What is going wrong in your Kent home or rental right now
Most Kent calls fall into three piles: water where it should not be, a drain or sewer line that will not move, and no hot water. Each pile has a different first move, and each one has a different answer to the question of who is responsible. That second question is where Kent differs most from Stow.
Below you will find the quick actions, the signs that point to a lateral problem, a side-by-side table of Kent and Stow rules, and the questions Kent callers ask us most. Emergency dispatch for Kent runs around the clock, including nights and weekends.
Emergency dispatch around the clock
The 24/7 line covers Kent at 2 a.m. on a Sunday the same as noon on a Tuesday. We offer same-day appointments when available for problems that can wait for daylight.
Portage County, not Summit
Kent has its own state-certified Building Division at 930 Overholt Rd, 330-678-8107. Permit questions for work in Kent go there, not to the City of Stow.
Groundwater supply
Kent's city water comes from the Breakneck Creek Wellfield in the Buried Valley Aquifer plus a rock well. It is not bought from Akron, so scale and water-chemistry habits from Stow do not transfer one to one.
A rental-heavy town
About 59 percent of Kent homes are rented, based on the Census owner-occupied rate of 40.8 percent (2020 to 2024). Repeat clogs and water heater failures often involve both a tenant and a landlord.
If you have a burst pipe or an active leak in Kent
Shut off the main valve
Turn the main water shutoff clockwise until it stops. In an older rental house or duplex it may be a gate valve that sticks, so turn it slowly and do not force it.
Kill power near the water
If water is near outlets, a panel or a basement sump cord, stay out of the wet area and switch off power from a dry spot only. If you cannot reach the panel dry, leave it alone.
Clear the area
Move rugs, boxes and electronics off the floor. In student rentals, that often means pulling belongings away from a basement wall before the water spreads.
Call the 24/7 line
Call (855) 575-2890 and give the dispatcher the address, the ZIP and what you see. If the leak is in a wall or under a slab, say so, because it changes what the plumber brings.
A burst line often needs a pipe-side repair and a leak survey at the same visit. Our burst pipe repair page covers what the plumber does once the water is stopped, and leak detection covers hidden leaks that show up as a wet wall or a high water bill.
Signs your drain or sewer lateral is the real problem
Several fixtures back up together
When a tub gurgles as the washer drains, or a basement floor drain bubbles after a flush, the blockage is usually past the branch lines, in the main drain or the lateral.
Slow drains that keep returning
A snaked kitchen line that clogs again in a few weeks points to grease, scale or a belly in old pipe, not just a bad day.
Wet or sunken ground in the yard
A soggy strip or a dip between the house and the street can mean a cracked or offset lateral leaking into the soil.
Sewer smell near a floor drain
A dry trap causes it sometimes. A smell that stays after you run water into the drain can mean a partial blockage or a damaged line.
Kent's older housing makes these signs more likely. Older Census data (2012 to 2016) put the median home build year at 1971, with about 47 percent built before 1970. Homes from that era often have galvanized supply pipe, cast iron drains and clay laterals, all of which scale, crack or shift with age. If your block has had repeated backups, drain cleaning with a camera look is the first step before anything is dug up.
Who owns what: Kent's rules compared with Stow
Kent Codified Ordinance 915.05 says the property owner maintains, repairs and replaces the sanitary sewer lateral in the right-of-way and on private property, up to and including the wye. The city repairs the right-of-way portion only during street reconstruction. That means a Kent owner or landlord decides on the camera inspection and the repair, and tenants should hand the finding to the landlord.
| Topic | Kent (Portage County) | Stow (Summit County) |
|---|---|---|
| Permits and inspections | Kent Building Division, 930 Overholt Rd, 330-678-8107 | City of Stow Building Department, plumbing inspections Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings |
| Sewer service | Kent runs its own wastewater reclamation division | Not provided by the city, ask Summit County Environmental Services, 330-926-2400 |
| Sewer lateral | Owner maintains it up to and including the wye | County page says private lateral obstructions are not a justifiable claim |
| Drinking water | Local groundwater, treated by the city | Bought from the City of Akron, surface water |
| Homes | About 59 percent rented | 72.0 percent owner-occupied |
| Septic | Owners must connect to public sewer where it is accessible | About 33,000 Summit County homes are on septic |
The practical rule: for a Stow home, a plumber first finds whether a clog is private or in the county main. For a Kent home, the answer is simpler, since the owner is responsible up to the wye. If an owner ignores a city order, Kent may do the repair and assess the cost plus a 40 percent forfeiture against the property, so a camera inspection early is cheaper than waiting for a notice.
