How to Shut Off the Gas at the Meter After an Earthquake

The shaking stopped and the instinct is to run outside and close the gas. That instinct is the expensive mistake. Once the valve at the meter is closed, only the gas utility or a qualified plumber can turn it back on, and after a large earthquake the wait can run long because every crew is busy. A house with a closed valve and no leak goes without heat and hot water for nothing. Close it only when there is a sign of a leak, and practice finding it before October 15, 2026, International ShakeOut Day.

Find the shutoff valve and leave a wrench beside it

Walk out to the gas meter. Puget Sound Energy describes the valve as usually the first fitting on the supply pipe coming up out of the ground next to the meter. It has a flat tab or lever. When the tab runs the same direction as the pipe, gas is flowing. Keep an adjustable wrench at that spot, as the Earthquake Country Alliance recommends, so nobody searches a garage after a quake.

Check for a leak before you touch anything

After the shaking, the signs that justify closing the meter are the smell of gas, the sound of gas escaping, or a broken gas line, appliance, vent, or flue you can see. If none of those is present, leave the gas on. Pacific Gas and Electric and Puget Sound Energy both say not to close it without a clear sign of a leak.

Get out first if you smell or hear gas

Leave the building and call 911 from outside. Do not flip light switches, use appliances, or use a phone inside, since a spark can ignite the gas. Then call the gas utility's emergency number.

Turn the valve a quarter turn so it sits crosswise

Only if it is safe to stand at the meter, fit the wrench on the tab and turn it in either direction until the tab sits crosswise to the pipe. That is closed. A gas smell near one appliance only can often be stopped at that appliance's own valve on its supply line, which usually turns by hand.

Leave it off and call the utility to restore service

Do not reopen the meter valve yourself. The utility or a qualified plumber has to check the lines, turn the gas on, and relight every pilot light. Call and get in the queue as soon as the area is safe.

If the house has an automatic shutoff. Many homes built or upgraded after 2006 have an excess flow valve that restricts gas if the service line is damaged. Earthquake shutoff valves can also be added on the house side of the meter; some need a building permit and some cities require one at sale, so ask the local building department first.

If the quake damaged the house. Photograph everything before cleanup, and if the area is declared a disaster, register for FEMA aid before the deadline.

Sources. Puget Sound Energy, gas shutoff, Puget Sound Energy, earthquake safety, Earthquake Country Alliance, gas safety, Pacific Gas and Electric, natural disaster safety, Great ShakeOut.