Guide · Safety and emergencies
Natural Gas Meters
Know where it is, and leave the valve to the pros. Where the meter is, what a gas leak smells like, and exactly what to do if something seems wrong.
Where to start
- Smell rotten eggs or hear hissing?
Leave right away and get everyone out, including pets. Once you are well away from the home, call 911 and the gas company's emergency line. See if you smell gas.
- Carbon monoxide alarm sounding?
Get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911. See carbon monoxide alarms.
- Just moved in?
Find the gas meter and save the gas company's emergency number in every phone. See what the meter is.
The short version
Many homes use natural gas for heat, hot water or cooking. The gas comes in through a meter outside, and most days nobody thinks about it at all. That is just how it should be.
Still, it helps to know where the meter is, what a gas leak smells like, and exactly what to do if something seems wrong. The most important part is simple: if you smell gas, get everyone out first. Please share this guide with everyone in your home.
What the meter is
The gas meter is usually on an outside wall of the home, where the gas line comes up from the ground. It measures how much gas the home uses. A shutoff valve sits on the pipe near the meter. In apartment buildings, meters are often grouped together in one area.
Who takes care of it
The meter, the valve and the gas lines are gas equipment, so they are always a job for the gas company, the fire department, the owner or a licensed professional, never a resident.
Residents should never turn the meter valve, open any gas fitting, or try to relight a pilot light or turn gas back on. Once gas has been shut off, the gas company or a qualified pro checks the lines for leaks and relights appliances before service comes back on.
If you smell gas
Natural gas has no smell of its own, so gas companies add one that smells like rotten eggs or sulfur. If you smell it, or hear a hissing sound near a gas line:
- Leave right away. Get everyone out, including pets. Leave the door open behind you if it is easy.
- Do not create a spark. Do not flip light switches, use phones inside, start a car in an attached garage, or light anything.
- Call for help from a safe distance. Once you are well away from the home, call 911 and the gas company's emergency line.
- Stay out. Do not go back inside until the gas company or fire department says it is safe.
- Let the owner know once everyone is safe.
Some local emergency guides teach people to shut off gas at the meter in certain situations. In a Bunklow home guide, our advice for residents is simple: get out, call, and let the professionals handle the valve.
Everyday care around the meter
- Keep the area around the meter clear of plants, stored items, trash cans and snow.
- Do not hang anything on the meter or pipes, and do not let children climb on them.
- Be careful with mowers, trimmers and snow shovels near the meter.
- Before anyone digs in the yard, call 811 a few days ahead to have buried lines marked.
Signs to watch for and report
Here are some common examples. This is not a complete list.
- A gas smell, inside or outside. Leave first, then report.
- A hissing sound near the meter or a gas line.
- A meter or pipe that is bent, rusted or hit by a car, mower or snowplow.
- Pilot lights or burners that keep going out.
Carbon monoxide alarms
Homes with gas appliances should have working carbon monoxide alarms. Test them from the floor with a broom handle, never by climbing. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or anyone feels dizzy, sick or very tired at home, get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911.
Your natural gas safety checklist
From the guide’s own checklist. Tick each one as you go. These are examples; your home may need others.
All done. Thanks so much for taking care of your home!
An everyday example
One winter evening, a resident came home and caught a faint rotten egg smell near the kitchen. They did not turn on any lights. They walked their kids and dog out to the sidewalk, called 911 and the gas company from across the street, and then texted the owner. The gas company found a loose fitting behind the stove, shut off the gas, made the repair, tested the line and relit the pilots. Everyone was back inside within a few hours, safe and warm.
Guides that go well with this one
How much do you remember?
4 quick questions from this guide, with a one line why for each. Totally optional, no sign in, and your answers are never saved.
Go deeper with The Perfect Seasonal Home Care Checklist Workbook
Simple, step by step checklists you can write in, one topic at a time, to help any home stay warm, safe and dry through every season.
Keep this guide handy
Save this page, come back to your checklist any time, and share it with anyone in your home who could use it.
See all guidesTake it with you
- Bunklow Home Guide 113: Natural Gas Exterior Supply Meter Manual Quarter-Turn Shut-Off ProceduresA printable guide to natural gas exterior supply meter manual quarter-turn shut-off procedures, in plain steps.See it in the shop
This guide shares general educational information to help you, and is not legal advice or a substitute for a licensed professional. Bunklow does not inspect, repair or service gas lines or appliances. Gas safety rules differ from state to state and town to town, so please check your state and local law, follow your gas company's instructions, and get local help from the gas company or a licensed professional for any work on gas equipment. In an emergency, call 911.