A supply line that split in the garage wall on a 7 degree morning. A water heater that let go while the house was empty. A thunderstorm that found the one weak spot in the roof. Those are three common ways water damage starts in a house, and in each of them the sooner the water is stopped and removed, the less of the house is likely to need opening up afterward.
Water Damage Cobb County is a free referral service that connects callers with independent local water damage restoration providers, and it is not a restoration contractor. Call the number on this page and you are connected with a provider who works in the Kennesaw area; the inspection, the estimate, the drying and the repair are all between you and that provider. The rest of this page is the local background a Kennesaw owner or renter needs: the freeze readings from the airport next door, what the housing stock looks like, who owns which pipe, where storm water goes, and what the City asks for before a rebuild.
Water on the floor right now?
Close the main water shut-off first. It is usually at the water meter or where the main line enters the house. If water is near outlets, cords or the electrical panel, the CDC’s guidance is to switch off the main power only if you can reach the panel from a dry spot, and never while standing in water. Photograph the damage before you move things, then call.
Call now to be connected with a local water damage restoration provider serving Kennesaw.
When Kennesaw freezes, pipes in 1990s houses find out
Most of Kennesaw’s houses are young by Georgia standards, and they have now been through two hard freezes in a little over two years. The readings below come from the NOAA weather station at McCollum Field, the county airport just southeast of downtown Kennesaw.
| Date | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| December 23, 2022 | 49 F | 9 F |
| December 24, 2022 | 24 F | 7 F |
| December 25, 2022 | 33 F | 16 F |
| January 20, 2025 | 27 F | 15 F |
| January 21, 2025 | 26 F | 18 F |
| January 22, 2025 | 37 F | 12 F |
The first of those is the one people remember. On December 23, 2022 the temperature at the airport dropped 40 degrees in a single day, the next day never got above 24 F, and the low was 16 F again on December 26. Consumer Reports gives 20 F as the temperature below which frozen pipes generally occur, and names basements, attics and garages, the unheated parts of a house, as where the pipes most at risk run. The airport station spent part of four straight days under that line.
Freezing nights are also more common here than the Atlanta forecast suggests. NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals count an average of 72.7 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder at Dallas 7 NE, the station about 8 miles west-southwest of Kennesaw, and 68.3 at Allatoona Dam 2, about 12 miles to the north-northwest. Atlanta’s airport averages 35.7. Neither station is in Kennesaw itself, but both are within about 12 miles of it, and both record roughly double the Atlanta airport’s count.
A pipe that froze often shows itself only when it thaws, as a ceiling stain under a bathroom or water running out from under the garage wall. The Insurance Information Institute’s advice for a burst pipe is short: turn the water off first, then mop up to stop further damage. The steps a provider takes in the first hours, from extraction to setting drying equipment, are laid out on the emergency water removal in Cobb County page.
Six homes in ten were built between 1990 and 2009
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2020 to 2024 counts about 14,400 housing units in the City of Kennesaw, home to roughly 34,600 people, with a median year built of 1998. About 4,500 units date from the 2000s and about 4,400 from the 1990s, which together is about 62 percent of the city’s homes. Only about 11 percent were built before 1980, and the survey estimates that just 71 predate 1940.
| Type of home | Share of Kennesaw housing |
|---|---|
| Detached single-family house | About 58 percent |
| Attached single-family, such as a townhome | About 17 percent |
| Unit in a building of two or more units | About 22 percent |
| Mobile home | About 3 percent |
Those are survey estimates with margins of error, so read them as proportions. Within the multi-unit share, about 1,200 units are in buildings of 50 or more, which matters because a leak in an upstairs unit becomes a ceiling problem for someone else. In a townhome or an apartment, tell the provider about shared walls and the unit below when you call, and tell the property manager or association as well.
For a house built in the 1990s or 2000s, the plain point is age. A water heater, a washing machine hose, an icemaker line or a toilet supply line that went in when the house was built is now 15 to 35 years old. That is an age at which they are worth having checked, and none of it is visible until one fails. Nothing here is a statement about what any Kennesaw house is plumbed with; a plumber looking at your own house can tell you that.
