When a pipe freezes in Ottawa, the first question is whose pipe it is, because the City thaws one kind for free, charges you for another, and leaves the rest to a plumber.
Frozen pipes in Ottawa come in two kinds, and the fix depends on which one you have. If a pipe freezes inside your house, you thaw it carefully or call a plumber. If the underground pipe that carries water from the City's main to your house freezes, you call 3-1-1 and the City sends a crew. Who pays depends on which side of the shut-off valve the ice formed, and your home insurance has its own conditions about heat. Prevention, the City's rules and typical plumber costs are all covered below.
Key Highlights
TL;DR: Keep every part of your home that holds water pipes above 8°C, find your inside shut-off valve before you need it, and call 3-1-1 if no water comes out of any tap. The City thaws a frozen service pipe on its own property for free, but charges the cost of the work plus 15% on yours. For burst pipes inside the house, shut off the water, call your insurer and then a licensed plumber.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| 📅 Season | The City starts watching frost depth once daily temperatures stay below 0°C. Run-water notices stay in force until the frost is out of the ground, which the City puts at the end of April |
| 📍 No water at any tap | Call 3-1-1. The City's First Response Team decides whether a crew needs to visit |
| 🎟️ Cost of a thaw | Free on City property. On private property, the cost of the work plus 15%, each time the City thaws it |
| ⏰ Burst pipe | Shut off the inside main valve, photograph the damage, call your insurer (most have 24/7 claims lines), then a licensed plumber |
How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Ottawa Homes
The City of Ottawa's own tips are short and practical. The most important one is heat: keep the indoor temperature at 8°C or higher in any area that contains water pipes, especially around the water meter, and keep it there even when you are away for a few days. Your insurer may ask for more than that, so read the vacancy and heat conditions in your policy before you leave for a long trip.
The rest of the list is about stopping cold air from reaching pipes you cannot see:
- Open the doors. Leave doors open to rooms with water lines or the meter, especially in cooler basements, so heat can circulate.
- Insulate the exposed runs. Wrap foam pipe insulation around pipes near exterior walls, in crawl spaces and in the attic, and seal air leaks around them.
- Shut the garage door. Cold air in a garage can reach pipes hidden in the ceiling, such as the ones that feed upstairs bathrooms.
- Disconnect hoses. A hose left on an outdoor tap stops the tap from draining. Older houses often have a shut-off valve for outdoor taps in the basement ceiling, and it should be closed for the winter.
- Leave the snow alone over your water service. The City says snow acts as insulation, and clearing it lets frost reach the pipe faster.
Do all of this in October or November, before the first hard freeze. The City also asks every household to find its inside water shut-off valve and make sure it turns, so you can act fast if a pipe bursts. For a wider winter checklist, see our winter preparedness guide for Ottawa.
Who Is Responsible for a Frozen Water Pipe in Ottawa
Every property on City water has a water service pipe, the underground line that connects the building's plumbing to a City water main. The City maintains the water infrastructure up to the water shut-off valve, according to its 2025 winter notice. From that valve to your building, the pipe is yours, and so is the plumbing inside.
That split decides the bill. If a frozen service pipe is on municipal property, the City thaws it at no charge. If it is on private property, the City charges the cost of the work plus 15%, and the fee applies every time the City has to thaw it again. Residents on a private street, including a condominium corporation, do not have access to the City's inspection and thawing service at all, so a condo owner should start with the property manager or the board.
The City says the depth and age of a pipe matter. Some water services are buried less deeply or insulated less well than others, and about 2,000 homes and businesses in Ottawa may be at risk in a typical winter. If your service has frozen before, the City suggests working out why, because the pipe may simply not be buried deep enough. A licensed plumber can quote the private-side work, while any change to the City's side is the City's job.
The City's Run-Water Notice: What It Means and What It Costs
Each winter the City mails "Run Water" notices to properties where a service pipe has frozen before. It decides who gets one with a frost model that uses the daily mean temperature recorded at the Ottawa International Airport. Monitoring starts once daily temperatures stay below zero, and notices go out in phases as the frost reaches the depth where those pipes are at risk. The first batch in January 2025 went to properties where records show the pipe froze on private land, with later notices going to properties where it froze on the City's side.
