Frequently Asked Questions

Usually, yes. The Texas Department of Insurance describes sudden, accidental water damage such as a burst pipe as typically covered under most standard homeowners policies. Continuous leakage over time and flood damage are usually excluded instead, so check your policy's specific wording.

Under Texas Insurance Code §542.057(a), once your insurer notifies you that it will pay the claim, payment is due no later than the fifth business day after that notice. If payment instead depends on some action by you, that fifth-business-day clock runs from your action under §542.057(b).

Under §542.055, the insurer must acknowledge your claim, begin investigating and request the items, statements and forms it needs no later than the 15th calendar day after it receives notice of your claim — the 30th business day if the insurer is an eligible surplus lines insurer.

Usually, up to 10 percent of the settlement under §4102.104(a). But under §4102.104(b), no percentage fee applies if the insurer pays, or commits in writing to pay, the policy limit within 72 hours of the loss report.

Only if it meets the legal definition. Under §542.059(b), a weather-related catastrophe or major natural disaster, as defined by the commissioner, extends the claim-handling deadlines in this subchapter by an additional 15 days.

In plain terms, yes. A burst supply pipe is generally clean water, while a sewage backup is contaminated water that calls for more caution.

Move away from standing water and anything touching exposed wiring, and use your home's main shut-off valve if you can safely reach it. Photograph the damage and the apparent source, then contact your insurer to open a claim and start looking for a water mitigation provider that serves your ZIP code.

No. This site is an independent information guide and referral service for homeowners. It does not send crews, price a job or file a claim on your behalf. When it connects a caller to a local provider, ask that provider for proof of insurance and any trade license the specific job requires. See our about and contact page for how the site is funded.

Under Texas Insurance Code §542.056(a), an insurer must notify you in writing whether it accepts or rejects the claim within 15 business days after it receives all the items, statements and forms it requires. If it needs more time, it must notify you of that within that same 15-business-day period and say why, then accept or reject the claim within 45 days of that notice, under §542.056(d).

Not if you own the property. Texas Occupations Code §1958.102(e) lets an owner assess or remediate mold on their own residential property, with fewer than 10 dwelling units, with no size limit. A company you hire, by contrast, needs a TDLR mold remediation license once the project covers 25 contiguous square feet or more.

Sometimes. The Texas Department of Insurance says mold on a damaged item may be covered if a covered water loss caused it, while separate mold cleanup or testing after that item is removed is usually not covered without added coverage. Policy wording varies, so check your own declarations page and any mold endorsement.

Contact the Texas Department of Insurance at 800-252-3439, or use its online complaint process. Keep a copy of your claim file, including the dates you gave notice and received any written response, so you can point to the specific deadline you believe was missed.

Call the Pflugerville Police Department at 512-990-6700. The city routes after-hours, weekend and holiday water and sewer emergencies through that line rather than Public Works directly, and the department contacts the right crew from there.

Call City of Pflugerville Public Works at 512-990-6400, Monday through Friday. For a sewer backup specifically, the city asks that you call it first so it can investigate whether the blockage is a city responsibility or your own private line.

Use your home's main shut-off valve if you can reach it safely. Do not force a valve you cannot operate. If you cannot shut off the water yourself, call a plumber, or call the city if you believe the problem is on its side of the system.

Contact Floodplain Administrator Gordon Haws, P.E., at 512-990-6400. The city says it will visit a property, if requested, at no charge. If your address is in unincorporated Williamson County rather than inside city limits, contact the county's floodplain office at 512-943-3330 instead.

The city states that residents within Pflugerville city limits currently qualify for a 15 percent reduction in flood insurance premiums under its floodplain management program. Ask your own insurer about flood coverage and eligibility for your specific address.

Some Pflugerville-area addresses are served by a municipal utility district or water supply corporation instead of the city. Manville Water Supply Corporation answers outages and leaks at 512-856-2488, and Wells Branch MUD's operator, Crossroads Utility Services, answers emergencies at 512-246-1400.

That depends on the scope of the job, and the office must confirm it. Call Building Inspections and Permits at 512-990-6300, or apply through the city's portal at ams.pflugervilletx.gov/PublicAccess, and describe your specific drywall, electrical or plumbing repair before you start.

Usually not. The Texas Department of Insurance says a standard homeowners policy generally excludes flood damage, and separate flood insurance, most often through the National Flood Insurance Program, is typically needed to cover it.

Yes. Wilbarger Creek is the waterway named in the city's own Wilbarger Creek Watershed Flood Protection Planning Study. Check your specific address with the Floodplain Administrator rather than relying on distance from any named creek.

Up to $250,000 for the structure and up to $100,000 for contents, with a waiting period of 30 days that typically applies before a new policy takes effect. Confirm current terms with your insurer or agent.

Texas's Residential Construction Liability Act requires you to send the contractor written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least 60 days before filing a lawsuit, under Texas Property Code §27.004(a). During the 35-day period after the contractor receives that notice, the contractor may inspect the property, with up to three inspections allowed.

Check with the National Weather Service for current watches and warnings. For real-time road closures in the Austin area, the ATXfloods system tracks low-water crossings and flooded roads.

Do not decide based on map location alone. Ask your insurer or lender whether flood coverage is required or available for your specific property; Pflugerville's floodplain administrator can help you check your property's floodplain status first.