Is the leak yours or the county’s? The meter test
Kennesaw does not run its own water or sewer. Both belong to the Cobb County Water System, which lists Kennesaw among the cities it serves and delivers water drawn from the Chattahoochee River and Allatoona Lake. The county owns and maintains the water pipe from the main in the street to the connection at the meter. From the meter to the building, the pipe is the property owner’s responsibility, and so is any leak on it.
That makes one question urgent when the yard is wet or the bill has jumped: which side of the meter is the leak on? The county publishes its own test, and it takes a few minutes.
- Turn off every fixture and appliance that uses water, indoors and out.
- Lift the meter box lid and watch the arrow or triangle on the meter face. If it spins when nothing is running, there may be a leak.
- Close the whole-house shut-off and look again. If the indicator still spins, the leak is most likely in the service line between the meter and the house.
A leak that stops when the house valve is closed is somewhere past that valve: a toilet, a supply hose, a pipe in a wall. Either way the repair is the owner’s to arrange, and the county’s page on finding and reporting water leaks explains the leak credit it offers on the bill. The credit is available once in a rolling 12-month period, covers no more than two affected months, and never takes plumbing repair costs into account.
Sewage coming up, or a water line gushing
For a sewer backup in a home or in the street, or a broken water line that is gushing, the Cobb County Water System directs people to its emergency response and dispatch line, which is printed on its sewer page. Use the numbers the water system itself publishes; the City of Kennesaw’s website lists a different customer service number for the county.
One thing the county’s ownership rule does not settle is the sewer line. The meter rule is written about the water service pipe, and the county treats sewer lines differently, so ask the water system which part of the line serving your house is yours before paying for a repair. If wastewater has already come up through a floor drain or a tub, the cleanup is a different job from a clean-water leak; see sewage cleanup in Cobb County.
Three creeks, one lake: where Kennesaw’s storm water goes
The City of Kennesaw’s stormwater management plan names three receiving waters for its storm drains: Butler Creek, Proctor Creek and Noonday Creek. Butler and Proctor are both held back by Lake Acworth, which flows out into Lake Allatoona. Noonday Creek begins near Kennesaw Mountain and takes its own route, past Woodstock, before it reaches the same lake.
The U.S. Geological Survey keeps a streamgage on Butler Creek at Mack Dobbs Road near Kennesaw, and another on Noonday Creek downstream at Shallowford Road near Woodstock. Their peak records show what September 2009 was, and what has happened since.
| Gauge | Date | Peak flow | Where it ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Creek at Mack Dobbs Road | September 21, 2009 | 6,760 cubic feet per second (an estimate), 14.27 feet | Highest in a record that starts in 2008 |
| Butler Creek at Mack Dobbs Road | June 1, 2018 | 2,590 cubic feet per second, 9.25 feet | Second highest |
| Butler Creek at Mack Dobbs Road | September 27, 2024 | 1,220 cubic feet per second | Annual peak for that year |
| Noonday Creek at Shallowford Road | September 21, 2009 | 11,400 cubic feet per second, 19.66 feet | Highest in a record that starts in 1999 |
| Noonday Creek at Shallowford Road | September 27, 2024 | 3,500 cubic feet per second | Annual peak for that year |
The 2009 peak on Butler Creek was about two and a half times any other peak in the gauge’s record. A USGS fact sheet on the September 2009 floods found that flood magnitudes on Sweetwater, Butler and Powder Springs creeks in Cobb County greatly exceeded the estimated 500-year flood for those streams. That finding names Butler Creek; it does not name Noonday. Cobb County says the flood reached more than 1,600 homes countywide.
The rain behind it was measured close by. Two volunteer rain gauges labelled Kennesaw in NOAA’s records, one 5.6 miles southwest of the city and one 2.9 miles northeast, logged 20.37 inches and 15.41 inches over September 16 to 22, 2009. At the first gauge, the readings taken on the mornings of September 21 and 22 alone came to 6.06 and 9.31 inches.
The most recent comparison is the storm of September 26 to 27, 2024, when the northeast gauge recorded 9.16 inches and the southwest gauge 8.64 inches, each across three morning readings. Both creeks had their highest flow of that year on September 27, well short of 2009. Most years the creek’s highest flow comes in the warm months, when thunderstorms are most frequent here: 11 of the 18 annual peaks on Butler Creek from 2008 to 2025 fell between May and September.
