Home emergency playbook

Gas smell outdoors near meter or yard

Conservative first steps for homeowners before cleanup, repair, or contractor dispatch. When safety is uncertain, leave and call first.

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Immediate steps

Move uphill or upwind away from the meter, regulator, buried line route, or bubbling wet soil.
Call the utility emergency line first before hiring private repair.
Keep vehicles, mowers, grills, and smoking materials away from the odor zone.
Warn neighbors from a distance if the smell is near a shared driveway, sidewalk, or alley.

Do not start a car, mower, generator, or snow blower near the suspected leak.
Do not cover a hissing regulator or bubbling soil with mulch, snow, or a bucket.
Do not let anyone stand at the meter waiting for the utility crew.

Call 911 if anyone is injured, trapped, in medical distress, or if fire, shock, collapse, or active crime is present.
Call the utility emergency line before private repair when gas, electric service, public water, sewer main, or buried lines may be involved.
Call a licensed gas, plumbing, or HVAC pro only after the utility or responders clear the property.

Note wind direction, exact odor location, digging work, and any recent vehicle or equipment contact.
Keep sidewalks and driveway approaches clear for the utility truck and emergency responders.
After the utility clears the area, photograph damaged risers, regulators, or landscape disruption.

Call 811 before fences, drainage, landscaping, mailbox posts, or stump grinding near gas routes.
Protect meters and propane regulators from vehicle contact with approved bollards where exposed.
Keep snow, ice, leaves, and mulch from blocking regulator vents.

Utility emergency response is typically no charge; customer-side appliance or piping repair can be moderate to high.

If a contractor, vehicle, or storm damaged a private gas line, written utility findings and photos of the impact point support the claim review.