Smell Gas? What to Do in Winston-Salem and Nearby Towns

The first two minutes

1. Leave. Take people and pets out the nearest door. Do not stop to open windows room by room or gather belongings.
2. Leave the door as you go. Do not go back in to check anything.
3. Move away. Go to a neighbor's house or far enough down the street that you cannot smell gas.
4. Call from there. Dial 911 or Piedmont Natural Gas at 800-752-7504. Piedmont says to always call 911 for emergencies.
5. Wait. Stay out until Piedmont or the fire department says it is safe to return.

That order is the whole plan. Everything else in this guide is for after you are safe.

What not to touch on the way out

Piedmont's safety guidance lists the things that can turn a leak into a fire:

• Light switches, in either direction
• Cell phones and other devices, until you are away from the smell
• Matches, lighters, candles or anything with a flame
• The leak itself: do not try to find it or stop it
• Pipeline or meter valves, which Piedmont says not to operate yourself
• A gas fire, which you should not try to put out

Also leave the garage door opener, the thermostat and the doorbell alone. Anything electrical can spark.

Who do you call for your address?

Most homes with natural gas in this area are on Piedmont. A North Carolina Utilities Commission report lists Forsyth and Davie as counties Piedmont serves in full, and Davidson and Rowan as counties it serves only in part. The City of Lexington runs its own natural gas system serving customers in areas throughout Davidson County.

If you are not sure who supplies your gas, call 911. Responders do not need you to know the utility's name.

Is it really a gas leak?

Natural gas has no smell of its own. Piedmont adds an odorant called mercaptan so leaks smell like rotten eggs, according to a Piedmont safety notice reported by the Salisbury Post in November 2024. The same notice lists other signs:

• A hissing or whistling sound near a gas line, appliance or meter
• Bubbling in standing water or a wet area of the yard
• Dirt blowing up from the ground
• Dead or dying plants along the path of a buried line
• Exposed pipe or a sinkhole near the gas service

Other odors can be confused with gas. A dry drain trap in a basement floor drain or an unused shower can let sewer gas into the house, and that also smells foul. The difference is not worth guessing at. If you are not sure, treat it as gas, leave, and let the utility check. If the smell turns out to be from a drain, a plumber can deal with it later.

What happens after you call?

A Piedmont technician or the fire department checks the area and the house. If they find a leak on the house side of the meter, they may shut off gas to the home or to the appliance involved and tag it. At that point the utility's job is done for the inside piping, and the repair falls to you.

Do not relight pilot lights or turn the gas back on yourself. Piedmont says to call it so it can inspect the meter and appliances. After a repair, the gas usually stays off until the work passes inspection and the utility restores service.

This is the point where a plumber comes in. Common causes of a house-side leak include a loose fitting behind a range or dryer, a corroded flex connector, a failed valve at a gas water heater, or a leak in buried yard piping. A plumber can locate it, repair it and pressure test the system. You can request gas line repair in Winston-Salem once the house has been cleared, or find help for Kernersville gas lines and gas piping in Mocksville.

Who is responsible for which pipe?

The utility owns the service line up to and including the meter. Past the meter, the piping belongs to the property owner. Federal pipeline rules make this explicit for buried piping. Under 49 CFR 192.16, gas operators must tell customers that the operator does not maintain the customer's buried piping, that unmaintained buried piping can corrode and leak, and that customers should have it inspected periodically, repaired promptly when unsafe, and located before anyone digs near it. The rule notes that plumbing and heating contractors can help locate, inspect and repair that piping.

That buried house-side piping is common with detached garages, pool heaters, gas grills and outbuildings. If your home has any of those fed by gas, a periodic check is part of owning them. In Winston-Salem and unincorporated Forsyth County, new gas piping and most alterations are permitted through the joint City-County Inspections Division, and the plumber normally handles the paperwork. If you are planning a new appliance, such as a tankless water heater, ask whether the existing gas line is sized for it.

Digging near gas lines

Contact NC811 at least three working days before you dig, by calling 811 or 1-800-632-4949. Marking is free, but only publicly owned lines are marked. Your own buried line from the meter to a garage or grill will not be flagged, so have it located separately and dig by hand near it. If you hit a line and smell gas, leave the area and call 911.

Floods, storms and the gas meter

After flooding, Piedmont checks meters in affected neighborhoods, removes meters believed to have been underwater and shuts off service. Appliances then need to be inspected by a contractor before gas is restored, and some may need replacing. Piedmont says not to disconnect or work on the meter, and not to clear flood debris from the meter or any gas appliance, including the water heater. Call 811 before pulling up storm-toppled trees near buried lines.

Is a gas smell a plumbing emergency?

The smell itself is a 911 and utility call, not a plumbing call. A plumber becomes urgent once the utility has shut off gas and you have no heat or hot water in cold weather, or when a tagged appliance needs repair before service can be restored. Deciding whether a repair can wait covers how to weigh that, and an after-hours plumber may be the right call in a cold snap. Homeowners in Lexington and Salisbury follow the same steps.

Lowering the odds of a leak

• Install carbon monoxide alarms near sleeping areas and on each level, and test them.
• Consider a natural gas detector near gas appliances; if it sounds, stop, move away from the smell and call for help.
• Have flex connectors checked when you move a range or dryer, since sliding an appliance can kink or loosen them.
• Do not store paint, gasoline or solvents near a gas water heater or furnace.
• Have buried gas piping to outbuildings inspected periodically, as the federal rule recommends.