Rain is steady the rest of the time as well. The two nearby NOAA normals stations average 54.30 inches a year at Dallas 7 NE and 51.78 at Allatoona Dam 2, and no month at either averages under 3.4 inches. For a house, that means roof leaks, wet crawl spaces and overflowing gutters are year-round calls, with creek flooding the rarer and more serious event. Rising water from outside is handled differently from a plumbing leak, and the flood damage restoration in Cobb County page covers it.
Storm water or creek water in the house? Call to be connected with a local restoration provider.
A blocked storm drain: city or county?
This is the question a flooded street makes urgent, and the answer in Kennesaw is split. Inside the city limits, storm drainage is the City of Kennesaw’s job. Its stormwater program, part of Public Works, looks after over 123,000 feet of pipe, which is about 23 miles, along with more than 4,900 structures such as catch basins, outlets and junction boxes, and 250 stormwater detention ponds.
| What is wrong | Whose it is | How to report it |
|---|---|---|
| Clogged storm drain or catch basin on a city street | City of Kennesaw Public Works | Kennesaw 311, on the city’s website or app |
| Sewer backing up in the home or the street | Cobb County Water System | The water system’s emergency dispatch line |
| Water main or county-side line gushing | Cobb County Water System | The water system’s emergency dispatch line |
| Leak between the meter and the house, or inside it | The property owner | A plumber for the pipe, a restoration provider for the water damage |
| Danger to life | Emergency services | Dial 911 |
Kennesaw 311 is the city’s official channel for non-emergency requests, and the city’s Report a Concern page lists clogged storm drains among the things to send there. The same page sends water and sanitary sewer problems to Cobb County Water. A report gets the drain cleared; it does not dry the house, so if water has already come in, the restoration call is a separate one.
Rebuilding: what the City of Kennesaw asks for
Drying a house and rebuilding it are two stages, and the second can involve the City. Inside the city limits, permits come from the City of Kennesaw Building Services Department. The City’s answer to who needs a permit is broad: any owner, agent or contractor who wants to construct, alter, repair, move or demolish a structure, or to alter, repair, remove or replace electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems covered by the technical codes.
What the City’s public pages do not do is itemize water damage work. They do not say whether replacing a run of drywall or a room of flooring needs a permit; the City’s FAQ says what is needed depends on the type of project and tells people to call Building Services and ask. A provider who works in Kennesaw regularly should make that call before the rebuild starts, and you can make it yourself.
- Contractor licensing. The City’s FAQ says that since July 1, 2008 residential and general contractors must hold a Georgia state card for the type of construction work they do, in addition to a local business license.
- Doing it yourself. An owner who lives in the house, or intends to, can act as their own building contractor by signing the City’s notarized Homeowner Affidavit. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC work each still need separate permits, even when the owner does the work.
- Inspections. They are scheduled through the City’s online portal, and a request made before 7:00 p.m. Eastern is in time for the next business day.
- Codes. The City lists the 2024 International Residential, Building, Plumbing and Mechanical codes with Georgia amendments, and the 2023 National Electrical Code, as mandatory from January 1, 2026.
One caution from the state board that licenses residential and general contractors: it warns homeowners against pulling their own permit for a job a contractor will actually do, because whoever obtains the permit takes on most of the liability. The affidavit route is for owners doing their own work.
For a house in a mapped floodplain there is one more layer. Cobb County’s guidance for unincorporated areas says all development in the floodplain requires a permit, and that an improvement counts as substantial once its cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the building’s fair market value before construction starts. That is the county’s rule. Kennesaw is a separate community in FEMA’s flood program, so an owner inside the city should ask Building Services what applies to their lot.
Old Big Shanty: the historic district rule
Downtown Kennesaw is the old railroad town core, and four districts there have been on the National Register of Historic Places since March 20, 1980: Big Shanty Village, Cherokee Street, North Main Street and Summers Street. Separately, the City has its own Kennesaw Historic District with its own rule, and the City’s documents do not say the two share a boundary. If your house is anywhere in the old downtown, ask the City which applies.
