Quick answer
For water damage in Idaho City, ID, shut off your main valve first, or turn off the well pump breaker if you are on a private well. For a city service question, call the City of Idaho City at 208-392-4584. Then call a water damage restoration company; drying should start within 24 to 48 hours. Report the claim to your insurer as soon as you can.
Do this first
Local water and sewer lines.
City offices are at 511 Main Street. Mail goes to P.O. Box 130.
- Shut off the water. Close the main valve where the line enters the house, or turn off the well pump breaker. For a city service question, call the City of Idaho City at 208-392-4584.
- Make it safe and document it. Cut power to wet rooms from a dry spot, photograph the damage, then report the claim.
- Start drying within 24 to 48 hours. About 72% of Idaho City homes were built before 1980, and about 29% are mobile homes. Check old supply lines, crawlspaces, and lines under mobile homes first.
Idaho City averages more than 220 nights a year at or below freezing, so a home left without heat can split pipes in any season but summer.
What to know about water damage in Idaho City
224 nights
How many nights a year the Idaho City weather station averages at or below 32°F, with about 95 at or below 20°F.
Freezes and precipitation
The NOAA weather station at Idaho City averages 224.2 nights a year at or below 32°F and 95.4 at or below 20°F. In half of years the first freeze comes by September 5 and the last one after June 17. Pipes in outside walls, unheated basements, and crawlspaces are the first to split. It also averages 21.12 inches of precipitation a year, counting melted snow, with about 1.6 days of an inch or more.
Gold in 1862
George Grimes and Moses Splawn found gold in the Boise Basin on August 2, 1862, and Idaho City grew up that year as the rush began.
Source: Idaho State Historical Society
First called Bannock
The town began as Bannock. The territorial legislature renamed it Idaho City to avoid confusion with Bannack in present-day Montana.
Source: Wikipedia
Burned four times
Built of wood and heated by wood, Idaho City burned in 1865, 1867, 1868, and 1871. It sits near where Elk and Mores Creeks meet.
Source: Wikipedia
Plenty of water
Its water supply at the creek confluence let Idaho City outgrow nearby camps like Placerville, Pioneerville, and Centerville. It is now the Boise County seat.
Source: Wikipedia
Fire again in 2015
Five businesses on Main Street burned in the early hours of June 5, 2015.
Source: Wikipedia
Homes in Idaho City
The median home dates to 1975, and about 16% were built before 1960. About 69% are owner-occupied.
Check your ZIP
Cost and insurance in Idaho City
How much does water damage restoration cost in Idaho City?
Most jobs run $450 to $16,000 (Angi). Creek water or snowmelt that flows in from outside is a flood loss, which needs a separate flood policy. In an older home or a mobile home, ask the crew to check the crawlspace and subfloor before drying ends.
Water removal and restoration in Idaho City
The company that answers handles frozen pipes, older supply line failures, mobile home plumbing leaks, well and pressure tank leaks, and septic backups, plus burst pipes, appliance leaks, drying, and septic backups.
Idaho City questions
What is the City of Idaho City phone number?
208-392-4584.
Where are the Idaho City offices?
At 511 Main Street. Mail goes to P.O. Box 130.
What was Idaho City first called?
Bannock, sometimes given as West Bannock. The legislature renamed it to avoid confusion with Bannack in Montana.
Which creeks meet near Idaho City?
Elk Creek and Mores Creek.
Related guides
Other Idaho towns- Burst pipe, not frozen
- Sewage backup: what to do first
- Burst pipe repair cost
- Idaho insurance claim rules, in plain English
- Frozen and burst pipes: what to do
- Does homeowners insurance cover water damage?
- How long water damage takes to dry
Local phone numbers checked November 2026: