A burst pipe near the Square, a wet basement off Whitlock Avenue, water coming through the ceiling of an apartment: whatever brought you here, one call to the number on this page puts you in touch with a local water damage restoration provider. The rest of this page covers what is particular to Marietta: which government your address answers to, who handles the pipe in the street, what the creek gauges and the thermometer have recorded, and what the city asks for before a rebuild.
Water Damage Cobb County is a free referral service that connects callers with independent local restoration providers. It is not a contractor and does none of the work described on this page. The provider you are connected with looks at the damage and gives you their own scope, price and schedule.
Water still running?
Close the main water shut-off valve. Consumer Reports says it is usually at the water meter or where the main line enters the house. The CDC says to switch off the main power only if you can reach the panel from a dry place, and never to switch power on or off while standing in water. If anyone is in danger, call 911.
Call now to be connected with a local water damage restoration provider serving Marietta.
Inside the city, or just a Marietta address? Settle this first
One mailing address covers two governments here. A house with Marietta on the envelope may sit inside the City of Marietta, or it may sit in unincorporated Cobb County, where the post office uses the same city name. East Cobb is the best-known example: it is unincorporated Cobb County with Marietta addresses.
The difference decides three things after water damage: which utility owns the main in the street, which office you report a sewer spill to, and which building department issues the permit for the rebuild. It is worth settling before you report a spill or apply for a permit.
| Question | Inside the City of Marietta | Marietta address in unincorporated Cobb County |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs water and sewer? | Marietta Water, the water side of Marietta Power and Water | Cobb County Water System |
| Who takes the report of a sewer spill or a water emergency? | Marietta Water’s Water Field Operations, which the city lists for sewer spills and for water maintenance and emergencies | Cobb County Water System’s emergency dispatch line, which the county reserves for a sewer backup in a home or street or a broken water line |
| Who handles a street storm drain? | City of Marietta Public Works, not Marietta Water | Cobb County Water System, which lists a separate stormwater management office |
| Who issues permits for the rebuild? | City of Marietta Building Inspections | Cobb County Community Development, whose Development and Inspections division covers the unincorporated areas only |
The quickest test is the name on the water bill. A bill from Marietta Power and Water means you are a city customer. A bill from Cobb County Water System means the county columns above are yours, and the county’s sewer page lists its dispatch line. If you have no bill to hand, check the address against the city limits before you apply for anything.
A leak or a backup inside the city: who does what
Marietta Water is responsible for water distribution and sanitary sewer collection inside the city. A sewer spill should be reported immediately to its Water Field Operations line, which is printed on the city’s wastewater overflow page. The city says its operation, maintenance and repair crews are available around the clock to respond to spills. The same office takes water maintenance and emergency calls.
Storm water is a separate matter. The city says Marietta Water does not handle it, and that a storm drain problem goes to the Public Works Department. A street drain that backs up in heavy rain is therefore a different call from a sewer that backs up into a bathtub.
The sewer rule that surprises owners
The line that carries waste from a building to the public main is called the service line, and in Marietta a blockage in it is the owner’s to clear. The city’s Marietta Water FAQ says nearly all service-line blockages come from material leaving the building or from tree roots on private property. It adds that removing the blockage is the property owner’s responsibility even where the line lies in the road right-of-way or in a sewer easement.
In practice that means a plumber clears the line and a restoration provider deals with what came up through the floor drain. Sewage is contaminated water and is handled differently from a clean supply leak. The sewage cleanup in Cobb County page explains that work.
Money back after a leak
A leak runs up the water bill as well as the repair bill. According to the same FAQ, Marietta Power and Water can credit a water bill for up to six months of excess use once the leak is repaired, and it needs a copy of the repair invoice. The wastewater charge above the customer’s average is waived as well. Keep the plumber’s invoice.
If you cannot close your own valve and need the utility to turn the water off or on at the meter, the city charges $25 in working hours and $65 after hours. Fees change, so treat those as the city’s figures on the day this page was checked.
The division of labor is simple once it is written down. The utility handles the pipe in the street, a licensed plumber handles the pipe on your side, and the restoration provider handles the wet building. The trade’s own standard, the IICRC S500, says that finding and correcting the cause of the water is the property owner’s responsibility and not the restorer’s.
Four creeks begin in or beside Marietta
Marietta sits on a divide and drains two ways. The city’s stormwater page refers to waters that drain to the Chattahoochee River and to Lake Allatoona. Sope Creek goes to the Chattahoochee, and Noonday Creek goes to Lake Allatoona.
