Single-story home on a wooded lot in the Magnolia, Texas area with tall pines and a wet lawn after a storm

Water Damage Restoration in Magnolia, TX

Magnolia is a small city in southwest Montgomery County, surrounded by unincorporated land where county permits, private septic systems and the Spring Creek watershed all shape what happens after water gets in. Call the free line any hour to reach an independent, locally owned restoration company.

Call (832) 662-4107 Septic backups and sewage

Water damage restoration in Magnolia, TX, often looks different from the suburbs closer to Houston. Many homes sit outside any city limit, some rely on a private septic system, and the nearest creek may be a long way from the nearest storm sewer.

Water Damage Pro Houston sends no crews and does no drying; it is a no-cost number and this website. When you call (832) 662-4107, the automated assistant notes what happened and transfers you to an independent, locally owned restoration company that works in the Magnolia area. From there, the inspection, the estimate, the cleanup and the invoice are between you and the company. Using the number is free.

Magnolia: a small city with a large rural area around it

The City of Magnolia is a small city in southwest Montgomery County. The city provides water and wastewater service to its customers, along with curbside garbage and recycling on the same bill. A Magnolia mailing address, though, covers a much wider area than the city limits, and much of that land is unincorporated Montgomery County.

Which side of the line you live on decides who issues your rebuilding permits and who runs your water and sewer. Inside the city, it is City of Magnolia. Outside it, permits come from Montgomery County, and a home may have its own septic system rather than a sewer connection. Check your tax statement or water bill if you are not sure, because the restoration company will ask.

A brick home set back among tall pines on a Magnolia area lot, with a grassy ditch along the road full of rainwater

Water damage restoration in Magnolia: what callers need

Calls from the Magnolia area range from a failed water heater or washer hose inside the house to creek or ditch water coming through the door and septic backups after heavy rain. Each needs a different response. Under the IICRC S500 standard, clean water from a supply line is Category 1, and sewage or rising water from creeks and the ground surface is Category 3, which means grossly contaminated. Category 3 water usually means more soaked material has to come out.

Water Damage Restoration in Houston

The full job after a leak or flood: inspection, water removal, drying, cleaning and rebuilding, and how a restoration company works from the IICRC water categories.

Emergency Water Removal and Extraction

Standing water on the floor right now. What extraction equipment does, why speed matters in Houston humidity, and what to do safely before the company arrives.

Flood Damage Restoration

Rising water from a bayou, street or storm surge. Why floodwater is treated as contaminated, what gets removed, and how flood insurance differs from a homeowners policy.

Water Damage Repair

Putting the house back after it is dry: drywall, baseboards, flooring, cabinets and paint, and how repair estimates differ from drying estimates.

Mold Remediation in Houston

Mold after a leak or flood: containment, removal and clearance, the Texas licensing rules, and the protocol a licensed assessor writes first.

Mold Inspection and Mold Testing

Musty smells, hidden leaks and post-flood checks. What a licensed mold assessment consultant does, when air or surface samples help, and why the assessor and remediator are separate.

Spring Creek and the watersheds around Magnolia

Spring Creek forms much of the line between Montgomery and Harris counties. Its watershed covers parts of Montgomery, Harris, Grimes and Waller counties and drains east toward Lake Houston.

Thousands of structures at risk

After Hurricane Harvey, the San Jacinto Watershed Master Drainage Plan built new flood models using Atlas 14 rainfall data, the newer federal estimates of how hard it can rain. The authority's grant applications say those models found thousands of structures in the Spring Creek watershed at risk of flooding.

Harvey on Spring Creek

Downstream, the Spring Creek gauge near Spring crested at 111.52 feet on August 29, 2017, during Harvey. Only the October 1994 flood, at 111.60 feet, has gone higher there, according to the National Weather Service.

More than one creek

The same master drainage plan looked at flood projects for Lake Creek, the West Fork San Jacinto River and several other Montgomery County watersheds, not only Spring Creek. Proposed Spring Creek flood control dams have been studied as one option.

Who plans the drainage

Magnolia is outside the Harris County Flood Control District. The post-Harvey plan was a joint effort of Montgomery County, the San Jacinto River Authority, the Harris County Flood Control District and the City of Houston.

Septic systems, sewage and floodwater

Where public sewer is not available in unincorporated Montgomery County, the owner must get a county septic permit. Heavy rain can saturate the ground around a drain field, and a system that cannot drain can push wastewater back toward the house.

Wastewater from a septic system is sewage, Category 3 water. The safe homeowner steps are simple: stay out of it, keep children and pets away, stop running water into the system, and open nothing that would spread it. Do not try to shovel, mop or pump it yourself. A restoration company handles the inside of the house; a septic professional handles the tank and drain field.

Wells and floodwater

If your home has a private well and floodwater covered the wellhead, do not assume the water is safe to drink. Ask your county health or permit office about testing before you use it.

A hallway in a Magnolia area home with wet vinyl plank flooring and a dehumidifier running after a backup

First steps in a Magnolia home

Stop inside water. Close the main shutoff if it is safe to reach.
Mind the electricity. Never walk into standing water near outlets, cords or appliances. Turn power off at the breaker only if you can stand on a dry floor to do it; otherwise call your electric utility (the company on your bill) or an electrician.
Gas smell means leave. Get everyone out, then call 911 and your gas company or propane supplier from outside. Do not touch switches on the way.
Document everything. Photograph and video each wet room before anything is moved or thrown away. Move valuables and family photos somewhere dry.
Call the line and your insurer. The restoration company handles extraction and drying. Tell your insurer quickly, since the Texas Department of Insurance notes a claim can be denied if the property is not protected from more damage.