If you get one, the City's instruction is to run a continuous, steady stream of cold water, at least as thick as a drinking straw, until the frost is out of the ground. The City gives the end of April as the usual date, and our Ottawa spring weather guide shows what that month tends to bring. The stream uses extra water, which is why the notice talks about cost.
Who pays for that water follows the same line as the thawing fee. If records show your service freezes on your private property, you cover the cost of the water you run. If the records show it freezes on the City's property and you have a written notice to run your water, you are not charged extra: your bill is calculated from your previous consumption, with any final adjustment made in late spring or early summer. If you have not received a letter but your pipe is at risk anyway, the same prevention steps apply and 3-1-1 can answer questions about your address.
What to Do When a Pipe Freezes or Bursts
If no water comes out of any tap, the service pipe may be frozen. Call 3-1-1 to submit a service request, and the City's First Response Team will assess it and decide whether someone needs to come to your property. To help the crew, clear the snow from your outside shut-off valve, clear a path to the shut-off valve inside the house and move furniture and breakables out of the way. The City calls ahead where it can, and wait times vary with demand, so ask 3-1-1 for the current estimate.
The City can also run a temporary hose from a neighbour's tap while your pipe thaws. Both households are then billed from their past consumption rather than the extra water, and both need to keep a tap running so the hose does not freeze. If neither option is possible, the City will provide bottled water on request through 3-1-1, and you can use the showers at any City recreation facility without paying admission. Melted snow works for flushing toilets, which is one reason our emergency preparedness guide tells households to keep a water supply on hand year-round.
If you know the frozen section is inside your home, you can try to thaw it yourself, following the City's steps:
- Open the cold tap nearest to the frozen section, so you will see water return when the ice clears.
- Warm the pipe with an electric heating pad wrapped around it or with a hair dryer.
- Use a portable heater with care, away from insulation and anything flammable, and make sure the room or crawl space is properly heated.
- Never use an open flame to thaw a pipe.
If a pipe has burst, water damage grows by the minute, so the order matters. Shut off the main water valve first. BrokerLink, an insurance broker, also advises turning off the electricity to the affected area, but only if you can do it safely without standing in water. Take photos and video of the damage before you start cleaning, call your insurer, and keep every receipt for repairs, cleanup and temporary accommodation. Then call a plumber.
When to Call a Plumber in Ottawa and What an Emergency Call-Out Costs
Call a plumber when a pipe is visibly split or bulging, when water is escaping, when you cannot find the frozen section, or when it sits behind drywall or under a floor. Call one too if a heating pad and a hair dryer have not cleared an accessible pipe. If the problem is the underground service pipe, start with 3-1-1 rather than a plumber, because the City handles the thawing on its side and offers it on yours for a fee.
In Ontario, plumbing is a compulsory trade. To practise it, a person must hold a Certificate of Qualification, a Provisional Certificate of Qualification or a Registered Training Agreement, and Skilled Trades Ontario runs a public register where you can check a name. Asking for that, and for a written estimate before work starts, is reasonable even in an emergency. You can browse the plumbers listed on our Plumbers directory page, which draws on OpenStreetMap data, and check each one yourself before you hire.
Prices vary by company, job and time of day, and the figures below are ballpark numbers from published 2026 price guides, not quotes:
- Service call or diagnostic fee. One Ottawa plumbing company puts the standard service call at $60 to $100, while another describes a flat diagnostic fee of $240 to $280 that covers travel and inspection when the cause is unclear. An Ontario-wide guide gives $80 to $200.
- Hourly labour. The Ottawa company's range is $80 to $150 an hour during normal service. The Ontario-wide guide gives $90 to $175.
- After-hours premium. The Ontario-wide guide says evenings, weekends and holidays often add 25% to 50%. The Ottawa company says emergency work typically runs 50% to 100% above standard rates.
- The repair itself. The Ontario-wide guide lists $250 to $600 for a burst or leaking pipe repair, and says the price climbs when a plumber has to open drywall to reach it.
