Knowing where your home's gas shut-off valves are, before you ever need them in an emergency, is one of the simplest things a homeowner can do.
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Quick answer
Most homes have a main gas shut-off valve at or near the gas meter outside the house, plus individual shut-off valves at each gas appliance, such as the boiler, water heater, fireplace, or range, typically installed on the supply line just before the appliance connector. Knowing both the main valve's location and each appliance valve's location matters, since which one you use depends on whether the emergency involves the whole house or a single appliance.
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The main shut-off valve is usually located right at the gas meter, on the house side of the meter, and it's designed to cut gas supply to the entire home at once. This is the valve to use, if you know how and it's safe to do so, in a whole-house emergency, though in a genuine gas leak or CO scare, the correct first action is always to leave the home and call for help rather than staying to locate and operate a valve.
The main valve is typically a lever-style valve; when the lever is parallel to the pipe, gas is flowing, and when it's turned perpendicular, it's shut off. Only the gas utility should ever restore service and relight appliances after a main shut-off, since that process involves purging air from the lines and safely relighting pilot lights in the correct sequence.
Each gas appliance, including your boiler, water heater, furnace, fireplace, and range, should have its own dedicated shut-off valve installed on the gas line close to the appliance, upstream of the flexible connector. This lets a single appliance be isolated for service or in a localized problem without shutting off gas to the entire house.
These valves are typically a quarter-turn ball valve type, where the handle in line with the pipe means open, and turned 90 degrees across the pipe means closed. They should be clearly accessible, not buried behind stored items or hidden by a renovation that boxed them in without leaving access.
| Valve | Typical Location | When You'd Use It |
|---|---|---|
| Main shut-off | At or near the gas meter, outside | Whole-house emergency, evacuation situation, major leak |
| Boiler shut-off | On supply line near the boiler | Boiler service or isolated boiler-related concern |
| Water heater shut-off | On supply line near the water heater | Water heater service or isolated concern at that appliance |
| Fireplace/range shut-off | On supply line near that appliance | Isolating a single appliance for service or a localized issue |
Walking through your own home once, with every adult household member, to physically locate each valve, is a five-minute exercise that pays off if you're ever in a stressful situation where fumbling to find a valve wastes time you don't have.
If you smell gas or suspect a leak, the priority is to get everyone out of the house first, not to locate and operate a valve while gas may be actively escaping indoors. Once safely outside, call FortisBC from a safe distance rather than from inside the home. If the leak is clearly localized to one appliance and it's safe to briefly access that appliance's individual valve on your way out, closing it can help, but this should never delay evacuation or come before it.
After any gas shut-off, whether at the main or an individual appliance, restoring service and relighting pilots should be done by the gas utility or a licensed gas fitter, not attempted independently, since the relighting sequence has specific safety steps.
In older homes where mechanical rooms have been renovated or reorganized over the years, it's not unusual to find an appliance shut-off valve that's become hard to reach, hidden behind shelving, storage, or a newer partition wall built without accounting for valve access. If your mechanical room has been renovated, it's worth confirming valve accessibility with your fitter during any service visit.
For homes with basement suites or laneway additions sharing the main gas supply, it's also worth understanding whether those spaces have their own appliance-level shut-offs or rely entirely on valves located in the main house.
Safety note
If you ever smell gas, hear a hissing sound near a gas line or appliance, or suspect a leak, leave the home immediately and call from outside. Do not flip switches, light anything, or use a phone inside the house. Call FortisBC at 1-800-663-9911 to report a suspected gas leak or carbon monoxide concern before doing anything else. Gas piping, venting, and combustion appliance work in BC must be done by a Technical Safety BC licensed gas fitter; CANRO holds gas licence LGA0043870 and boiler licence LBP0046450.
Your first priority is always to leave the home and call for help. If it's safe and quick on your way out, closing a valve can help, but evacuation always comes first, never delayed to search for a valve.
No. Restoring gas service and relighting pilot lights after a shut-off should be done by the gas utility or a licensed gas fitter, since it involves a specific safe relighting sequence.
Most residential gas shut-off valves are quarter-turn: handle in line with the pipe means open, handle turned 90 degrees across the pipe means closed. If you're unsure, ask your gas fitter to show you during a service visit.
Yes, this is standard and expected practice, since it allows an individual appliance to be serviced or isolated without shutting off gas to the whole house.
Ask your licensed gas fitter to locate and point it out during your next service visit, and address any access obstruction, such as stored items or a partition wall, that's blocking it.
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