- Sope Creek starts inside the city, west of Interstate 75, and runs 11.6 miles through East Cobb to the Chattahoochee. Sewell Mill Creek and Bishop Creek feed it.
- Ward Creek begins just west-southwest of the Square and joins Noses Creek, a tributary of Sweetwater Creek.
- Olley Creek begins south of the central business district and also feeds Noses Creek.
- Little Noonday Creek flows north from the northeast corner of Marietta into Noonday Creek.
These are short creeks near their sources, not a river arriving from far upstream. The gauge records below show what they have done in heavy rain.
What the Sope Creek gauge has recorded
The US Geological Survey gauge called Sope Creek near Marietta has annual peaks on file from 1963. It sits at the Lower Roswell Road bridge in East Cobb, after the creek has left the city. Its highest flow is 9,500 cubic feet per second at a gauge height of 18.35 feet, on September 21, 2009. The second highest came twelve years later: 9,030 cubic feet per second at 18.05 feet on September 8, 2021. Third is 8,160 at 17.47 feet on September 16, 2004.
Timing stands out in that file. Nine annual peaks reached 5,000 cubic feet per second or more, and six of them fell between July and September. The other three came in February or March.
| Event | Sope Creek near Marietta (USGS) | Rain at Dobbins Air Reserve Base (NOAA) |
|---|---|---|
| September 21, 2009 | 9,500 cubic feet per second at 18.35 feet, the highest flow on record | 8.57 inches over September 17 to 22, including 3.52 on the 21st |
| September 8, 2021 | 9,030 cubic feet per second at 18.05 feet | 3.59 inches on the 8th and none on the days either side |
| September 27, 2024 (Hurricane Helene) | 3,460 cubic feet per second at 12.50 feet | 10.64 inches over September 25 to 27 |
One night of rain in 2021
The middle row is the one to remember. NOAA’s station at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta recorded 3.59 inches for September 8, 2021 and nothing on the days either side. That single day put Sope Creek about four inches below its 2009 reading. It also gave Rottenwood Creek, gauged at Interstate North Parkway, its highest recorded flow: 4,880 cubic feet per second at 14.67 feet, above its 2009 figure.
Helene shows the other side. Dobbins measured almost three times as much rain over three days in September 2024, and Sope Creek peaked at 12.50 feet, far below the 2009 and 2021 readings. The gauge record does not let anyone predict a creek from a rainfall total alone.
September 2009 in detail
The National Weather Service account of the 2009 flood lists two Marietta gauges. Sope Creek, with a flood stage of 12 feet, crested twice on September 21: 15.33 feet in the morning and 18.35 feet in the evening. Sewell Mill Creek, also with a flood stage of 12 feet, crested at 13.26 feet that afternoon.
Creek water that enters a house is not clean water, and flood claims run on different rules from a pipe leak. The flood damage restoration in Cobb County page covers the cleanup and the insurance side.
Five nights below 16 degrees: Marietta’s freeze record
Burst pipes are the other half of the Marietta story, and the reference event is December 2022. NOAA’s Dobbins station recorded a low of 6.1 degrees Fahrenheit on December 24, with a high that day of only 24.1. Lows were 12.7 on the 23rd and between 15.1 and 15.4 on the 25th, 26th and 27th. That is five days running with a low under 16 degrees.
Atlanta’s airport recorded a low of 8 degrees on the same morning, so the Marietta station read about two degrees colder than the airport. A pipe in an outside wall, a crawl space or an unheated garage has to survive the local reading, not the airport’s.
Ordinary years bring plenty of frost too. Two nearby NOAA stations with 1991 to 2020 normals sit on either side of the city, and neither is in Marietta itself. Mableton 1 N, south of the city, averages 63.5 nights a year at or below 32 degrees. Dallas 7 NE, to the west in Paulding County, averages 72.7.
The same two stations average 56.18 and 54.30 inches of precipitation a year, against 50.43 at the Atlanta airport. They log measurable precipitation on 109.0 and 121.7 days a year, roughly a third of all days. For what to do in the first hour after a pipe lets go, see emergency water removal in Cobb County.
Call to be connected with a local restoration provider and describe what the water has reached.
What Marietta is built of
The Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2020 to 2024 counts 26,783 housing units in the City of Marietta, with a median year built of 1987. The 1980s are the biggest single decade, at 6,848 units or about a quarter of the total. One home in three, 8,908 units, was built before 1980.
Close to half the city shares a wall, a floor or a ceiling
Marietta is not mainly a city of detached houses. The same survey puts 44.5 percent of units in buildings of two or more, including 2,355 units in buildings of 50 or more. Another 12.4 percent are attached single units such as townhouses, and 42.8 percent are detached.
