can quote a total price before a provider inspects the property. Cost depends on the water category, how much area is affected, and which materials were damaged — your insurance adjuster's estimate, not a phone quote, is the number to plan around.

Katy, TX water damage restoration — How Restoration Works, Step by Step

Texas Insurance Basics and Deadlines

Texas law sets deadlines for how fast an insurer must respond once you file a water damage claim, and the clock resets at a few points along the way. This is general information, not insurance or legal advice — for your specific policy, talk to your insurer, an attorney, or the Texas Department of Insurance.

Step	Deadline	Code Section
Acknowledge claim, start investigating	15th calendar day after notice (30th business day, surplus lines insurer)	Sec. 542.055(a)
Accept or reject claim in writing	15th business day after insurer has all required items	Sec. 542.056(a)
If insurer needs more time	45th day after that notice	Sec. 542.056(d)
Pay an accepted claim	5th business day after the insurer notifies you it will pay the claim	Sec. 542.057(a)
Weather-related catastrophe or major natural disaster, as defined by the commissioner	All deadlines above extend 15 more days	Sec. 542.059(b)

Checked: September 2026.

What a Standard Policy Usually Covers

A sudden and accidental discharge, like a burst supply line, is commonly covered, subject to your policy's terms and deductible. Flooding, a slow slab leak, and mold itself are typically excluded, though ensuing mold from a covered water loss may have limited coverage. If you rent, tell your landlord about the damage in writing right away — a renters policy usually covers your belongings, not repairs to the building.

NFIP flood coverage: up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents, with a standard 30-day wait after you buy a policy.
TWIA covers wind and hail only — not flooding or water damage from a burst pipe.
A public adjuster you hire generally cannot charge more than 10% of the settlement (Sec. 4102.104(a)); the adjuster may not charge a percentage fee at all when your insurer pays, or commits in writing to pay, the policy limit within 72 hours of your loss report (Sec. 4102.104(b)).
To file a complaint about how an insurer handled your claim, contact the Texas Department of Insurance, 800-252-3439, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central.

Choosing a Restoration Provider

Before you hire anyone, ask for proof of general liability insurance and any trade license the specific job requires. Texas does not issue one blanket license for water damage restoration as a trade, but plumbing, electrical work, and larger mold jobs each fall under their own license, and a company doing that work should be able to show it to you.

Ask to see proof of general liability insurance before work starts.
Plumbing repairs, like reconnecting or replacing pipe, require a plumber who holds a license from the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners (TSBPE).
Electrical and HVAC work fall under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).
A company you hire needs a Texas mold remediation license once the job covers 25 contiguous square feet or more; assessment work needs its own license regardless of area (Occupations Code ch. 1958). An owner of a residential property with fewer than 10 dwelling units may work on their own home without a license — whether that is wise for a large area is a separate question. The same license holder cannot do both jobs on one project.
Get a written, itemized estimate before work starts, and keep a copy for your insurer.

The Katy mold remediation licensing guide goes into more detail on this rule.

How This Referral Site Works

Katy Water Damage Help is an independent guide, not a restoration company — we do not dry out homes or send out a crew. What we do is lay out the local facts and point you toward a local provider that serves your ZIP code. The company that actually answers the call handles the inspection and the work, not this site.

This page covers what to do first in Katy and how the Texas rules work.
A separate Katy burst pipe cleanup guide covers pipe breaks specifically, and another page covers mold risk in more depth.
The flood zones and water shut-off page for Katy, TX explains who to contact first for your part of the city.
Nothing here replaces your insurance policy or a signed contract with the company you choose.

Katy, TX water damage restoration — How This Referral Site Works

If That Did Not Work

If a provider's line is busy, if your MUD operator does not answer, or if a company you called cannot get to your part of Katy, you still have options. Try the same number again, try a different route to the right provider, or escalate to a state agency that handles insurance-side problems.

Try again: during a widespread storm, city and MUD lines can get busy. Call back rather than assume no one is answering.
Try another route: confirm the right number before you call again — check your water bill for the MUD operator's number, or use the TCEQ MUD viewer, instead of guessing.
Escalate: for an insurance dispute the company itself will not resolve, contact the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439. Still unsure who your provider is? Go back to the who-to-call section above.

None of this replaces emergency services. Response times during a widespread storm vary, and no number on this page changes that — that is true everywhere, not just Katy.

Life-safety emergency — gas odor, active flooding with people trapped, downed power lines: call 911 first, before any number on this page.

What Changed on This Page

September 2026: page published; phone numbers and legal deadlines checked against the official sources linked above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my water provider the City of Katy or a MUD?

It depends on where your address falls. Some Katy-area neighborhoods are served by a Municipal Utility District rather than the City. Check your water bill for the provider's name, or use the TCEQ Interactive Water Utility District viewer — do not assume the City of Katy serves you based on your mailing address alone.

Who do I call after hours for a Public Works emergency in Katy?

Call the Katy Police Department, 281-391-4848, which contacts Public Works staff for you. The City's main number, 281-391-4800, covers regular business hours. Both are City numbers — if a Municipal Utility District serves your address, contact the MUD listed on your water bill instead.

Does my homeowners policy cover a burst pipe?

A sudden and accidental water discharge, like a pipe that suddenly bursts, is commonly covered, subject to your policy's terms, exclusions, and deductible. A slow leak that built up over time is typically treated differently and is often excluded. Check your specific policy language, since coverage details vary by insurer.

Does my policy cover flooding from a storm?

Most standard homeowners policies exclude flood damage. Flood coverage generally comes from a separate National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy, which covers up to $250,000 for the building and $100,000 for contents, with a standard 30-day wait after purchase. TWIA, the state's windstorm pool, covers wind and hail only — not flooding.

How fast can mold start growing after water damage?

FEMA says wet materials can develop mold within 24 to 48 hours. The CDC advises drying everything within that window after a flood, and the EPA says mold generally will not grow if items are dried within that time. That is why removing soaked carpet and furniture matters early.

Do I need a permit to repair water-damaged drywall in Katy?

Minor cosmetic drywall and baseboard repair that does not touch structural framing generally does not need a permit from the City of Katy. If the repair involves framing, electrical, or plumbing work, contact the City's Permit & Building Services Division inside city limits, or the county office for your address outside city limits.

Is a public adjuster required to file my claim?

No. A public adjuster is optional. Anyone acting as one in Texas must be licensed, and the fee charged generally cannot exceed 10% of the settlement. If your insurer pays, or commits in writing to pay, the full policy limit within 72 hours of your loss report, the adjuster may not charge a percentage fee at all.

Does a small mold job still need a licensed contractor?

Not always. The 25-square-foot exemption applies to remediation only — a company hired for mold assessment needs a license regardless of size. Above that threshold, the remediation company needs a license too, and the same firm cannot do both jobs on one project. Owners of a residential property with fewer than 10 dwelling units may still work on their own home without one.

Water in your home right now?

See who to call first in Katy, how to reach your water provider, and how to check your flood zone.

Who to Call First in Katy