Inside the City’s district, new construction and exterior remodeling are reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, and a Certificate of Appropriateness has to be obtained before a building permit is issued. A permit applied for first will be denied. The application lists repairs or alterations among the work it covers, the fee is $50, it is due at least two weeks before the commission meets, and the City will not issue permits until seven days after the decision. If storm damage means exterior work on a house in the district, ask the City early whether the certificate applies, because that sequence sets the calendar for the permit.
Flood insurance in Kennesaw
In FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program the City of Kennesaw is its own community, number 130055, and its current flood map took effect on October 5, 2018. FEMA’s community table shows a Community Rating System class of 7 for unincorporated Cobb County, which carries a 15 percent premium discount. It shows no class for the City of Kennesaw, so no city discount is listed.
Cobb County’s flood insurance guidance makes three general points that hold on either side of the city line: most homeowners policies do not cover flooding, a new flood policy typically has a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect, and 40 percent of flood insurance claims filed through FEMA between 2015 and 2019 came from outside high-risk flood areas. A burst pipe is a different matter from a creek: the National Association of Insurance Commissioners says policies often cover water damage from a frozen pipe that bursts, provided the owner took reasonable steps to keep the pipes from freezing. Your own policy and your insurer decide what is covered.
A Kennesaw address is not always the City of Kennesaw
A Kennesaw mailing address does not prove a house is inside the city limits. Addresses around Town Center and Barrett Lakes, along Barrett Parkway, and in the Kennesaw State University area say Kennesaw but may lie in unincorporated Cobb County. This page does not claim to know which side any one street is on, and the line matters: outside the city, permits come from Cobb County instead of the City, and the storm drain in the street is not the City’s.
Check before you call the wrong office: ask the City’s Building Services Department whether your address is inside the city limits before you apply for anything. Closer to the center, the City’s own trail system, which it says runs along several creeks, utility easements and public property just north of downtown, links Winchester Forest, Deerfield, Whispering Lake and Matlock Drive. Owners nearer the lake side of the county may find the water damage restoration in Acworth, GA page closer to their situation, and those toward the county seat the water damage restoration in Marietta, GA page.
Emergency dispatch is shared too. Kennesaw Acworth 911 handles emergency communications for both cities and dispatches police; calls for fire or medical help are transferred to the county. None of that changes what to do in an emergency, which is to dial 911.
The work, the days and the bill in Kennesaw
Water damage restoration is the whole job from wet house to finished rooms. What follows describes what restoration providers generally do; the provider you are connected with sets the scope for your house after seeing it.
- Assessment. Finding where the water went, including inside walls and under floors, with moisture meters and thermal imaging, and judging how clean the water is.
- Extraction. Pumping or vacuuming out standing water.
- Removal. Taking out what cannot be dried. EPA guidance allows drywall wet by clean water to be dried in place only if it shows no obvious swelling and its seams are intact, and says wet fiberglass or cellulose insulation is discarded and replaced.
- Drying. Air movers and dehumidifiers, with readings taken to track progress.
- Cleaning. Washing and, where the water was contaminated, disinfecting what stays.
- Repair. Drywall, flooring, trim and paint, which is where a City permit may come in.
How long it takes depends on a target, not a calendar. The provider sets a dry standard for each material and dries until the readings reach it. FEMA’s published figure is that a wet area usually takes two to three days to dry completely and that rebuilding should wait until then; HomeAdvisor’s guide says a water-damaged home takes around five days to dry, depending on the damage. Repairs come after that and vary with what was removed.
The local air does not help. NOAA’s long-term record for Atlanta, which is the regional reading and not a Kennesaw one, averages 81 percent relative humidity in the morning and 55 percent in the afternoon across the year. EPA’s target for a house is below 60 percent and ideally 30 to 50, so the outdoor air in this region is frequently damper than the level a wet house has to be brought down to. That is why drying equipment, and not open windows and time, does the work here.