The first 48 hours guide explains what comes next.

Why Magnolia homeowners call the line

One number for a wide area

A Magnolia address can mean the city or miles of county land. The line connects you with an independent, locally owned restoration company that takes calls for the area, whichever side of the city limit you are on.

Sewage needs a professional

Septic backups and creek water are Category 3. Instead of a cleanup you should not attempt, one call starts the conversation with a company that handles contaminated water.

Free, with no bill from the line

Calling costs nothing. The company inspects, quotes and is paid by you or your insurer as you arrange. Restoration companies can pay this service a fee for referrals.

Know the mold rules first

A slow-drying house in the pines can grow mold. This site explains when Texas expects licensed mold professionals and how to check a license on TDLR.

Permits after the drying is done

Inside the city, the City of Magnolia reviews plans and inspects residential and commercial construction. Plumbing, electrical and HVAC work each need a separate permit, and the city says water heater replacements need a permit and a city inspection under state law. Ask the permits office how long a permit stays valid.

Outside the city, Montgomery County requires a development permit for development in unincorporated areas and for work in the 100 year floodplain. Homes in or near a mapped flood hazard area face added elevation rules. If your home flooded and sits near a creek, ask the restoration company or your builder to check those rules before rebuilding.

Before you sign anything

Which category of water is this, and what has to be removed because of it?
Can I have the estimate in writing, with moisture readings?
Who checks whether the rebuild needs a city or county permit?
If mold turns up, who is the licensed assessor and who is the separate licensed remediator?

Read how to check a company before hiring and the insurance guide before you sign.

Mold after water damage in Magnolia

The EPA says that drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours prevents mold in most cases, and that mold comes back if the moisture problem is not fixed. TDLR says visible mold under 25 contiguous square feet can usually be cleaned by people without a license. For larger jobs, Texas generally calls for a licensed mold assessment consultant to write a protocol and a different licensed mold remediation contractor to do the work, and the remediator issues a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation when it is done. The mold inspection and testing page explains the first step.

Check the mold license first. In Texas, mold assessment and mold remediation are licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). In most cases visible mold under 25 contiguous square feet can be cleaned by people without a license; larger jobs generally call for a licensed mold assessment consultant to write the remediation protocol and a separate licensed mold remediation contractor to do the work. Ask for both license numbers and look them up on the TDLR license search (opens in a new tab). The line does not check licenses for you.

How a Magnolia call works

Dial the numberAn automated assistant picks up (832) 662-4107 at any hour, holidays included.
Say what happenedA burst pipe, a flood, a roof or appliance leak, a sewage backup or mold, whether water is still coming in, and where in greater Houston you are.
Get connectedYour call is transferred to an independent, locally owned water damage restoration company, which hears a short summary first.
Work with that companyIt inspects, quotes, does the work and bills you or your insurer as you arrange. If it misses the call, it gets your name, number, area and problem to call you back.

Near Magnolia, and worth reading

Other greater Houston towns

About this line: Water Damage Pro Houston is a free phone line, not a restoration company. It answers your call and connects you with an independent local water damage restoration company, which inspects, quotes and does the work, and which you pay directly. Companies may pay a referral fee. The line never charges you. Read how the line works.

Common questions

Is there water damage restoration in Magnolia, TX at night or on weekends?

The line answers at any hour. Dial {{ site.business.phone_display }}; the automated assistant asks for a quick account of the damage and whether water is still entering, then sends your call to an independent, locally owned restoration company that takes calls for the Magnolia area. If no one there can answer, your name, callback number, area and problem are passed along so the company can call you back. When it can come out is up to the company.

Do I need a permit to replace a water heater that flooded my Magnolia house?

Inside the city limits, yes. The City of Magnolia says state law requires the city to inspect water heater replacements, and plumbing, electrical and HVAC work each need their own permit. Ask the city's permits office before work starts. Outside the city limits, check with the Montgomery County permit office instead.

What should I do if my septic system backs up into the house?

Treat it as sewage, which the IICRC S500 standard calls Category 3 water. Stay out of it, keep children and pets away, stop using sinks, toilets and the washer, and do not try to clean it yourself. Call the line to reach a restoration company for the inside of the house, and a septic professional for the system. Montgomery County requires a permit to add or change a septic system.

Is Magnolia covered by the Harris County Flood Control District?

No. Magnolia is in Montgomery County, outside Harris County. After Harvey, Montgomery County, the San Jacinto River Authority, the Harris County Flood Control District and the City of Houston worked together on the San Jacinto Watershed Master Drainage Plan, which studied Spring Creek, Lake Creek and other watersheds that cross county lines.

Will my homeowners insurance pay for flood damage in Magnolia?

Do not count on it. The Texas Department of Insurance says homeowners policies do not cover floods; you need a separate flood policy. Sudden, accidental water damage, such as a burst pipe or a broken washer hose, is often covered, but every policy differs. Call your own insurer and ask before work starts.

Water in your Magnolia home? Call the free line

Tell the automated assistant what happened and whether water is still coming in. Your call is passed to an independent, locally owned Houston-area water damage restoration company, which comes out, looks at the damage and sets its own price.

Call (832) 662-4107

Any hour of the dayThe line picks up around the clock, including nights, weekends and storm days.
No charge from the lineYou never receive a bill from the line. Pricing comes only from the restoration company.
Mold needs a Texas licenseFor mold jobs, ask for the TDLR license numbers and look them up before work begins.
Your call to makeHear the company's findings and its written estimate, then decide whether to hire it.