Water Damage Cleanup in Delaware County, PA

• Coverage across the county: Upper Darby, Havertown, Drexel Hill, Springfield, Media, Broomall, Ridley, Chester, Darby, Sharon Hill, Lansdowne and Radnor.
• Crews run I-95, I-476, US 1, US 322, Route 3 and Route 320 across the county.
• Building permits come from your borough or township code office under the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code, not from the county.
• Before you call: note whether the water came from a pipe, the roof, a sewer backup or a creek, since that decides the cleanup category and which insurance policy applies.

• Basement extraction after creek flooding and heavy rain
• Sewer and floor-drain backup cleanup in rowhome basements
• Burst pipe cleanup after winter freezes
• Drywall, plaster and flooring removal
• Mold checks after slow leaks behind plaster walls
• Documentation for flood and homeowner insurance claims

• Method: figures are based on HomeAdvisor's published national cost data, updated June 17, 2026, which puts most jobs at $1,383 to $6,369 with an average of $3,868.
• HomeAdvisor lists $3.50 to $7.50 per square foot depending on the water category, with floodwater and sewage at the high end.
• Contractor registration: the Pennsylvania Attorney General says contractors doing at least $5,000 a year in home improvements must register, and the fee is $100 every two years under 72 P.S. § 1603-U.
• Plaster walls and stone foundations in prewar homes take longer to dry than drywall over block, which adds equipment days.
• Sewage backups are Category 3 water, and HomeAdvisor's per-square-foot range puts them at the top end.

• Step 1: Stop the water source if it's safe, and photograph everything before removal.
• Step 2: Hire a registered contractor. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office registers home improvement contractors under 73 P.S. § 517.1 et seq., and you can verify a registration on its site; the fee is $100 every two years.
• Step 3: Check whether you need a permit. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.62(d), an ordinary repair doesn't need a permit, but cutting a load-bearing wall or adding or moving plumbing, wiring or drain piping isn't ordinary repair.
• Step 4: For emergency equipment replacement, such as a water heater or a furnace ruined by flooding, § 403.62(b) lets the work go ahead if the permit application follows within 3 business days.
• Step 5: Keep drying logs for the adjuster, and file flood claims separately from homeowner claims. Standard homeowner policies generally exclude rising floodwater, so check for a separate flood policy before cleanup starts.

• Creek flooding: Darby Creek, Cobbs Creek, Crum Creek, Ridley Creek and Chester Creek run through the county to the Delaware River, and neighborhoods along them in Darby, Upper Darby, Collingdale, Swarthmore and Chester flood in heavy rain.
• Hurricanes and tropical storms: FEMA's declarations for the county include Agnes in 1972, Floyd in 1999, Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in 2011, Sandy in 2012 and the remnants of Ida in 2021.
• Winter storms: FEMA also declared the Blizzard of 1996 and the February 2010 snowstorms for the county, and frozen pipes follow every hard cold snap.
• Older homes built before 1960 often have floor drains tied into old laterals, and combined runoff in heavy storms pushes water back into basements.
• Tidal riverfront: low areas along the Delaware River near Chester, Eddystone and Tinicum sit close to sea level, where storm surge and high tides add to river flooding.

Upper Darby · Havertown · Drexel Hill · Springfield · Media · Broomall · Ridley · Chester · Darby · Sharon Hill · Lansdowne · Radnor