What published cost guides say
No published cost range specific to Kennesaw was found in the research for this page. The figures below are HomeAdvisor’s national estimates from its guide updated June 17, 2026. They are not this site’s prices and not any provider’s; Water Damage Cobb County sets no prices, and only a written estimate from the provider who has seen the house means anything.
| Item | HomeAdvisor national estimate, June 17, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Average water damage restoration bill | $3,868 |
| Typical range | $1,383 to $6,369 |
| Clean water, per square foot | $3.50 |
| Gray water, per square foot | $5.25 |
| Black water, per square foot | $7.50 |
| Drywall repair | About $300 to $850 |
| Floor repair | About $200 to $550 |
| Ceiling repair | About $450 to $1,600 |
The per-square-foot rows explain most of the spread. The dirtier the water and the longer it sat, the more has to come out instead of being dried, and the repair lines stack on top of the drying.
Mold after a leak
EPA’s guidance is to dry water-damaged areas and items within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. If you are a renter or an owner expecting the county to come and look, it will not: Cobb and Douglas Public Health states that it does not have the authority to address mold in private residences or rental properties. What to do about growth that has already started is on the mold remediation in Cobb County page.
Choosing a provider, and how the call works
Calling the number on this page connects you with an independent restoration provider that serves the Kennesaw area. The call is free. Some participating providers offer 24-hour emergency service, but availability depends on the provider and is not guaranteed, and this site cannot tell you how quickly anyone will arrive. You are free to speak with the provider, ask questions and decide not to go ahead.
Whoever you hire, through this site or not, check them yourself. These are the questions worth asking before work starts.
- Proof of insurance. Georgia’s licensing board for residential and general contractors advises asking for proof of general liability insurance and checking that the name on it matches the business you are hiring.
- The state card for the rebuild. Ask who will do the repair stage and whether they hold the Georgia license the City’s FAQ describes. The Attorney General’s consumer site explains how to look one up through the Secretary of State’s licensee search.
- A written scope. The board advises a written contract that sets out the work, the materials, the final clean-up, a completion date and a payment schedule, and advises never paying the whole cost before the work is complete.
- How dryness will be shown. Ask what the drying target is for each material and whether you will see the moisture readings before anything is closed up.
- Who calls the City. Ask whether they will confirm the permit question with Kennesaw Building Services, or with Cobb County if your address is outside the city.
Kennesaw is one of seven cities this site covers. For the wider county picture, start at water damage in Cobb County.
Call to be connected with a local water damage restoration provider for your Kennesaw home.
Questions people ask
Who do I call first in Kennesaw when sewage is backing up into the house?
Stop using water in the house, keep people and pets out of the affected rooms, and call the Cobb County Water System’s emergency dispatch line, which the county says is for a sewer backup in a home or street. The county runs Kennesaw’s sewer, not the City. If the blockage is on your own line, a plumber clears it. Cleaning up what came in is a separate job for a restoration provider, because sewage is contaminated water.
Is the pipe between my water meter and my house mine or Cobb County’s?
It is yours. The Cobb County Water System owns and maintains the water pipe from the main to the connection at the meter, and says the pipe from the meter to the building is the property owner’s responsibility. The county’s meter test tells you which side a leak is on: if the indicator on the meter keeps spinning with the whole-house shut-off closed, the leak is most likely in that service line.
A storm drain on my street is blocked and water is rising. Is that the city or the county?
Inside the Kennesaw city limits it is the City. Storm drainage belongs to the City’s Public Works stormwater program, and clogged storm drains are reported through Kennesaw 311 on the city’s website or app. Water and sanitary sewer problems go to Cobb County Water instead. If your Kennesaw address is actually in unincorporated Cobb, the drain is not the City’s. If anyone is in danger from rising water, dial 911.
Do I need a City of Kennesaw permit to repair water damage?
It depends on the work. The City says a permit covers anyone who wants to construct, alter or repair a structure, or to alter, repair, remove or replace electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems. Its public pages do not itemize drywall or flooring replacement, and its FAQ says to call Building Services to find out what a given project needs. Have the provider confirm with that office before the rebuild starts.
My house is in the Kennesaw Historic District. What changes for the repair?
The rule is about exterior work. Inside the City’s Kennesaw Historic District, exterior remodeling is reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission, and a Certificate of Appropriateness must be obtained before a building permit is issued. The application fee is $50, it is due at least two weeks before the commission meets, and permits are not issued until seven days after the decision. Apply for the certificate first; a permit requested before it will be denied.