Two practical points follow. First, some companies reserve after-hours visits for customers on a paid annual membership, and say they will explain that before dispatching anyone, so ask when you phone. Second, response times stretch during extreme cold, when a plumber can be busy with many homes at once. Ask whether the quote includes 13% HST, whether the call-out fee is credited toward the repair, and who is responsible if the job grows.
Does Home Insurance Cover Frozen Pipes?
Often it does, with conditions. Insurance Bureau of Canada says standard home insurance policies cover the damage caused by freezing and burst pipes, as long as the pipes are in the heated part of the home and you take reasonable steps to keep it heated. There is no separate winter coverage: the policy covers the perils it lists, and freezing is one of them.
The conditions are where claims go wrong. If you are away during the heating season, many insurers require the plumbing to be drained or the house to be checked regularly, sometimes daily, to confirm that heat is on. IBC also notes that most policies exclude frozen-pipe damage in a vacant home, even when the insurer has agreed to the vacancy. If your power goes out or your furnace fails, take steps right away to keep the house warm. Call your insurer as soon as a pipe freezes or bursts, because most have a 24/7 claims line.
Sewer backup and overland flooding are different perils. IBC says a standard policy typically does not cover them, and most insurers sell sewer backup as an option. If you rent, your tenant insurance covers your belongings, while damage to the building is the landlord's responsibility, according to BrokerLink. Our Ottawa rental guide explains who to contact when something goes wrong in a unit. Ask your own broker whether the cost of the plumber's visit and repair is included or only the resulting damage, since that varies by policy.
FAQ
Q: Who fixes a frozen water pipe in Ottawa?
It depends on where it froze. The City thaws a frozen service pipe on municipal property at no charge. On private property, between the shut-off valve and your building, it charges the cost of the work plus 15%. Pipes inside your house are yours, so a plumber handles repairs there. Call 3-1-1 if no tap runs.
Q: What temperature do I need to keep my house to avoid frozen pipes?
The City says to keep any area with water pipes, especially near the water meter, above 8°C, and to maintain that even when you are away for a few days. Your insurer may set its own limits, particularly for a house left empty, so check the heat and inspection conditions in your policy.
Q: Am I charged for running water when the City sends a notice?
It depends on where your pipe froze. If City records show it freezes on your private property, you pay for the water you run. If it froze on the City's property and you hold a written notice, you are not charged extra, and your bill is based on your usual consumption, with adjustments in late spring or early summer.
Q: How long does a frozen service pipe take to thaw?
There is no fixed time. The City may send a crew to thaw it, or set up a temporary hose from a neighbour. Sometimes it is less disruptive to let the pipe thaw as frost leaves the ground. The City says most services thaw by late April or early May, and thaw attempts can fail in a deep freeze.
Q: Can I thaw a frozen pipe myself?
If you are sure the frozen section is inside your home, yes. Open the nearest cold tap, then warm the pipe with a heating pad or a hair dryer. Use any portable heater carefully and never use an open flame. If the pipe is cracked, leaking or hidden in a wall, shut off the water and call a licensed plumber.
Final Thoughts
Frozen pipes in Ottawa tend to hit the same places, such as shallow service lines, cold exterior walls, garages and crawl spaces, and the City already mails run-water notices to properties where a service pipe has frozen before. October is the time to insulate, locate your shut-off valve and read your insurance policy's heat and vacancy conditions, so you do not have to learn them at 2 a.m. with water on the floor.
If a pipe does freeze, work out whether it is the City's problem, yours or the plumber's before you pick up the phone. For the underground service, call 3-1-1. For anything inside the house, shut the water off first, then compare quotes from licensed plumbers on our Plumbers directory page.
Source: City of Ottawa, Frozen water service pipes (archived copy)
Source: Stittsville Central, reproducing the City of Ottawa's "Cold weather, warm pipes" tips, January 2025
Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada, winter storm tips and frozen pipe coverage
Source: Insurance Bureau of Canada, Water Damage and Flood Protection
Source: BrokerLink, Does homeowners' insurance cover pipes that burst?
Source: Skilled Trades Ontario, Plumber
