Step 1: Find the Leak Indicator

Open your water meter box (usually near the curb or property line) and look at the meter face. Along with the main numbered dial, most meters have a small triangle or star-shaped dial called a leak indicator, or a low-flow indicator. This small dial spins even when the amount of water moving through the line is too small for the main numbers to register — which makes it far more sensitive for catching a small leak.

Step 2: Shut Everything Off

Make sure nothing in the house is using water — no faucets, no dishwasher or washing machine running, no ice maker filling, and no irrigation zones active. Even a slow-filling toilet tank can throw off the test.

Step 3: Watch the Indicator

With everything off, watch the leak indicator dial for a minute or two. If it’s spinning at all, water is moving somewhere on your property — that’s your confirmation of a leak. If it looks still, don’t stop there: note the meter reading, wait an hour without using any water, and check again. A very slow leak might not move the small dial fast enough to notice in a minute, but it will show up as a reading change over an hour.

Step 4: Narrow Down House vs. Yard

If you have a main shutoff valve at the house (separate from the street meter), you can isolate the two sides. Shut off the valve at the house with the meter still on. If the indicator stops moving, the leak is between the meter and the house — the yard side. If it keeps moving, the leak is inside the house’s plumbing. If you have a sprinkler system, check its shutoff too, since irrigation leaks are a common false alarm that gets mistaken for a plumbing leak.

Step 5: Check the Easy Spots First

Before assuming the worst, check outdoor hose bibs — a bib that doesn’t fully shut off can leak into a hose or drip line without anyone noticing, especially if it’s watering a tree or planting bed that soaks it up. Pull the hose off entirely and check if the bib is still dripping. It’s a surprisingly common and cheap fix.