You can close the valve that serves only your own unit. Building valves, such as the main, a riser valve or a neighbor's unit valve, belong to the common elements, so the association's manager or maintenance contractor operates them. Call the emergency line first. Arizona law lets the association reach pipes through units on reasonable notice.
Which valves can you close yourself?
The ones that serve only your unit. Arizona's Condominium Act, in A.R.S. 33-1247(A), says that, except as the declaration provides, "each unit owner is responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of the unit." Your unit's shutoff, the stops under your sinks and toilets, and the valve on your water heater are yours to close. The plumbing code expects those valves to exist. Section 606.1 of the 2024 International Plumbing Code, as adopted in Phoenix, lists a full-open valve "On the entrance to every water supply pipe to a dwelling unit, except where supplying a single fixture equipped with individual stops," and another "On the water supply pipe to every water heater." Section 606.2 adds that shutoff valves go "On the fixture supply to each plumbing fixture other than bathtubs and showers in one- and two-family residential occupancies." Phoenix's amendments to the 2024 IPC do not change Section 606, so the model text applies there.
If water is pouring from your own unit, close that valve first, then the fixture stop if you know where the leak is. Our page on how to shut off water to a fixture shows what the small stop does.
Who operates the building main and the risers?
The association, through its manager or maintenance contractor. Common elements belong to the association's care. A.R.S. 33-1247(A) says "the association is responsible for maintenance, repair and replacement of the common elements," and A.R.S. 33-1212(2) says any portion of a line "serving more than one unit or any portion of the common elements is a part of the common elements." A riser serving a stack of units, the valve at its base, and the building's water entry valve all fit that description.
The model code puts those valves in predictable places. Section 606.1 lists full-open valves:
- "On the building water service pipe from the public water supply near the curb."
- "On the water distribution supply pipe at the entrance into the structure."
- "On the base of every water riser pipe in occupancies other than multiple-family residential occupancies that are two stories or less in height and in one- and two-family residential occupancies."
- "On the top of every water down-feed pipe in occupancies other than one- and two-family residential occupancies."
Section 606.3 adds that "Access shall be provided to all full-open valves and shutoff valves," and 606.4 says other valves not next to the fixture or appliance "shall be identified, indicating the fixture or appliance served." In a well-run building, someone has a valve chart, a key to the riser closet, and a plan for which units go dry when each valve closes. Ask your manager for that chart before an emergency, not during one.
Closing a riser stops water to every unit on it, so the association should warn those residents. Our page on what a property manager does when a main water line breaks covers the building-wide side.
What about the valve at the street or the meter?
That one belongs to the city. Phoenix says "Issues on the city's side (from the street to the water meter) are the responsibility of the City and issues after the water meter are the responsibility of the homeowner." For a condo building, the account holder and the party responsible after the meter are matters for the declaration and the city's billing records. In many buildings the association is the account holder, and the building's own valve near the meter or at the entrance is the one to use. Residents should not try to operate the curb stop. See who can shut off water at the curb stop in Phoenix.
What if the leak is in a neighbor's unit and no one is home?
Call the association's emergency number or the on-site manager first, and describe where the water is coming from. If water is near electrical outlets or light fixtures, treat it as a hazard and keep clear. The statute does not single out emergency entry, but it addresses access directly. A.R.S. 33-1247(A) says "On reasonable notice, each unit owner shall afford to the association and the other unit owners, and to their agents or employees, access through the unit reasonably necessary for those purposes." It also says "If damage is inflicted on the common elements or any unit through which access is taken, the unit owner responsible for the damage, or the association if it is responsible, is liable for the prompt repair of the damage."
Two practical points follow:
- Do not force a neighbor's door yourself. Let the manager or the association's vendor decide, and document the time you called.
- Check whether your declaration or rules say anything about emergency entry or who holds spare keys. The statute starts with "Except to the extent provided by the declaration," so your documents may add procedures.
If the water source turns out to be a failed part inside the neighbor's unit, who pays for the damage is a separate question. See who pays when a condo leak damages the unit below.
How do you prepare before it happens?
- Find your own unit shutoff today and exercise it once so you know it turns. Valves that sit for years can seize.
- Ask the manager for the building valve chart and the after-hours number.
- Tag each valve, as the code's identification rule contemplates, and keep the riser closet accessible.
- Replace failed unit and fixture shutoffs rather than working around them.
HQ replaces unit shutoff valves and fixture stops and can tell you which line a leak is on, with upfront pricing and free estimates. We are licensed and insured, and available around the clock for active leaks.
This page explains general Arizona rules, and your declaration controls. It is not legal advice.