That shapes how water damage plays out. In a stacked building water travels down and sideways between units, and the person who finds it is often not the person who owns the pipe. A provider may need access to the unit above or beside yours to find how far the water went, and that takes the owner’s or manager’s permission.
If you rent, tell the manager or landlord at once, by phone and then in writing so there is a dated record. Photograph the damage and move what you can out of the water’s path. You can still call the number on this page to speak with a provider, but the building and its plumbing are the owner’s to repair.
Homes from the bomber plant decades
The survey counts 4,743 units built in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Those are the decades when Marietta’s aircraft plant drew workers. The New Georgia Encyclopedia says Bell Aircraft put 28,158 people to work there building B-29 bombers in the Second World War, and that Lockheed reopened the plant in 1951.
Age matters to a tear-out. The EPA warns that older homes may contain asbestos or lead in their building materials, which is a question to raise with the provider before anyone cuts out walls, ceilings or flooring in a house of that era.
Old mains under old streets
As of October 2026, Marietta Water is replacing an old sewer main near Wellstar Kennestone. A city notice posted May 14, 2026 said work on the Upper ER Sewer Replacement Project would begin on May 18, 2026 and is expected to finish in early 2027. It covers about 3,800 linear feet of 8 to 12 inch sewer main.
The route follows Allgood Road, Wellons Street, Pine Street, Cherry Street, Cherokee Street and Church Street, along with Etowah Drive and Chicopee Drive. The city’s stated reason is that the existing line has reached the end of its service life. Residents on those streets who notice slow drains or a backup during the work should report it to Marietta Water as well as calling a plumber.
Rebuilding after the drying: Marietta permits and fees
Once the building is dry, putting it back together may need a permit. The City of Marietta requires a permit to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building or structure, or to install or alter any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system. Its building permit page names water heater replacement as an example.
The only exemption that page names is fence construction. It says nothing either way about replacing drywall or flooring, so the safe course is to ask Building Inspections before the rebuild starts and not after.
| Item | What the City of Marietta publishes |
|---|---|
| Residential building permit fee | $5 per $1,000 of total construction cost, labor and materials, plus a $50 base fee |
| First inspection | Free |
| Reinspection after a failed inspection | $50, then $75, then $100 |
| Plumbing permit | Required for all work done on a plumbing system, with water supply, sewer, gas line and water heater among the city’s examples |
| Electrical permit | Required for all work on electrical systems; processing takes 24 to 48 hours after payment |
| Power reconnection | Inspected under a safe-to-connect permit, with the result sent to the power company |
By that formula a rebuild with $12,000 of labor and materials would carry a $110 building permit fee before any trade permits. For electrical work, the city says a qualifying emergency repair can get a three-day release if the application is filed first.
A permit can be pulled by a licensed contractor, by a homeowner with a notarized affidavit who meets the conditions in state law, or by an authorized agent with a notarized form. For projects permitted after January 1, 2026 the city applies the 2024 International Residential, Building and Plumbing Codes and the 2023 National Electrical Code, each with 2026 Georgia amendments.
Historic districts around the Square
Marietta has three locally designated residential historic districts: Kennesaw Avenue, Church-Cherokee Streets and Forest Hills. Downtown Marietta is a fourth district. The city says owners or occupants within a historic district must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness for any work project involving an exterior change to the appearance of a property.
The city’s page speaks only of exterior change and does not list particular repairs. If work after water damage will alter what shows from the street, confirm with the city before it starts. Downtown, the Historic Board of Review approves exterior changes, including paint colors, signs and awnings.
The city also lists five National Register districts: Atlanta-Frasier Street, Church-Cherokee Street, Northwest Marietta, Washington Avenue and Whitlock Avenue. For scale, the American Community Survey counts only 464 housing units in the whole city built before 1940.
Flood zone, flood rating and the 50 percent rule
FEMA’s Community Status Book lists the City of Marietta as community 130226. Its current flood map took effect on October 5, 2018. Marietta is a class 7 community in the Community Rating System, which FEMA’s table shows with a 15 percent discount.
The city’s floodplain management page tells residents two things worth knowing before the next storm. Flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program has a 30-day waiting period before coverage takes effect. And an address can be checked against the mapped floodplain on the Georgia DFIRM map viewer.
Marietta’s 50 percent rule
If redevelopment costs equal or exceed 50 percent of the fair market value of the primary structure over any 10-year period, a property already in the floodplain must be brought up to code. The floodplain management page lists the city contact for this rule.