Backed-up drain or burst pipe in Kent tonight?
Call the 24/7 line at (855) 575-2890. The dispatcher takes the address and arranges a licensed plumber.
What a Kent emergency visit looks like
Dispatch takes the details
You give the address, the ZIP, the symptom and whether you own or rent. That tells the plumber what to bring.
The plumber finds the cause
For a drain, that means testing fixtures and running a drain camera. For a leak, it means checking the main shutoff, pressure and the likely run of pipe.
You get a clear price first
The plumber explains the repair and states a clear price before work starts. Owners and landlords decide from there.
Repair, then a cleanup check
The plumber fixes the failed part, tests the line or fixture, and tells you what to watch over the next few days.
Hot water failures and older downtown buildings
No hot water is the third big Kent call. Kent's treated water measures 101 mg/L of hardness (the city's 2025 report), roughly 6 grains per gallon, which still leaves scale on heating elements and tank bottoms over time. A tank that rumbles, leaks at the base or trips its pilot repeatedly is often a water heater repair job, but a leaking tank body usually means replacement.
Kent Dam, built in 1836 and restored with a bypass channel in 2005 to create Heritage Park, is a reminder that downtown sits near the river. As a general caution, low lots near the river can take on water in heavy rain, so basement floor drains and sump setups matter in older downtown buildings.
Rental tip: document before you call
Take a photo of the leak or backup and note the time. Send it to the landlord. If the problem is a lateral, the owner is responsible up to the wye, so the record helps settle the repair quickly.
Repair the lateral when
- A camera shows one cracked joint or a single root intrusion
- The rest of the line is straight and round
- The clog is grease or debris that jetting clears
Replace a section when
- The camera shows a collapsed or offset pipe
- Roots return soon after every cleaning
- Clay or cast iron sections are broken in several places
For a cracked or collapsed line, read our sewer line repair page. Commercial and multi-unit buildings usually need an on-site look first, since each building in Kent needs its own lateral and townhouse or multifamily units may be identified by the city for a separate lateral. Neighbors west of Kent can read about our service in Tallmadge and Munroe Falls, which sit in Summit County under different rules.
QuestionsQuestions Kent callers ask us
Under Kent Codified Ordinance 915.05, the property owner maintains, repairs and replaces the lateral in the right-of-way and on private property up to and including the wye. The city repairs the right-of-way part only during street reconstruction.
This is a Kent rule. It does not apply in Stow, where you should ask Summit County.
Yes. Our 24/7 emergency line takes Kent calls at night, on weekends and on holidays. A dispatcher gets the address and the problem, then arranges a licensed plumber.
Same-day appointments are offered when available for problems that can wait.
We take calls for 44240, 44242 and 44243. 44240 is the ZIP for Kent residents and off-campus students, so most house and rental calls use it. 44242 is the main Kent State campus ZIP and 44243 is for residence halls only.
Campus buildings should ask the university first and tell the dispatcher what the situation is. We do not promise campus service.
Kent has its own state-certified Building Division at 930 Overholt Rd, 330-678-8107, which handles plumbing permits and inspections. Rules vary by job, so ask them before work starts.
The Portage County health district says it has no plumbing jurisdiction in Kent.
Tell the landlord first and keep a record. For active flooding, shut off the main valve and call us at once, then notify the landlord. Who pays is a lease question, and the plumber can only fix the problem.
A written note of the problem helps if there is a later disagreement.
No. Kent uses local groundwater from the Breakneck Creek Wellfield and a rock well, treated by the city. Stow buys surface water from Akron.
If you worry about service line materials, ask the city for its Service Line Inventory. Water plant 330-676-6333, Central Maintenance 330-673-1688.
Ask the dispatcher. Say the address and the problem, and they will tell you whether a plumber can reach you.
If you are close to Kent, the same 24/7 line applies.
In Kent, the lateral is yours up to and including the wye. A camera inspection shows where the problem sits relative to the wye.
See drain cleaning for how that inspection works.