Does homeowners insurance cover flooding from Butler, Proctor or Noonday Creek?
Usually not. Cobb County’s flood guidance says most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flooding, and that a new flood policy typically has a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect, so it cannot be bought as a storm approaches. The county also notes that 40 percent of flood claims filed through FEMA from 2015 to 2019 came from outside high-risk areas. Your insurer decides what your own policy covers.
How bad was the September 2009 flood in Kennesaw, and has it flooded since?
The USGS gauge on Butler Creek at Mack Dobbs Road peaked at an estimated 6,760 cubic feet per second on September 21, 2009, the highest in a record that starts in 2008. Two rain gauges labelled Kennesaw logged 20.37 and 15.41 inches over that week. The next highest peak on the gauge is 2,590 on June 1, 2018. On September 27, 2024, after 9.16 and 8.64 inches at those gauges, the creek peaked at 1,220.
How cold did it get in Kennesaw in December 2022, and what should I do when a pipe bursts?
At McCollum Field, the airport station just southeast of downtown, the low was 9 F on December 23, 2022 and 7 F on December 24, when the high reached only 24 F. Lows were 16 F on the next two nights. If a pipe bursts, close the main water shut-off first, keep clear of any water near electrical outlets or the panel, photograph the damage, and then call a plumber for the pipe and a restoration provider for the water.
Will the health department inspect my home or apartment for mold after a leak?
No. Cobb and Douglas Public Health, the health department for Cobb County, states that it does not have the authority to address mold issues in private residences or rental properties. It can only address mold from a sanitation standpoint in places it inspects, such as restaurants and hotels. Its guidance is to remove the mold and work to prevent future growth, and it notes that the CDC does not recommend routine sampling for molds.
How long does restoration take after water damage, and why does Georgia humidity matter?
Drying runs to a measured target for each material, not a set number of days. FEMA’s published figure is two to three days for a wet area to dry completely, and HomeAdvisor’s guide says around five days for a home. Repairs follow. Humidity matters because outdoor air in this region is often damper than a house should be: NOAA’s Atlanta record averages 81 percent in the morning and 55 percent in the afternoon, against EPA’s indoor target of under 60.
What does water damage restoration include?
Generally six stages: an assessment that finds hidden water with moisture meters and thermal imaging, extraction of standing water, removal of materials that cannot be dried, drying with air movers and dehumidifiers until readings reach a target, cleaning and disinfecting where the water was contaminated, and the repair of drywall, flooring and finishes. The provider you are connected with decides the scope for your house after seeing it.
What does water damage restoration cost around Kennesaw?
No published cost range specific to Kennesaw was found. As a national guide, HomeAdvisor’s page updated June 17, 2026 puts the average water damage restoration bill at $3,868, with most jobs between $1,383 and $6,369, and per-square-foot figures of $3.50 for clean water, $5.25 for gray water and $7.50 for black water. Those are HomeAdvisor’s estimates. A written estimate from the provider who has seen the house is the only real price.
How do I choose a water damage restoration company, and what should I check before hiring?
Ask for proof of general liability insurance and check the name on it matches the business. Ask who does the rebuild and whether they hold the Georgia state card the City of Kennesaw’s FAQ describes for residential and general contractors. Get a written scope with the work, materials, completion date and payment schedule. Ask how they will show the structure is dry. Georgia’s contractor board advises never paying the whole cost before the work is complete.
My address says Kennesaw but I may be outside the city limits. Does that matter?
Yes. Areas such as Town Center, Barrett Parkway and the university district carry Kennesaw addresses but may lie in unincorporated Cobb County. Outside the city limits, building permits come from Cobb County and not from Kennesaw Building Services, and the City does not maintain the storm drains. Water and sewer are the Cobb County Water System’s on either side of the line. Ask Kennesaw Building Services whether your address is inside the city limits.
Is this a restoration company?
No. Water Damage Cobb County is a free referral service. Calling the number on this page connects you with an independent local restoration provider, and that provider handles the inspection, the estimate and the work. This site does not perform or guarantee any work and sets no prices. It is up to you to verify that the provider you hire carries the license and insurance the job requires. Provider availability varies and is not guaranteed.