Mold and Marietta’s health office
Cobb & Douglas Public Health has its Cobb environmental health office in Marietta, but it will not inspect a home for mold. The agency says it has no authority to address mold in private residences or rental properties. The Georgia Department of Public Health says mold inspection, testing and remediation have no enforceable state or federal standards.
That leaves prevention. The EPA says that if wet materials are dried within 24 to 48 hours of a leak, in most cases mold will not grow. What happens when it does is covered on the mold remediation in Cobb County page.
What restoration includes, how long it takes and what it costs around Marietta
A restoration job generally moves through the same stages whatever the cause. The provider sets the actual scope after seeing the building.
- Assessment. Moisture meters and thermal imaging are the usual instruments for finding water that has moved out of sight, behind walls and under flooring.
- Water removal. Standing water is pumped or vacuumed out.
- Removal of what cannot be saved. Soaked carpet pad, swollen baseboard and wet wallboard are common examples.
- Drying. Air movers push air across wet surfaces and dehumidifiers pull the moisture out of the room.
- Cleaning, with methods that depend on how contaminated the water was.
- Rebuild. New drywall, flooring, trim and paint, plus any plumbing or electrical work, which is where Marietta’s permits come in.
Drying is finished against a target, not a calendar. The restorer sets a dry standard for each type of material and dries until readings reach it. As published guides, FEMA’s mold brochure says a wet area usually takes two to three days to dry completely and that rebuilding should wait until then. HomeAdvisor’s cost guide, updated June 17, 2026, says around five days for a water-damaged home, depending on the damage.
Published cost figures, and how far to trust them
Water Damage Cobb County sets no prices, and neither figure below is a quote from any provider. Only someone who has seen the damage can price it. The table shows what two consumer sites publish.
| Source | What it publishes | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Homeyou, Marietta page showing the date September 30, 2026 | $2,223 to $2,347 for about 215 square feet of water damage restoration | A lead-generation site’s calculator with no method shown |
| HomeAdvisor, national guide updated June 17, 2026 | Average $3,868; typical range $1,383 to $6,369; full range $450 to $16,000 | National figures; the page has none for Georgia or Marietta |
| HomeAdvisor, by water type | Clean water $3.50, gray water $5.25 and black water $7.50 a square foot | National estimates from the same guide |
The Homeyou figure is the only published number found with Marietta’s name on it, which is why it is here, and its weakness is stated beside it. Treat both sources as rough orientation before you speak with a provider.
Choosing a provider in Marietta
The call to the number on this page is free, and it connects you with an independent provider whose license and insurance are yours to verify. Many participating providers offer 24-hour emergency service, though availability is not guaranteed. Four checks are worth making with any provider:
- Proof of insurance. Georgia’s contractor licensing board advises asking for proof of general liability insurance and checking that the name on it matches the business.
- The license the rebuild needs. The Georgia Attorney General’s office says general contractors, electricians, plumbers and heating and air contractors must be licensed. Ask who holds the license for each of those parts of your job.
- A written scope. The contractor licensing board advises a written contract that sets out the work, the materials, the final clean-up, a completion date and a payment schedule, and never paying the whole cost before the work is complete.
- How dryness is measured. Ask what readings will be taken, how often, and what target they are being compared with before walls are closed up.
Not in Marietta after all? The county’s other cities have their own pages, including water damage restoration in Kennesaw, GA to the north and water damage in Smyrna, GA to the south. The overview of water damage in Cobb County links to all seven city pages.
Call now to be connected with a local water damage restoration provider for your Marietta address, city or county.
Questions people ask
Who do I call first when a pipe bursts in Marietta: the city, a plumber or a restoration provider?
Stop the water first by closing the main shut-off valve, which Consumer Reports says is usually at the water meter or where the main line enters the house. If the break is on the street side, report it to Marietta Water inside the city or to Cobb County Water System outside it. A licensed plumber repairs the pipe on your side. A restoration provider deals with the wet building, and the number on this page connects you with one.
Is a sewer backup in my Marietta home the city’s job to clear, or mine?
Usually yours. The City of Marietta says removing a blockage in a sewer service line is the property owner’s responsibility, even where the line lies in the road right-of-way or a sewer easement, and that nearly all such blockages come from the building or from tree roots on private property. A spill from the public system is different and should be reported to Marietta Water immediately. See sewage cleanup in Cobb County before touching anything.
My address says Marietta but I may be outside the city limits. Who handles my water, sewer and permits?
