What to Do If You Smell Gas: Emergency Steps for NYC and Long Island Homes

Natural gas has a distinctive rotten-egg odor added so people can detect leaks. If you smell it, treat it as an emergency. The steps below follow guidance published by Con Edison and National Grid for the New York area.

Step-by-step: what to do

1. Leave immediately. Get everyone, including pets, out of the building. Do not stop to look for the source.
2. Do not create a spark. Do not light matches or lighters, smoke, flip light switches on or off, use doorbells or elevators, unplug appliances, or start a car nearby. The utilities specifically warn against using phones, flashlights, and appliances indoors because they can produce a spark.
3. Call from a safe distance. Once you are outside and away from the building, call 911 or the utility emergency number for your area.
4. Warn others. In an apartment building, alert neighbors on your way out if you can do so safely, without ringing doorbells.
5. Wait for responders. Do not go back inside until the utility or the fire department says it is safe.

Signs of a gas leak besides the smell

National Grid notes that a leak can sometimes be recognized by sight or sound as well as smell:

• A hissing, whistling, or roaring sound near a gas line or appliance.
• A white cloud, mist, or bubbles in standing water outdoors.
• Dead or dying vegetation near a buried line for no clear reason.
• Blowing dust near the ground.

What happens after you call

Utility crews respond around the clock. Con Edison says its crews will make the area safe; if the leak is in your home or business piping or equipment, the utility will turn off the gas until a plumber or technician makes the needed repairs. Restoring gas afterward involves repairs, a pressure test, approval from the building department, and a utility inspection.

Should you shut off the gas yourself?

Utilities generally advise leaving and calling first rather than staying inside to find and operate valves. If you have been shown how to use your appliance or meter shutoff valve and you can do it without delay or risk, follow the utility's guidance, but your first priority is getting out. Never try to turn gas back on at the meter yourself after it has been shut off; only the utility should do that.

Gas smell outdoors

If you smell gas outside, near a street, sidewalk, or construction site, move away from the area and call 911 or the utility. Mention any digging or sewer work nearby, which helps crews locate the problem. Before any digging on your own property, call 811 so underground utility lines can be marked.

Prevention: reduce the chances of a leak

• Have gas appliances and connectors installed and serviced by qualified professionals.
• Replace old, kinked, or damaged flexible appliance connectors.
• Do not hang items from gas pipes or store things against meters.
• Keep areas around gas appliances clear and well ventilated.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms and test them regularly. CO is a different hazard from a gas leak, but both are linked to fuel-burning equipment.
• In larger NYC buildings, keep up with Local Law 152 gas piping inspections.

After the emergency

Once the utility has made things safe, the repairs on the building side of the meter are the owner's responsibility. Work on gas piping must be done by qualified, properly licensed professionals and approved by the local building department before the utility restores service.

Whether you live in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau County, or Suffolk County, save your utility's emergency number in your phone today so you have it when you need it.

This article is general information for property owners, not legal or engineering advice. Rules and procedures change; confirm current requirements with the agency or utility involved.