A Marietta mailing address covers both the City of Marietta and parts of unincorporated Cobb County, East Cobb among them. Inside the city, Marietta Water runs water and sewer and the city’s Building Inspections office issues permits. Outside it, the utility is Cobb County Water System and permits come from Cobb County Community Development. The name on your water bill is the quickest way to tell which side you are on.
Do I need a City of Marietta permit to replace drywall, flooring, wiring or a water heater after water damage?
The city requires a permit to alter or repair a structure or to install or alter any electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing system, and it names water heater replacement as an example. Wiring and plumbing work each need their own permit. The city’s page names fence construction as its only exemption and does not mention drywall or flooring either way, so ask Building Inspections before the rebuild starts.
Which creeks in Marietta flood, and how high have they risen?
The USGS gauge on Sope Creek near Marietta has annual peaks on file from 1963. Its highest flow was 9,500 cubic feet per second at 18.35 feet on September 21, 2009, followed by 9,030 at 18.05 feet on September 8, 2021. The National Weather Service gives the creek’s flood stage as 12 feet. Sewell Mill Creek reached 13.26 feet in 2009, and Rottenwood Creek had its highest recorded flow in 2021.
Is my Marietta home in a flood zone, and what is the city’s flood rating?
Check the address on the Georgia DFIRM map viewer, which the city points residents to. FEMA lists the City of Marietta as community 130226, with a current flood map dated October 5, 2018, and as a Community Rating System class 7 community, shown with a 15 percent discount. The city also reminds residents that National Flood Insurance Program coverage has a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect.
How cold did it get in Marietta in the December 2022 freeze?
NOAA’s station at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta recorded a low of 6.1 degrees Fahrenheit on December 24, 2022, with a high that day of only 24.1. Lows stayed under 16 degrees from December 23 through December 27. Atlanta’s airport recorded 8 degrees on the same morning, so the Marietta station read about two degrees colder than the airport.
How much does water damage restoration cost around Marietta?
Only a provider who has seen the damage can price it, and Water Damage Cobb County sets no prices. As published guides, Homeyou’s Marietta page, dated September 30, 2026, shows $2,223 to $2,347 for about 215 square feet, from a calculator with no method shown. HomeAdvisor’s national guide, updated June 17, 2026, gives a typical range of $1,383 to $6,369 and an average of $3,868. Both are those sites’ own estimates.
How many days should drying and rebuilding take?
Drying is finished against a target, not a calendar: the restorer sets a dry standard for each material and dries until meter readings reach it. FEMA’s brochure says a wet area usually takes two to three days to dry completely, and HomeAdvisor’s guide says around five days for a water-damaged home, depending on the damage. Rebuilding comes after that. Its length depends on the scope, the materials and, in Marietta, on permits and inspections.
What stages does a restoration job go through?
In order: an assessment that finds how far the water went, using moisture meters and thermal imaging; removal of standing water; removal of materials that cannot be saved; drying with air movers and dehumidifiers, checked against a dry standard; cleaning; and finally the rebuild of whatever was cut out. How contaminated the water was shapes each stage, and the provider you are connected with sets the actual scope for your building.
How do I choose a water damage restoration company?
Ask for proof of general liability insurance and check that the name on it matches the business, which is the Georgia contractor board’s own advice. Ask who holds the license for any plumbing, electrical or general contracting work in the rebuild, since Georgia licenses those trades. Get a written contract covering the work, materials, completion date and payment schedule, and ask how dryness will be measured before anything is closed up.
Will the health department inspect my house for mold after a leak?
No. Cobb & Douglas Public Health, whose Cobb environmental health office is in Marietta, says it has no authority over mold in private residences or rental properties. The Georgia Department of Public Health says mold inspection, testing and remediation have no enforceable state or federal standards. Speed is the practical answer: the EPA says materials dried within 24 to 48 hours of a leak will in most cases not grow mold.
I live in one of Marietta’s historic districts. Do repairs need approval?
If the work changes the outside appearance of the property, yes. The city says owners or occupants in a historic district must obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness for any project involving an exterior change. That applies in the locally designated Kennesaw Avenue, Church-Cherokee Streets and Forest Hills districts and in Downtown Marietta, where the Historic Board of Review approves exterior changes. The city’s page speaks only of exterior change, so put interior questions to the city.
I rent an apartment in Marietta and water is coming through the ceiling. What should I do?
Tell the property manager or landlord right away, by phone and then in writing so there is a dated record, and let the neighbor above know if the water seems to come from their unit. Move belongings out of the way, photograph the damage, and stay clear of wet light fittings and outlets. The building and its plumbing are the owner’s to repair. You can still call the number here to speak with a provider.