How to turn off gas in an emergency in an apartment building with shared meters

Short answer

Why people ask this

In buildings with shared or master meters, it’s unclear who can touch the main shutoff and where it is located. Residents worry about a leak but may only have access to their unit, not the locked meter room or curb valve. People also want to know if they should close an appliance valve in their unit versus evacuating and calling the utility. Building rules, leases, and local codes further complicate what a resident is allowed to do.

When it might be safe

• If the leak is clearly from a single appliance in your unit and you can reach that appliance’s local shutoff valve quickly without crossing a strong gas odor.
• If management has trained you and provided access to a labeled emergency shutoff in a common corridor (not a locked meter room) designed for occupants to use.
• If the building’s emergency plan explicitly instructs residents to operate a designated emergency shutoff for your floor or riser.
• If a utility dispatcher or on-site superintendent instructs you to close a specific accessible valve you can reach without tools or forcing entry.

When it is not safe

• Entering a locked meter room or basement to operate the master shutoff on a shared meter without permission or training.
• Using tools on stiff, corroded, or unlabeled valves on a shared riser or master-metered line that serves multiple apartments.
• Closing the building’s main gas valve when common equipment (boilers, central hot water, fire pump engines) may be running, without coordination.
• Creating ignition sources near a suspected leak, including switching lights on/off, using elevators, or operating power tools.
• Relighting pilot lights or restarting appliances after any shutdown in a master-metered building without the utility or building engineer present.

Possible risks

• Cutting gas to neighbors, central boilers, or shared hot water in a master-metered system, potentially affecting heat and hot water for the whole stack.
• Worsening a leak by forcing a damaged valve on a common riser or shared meter assembly.
• Delays in evacuation while you search for a locked meter room or curb valve in the basement or sidewalk.
• Liability or code violations for operating equipment in restricted areas that only the utility or building staff should handle.
• Gas migration through shafts and chases in multi-story buildings, increasing explosion risk beyond the unit where the odor is first detected.

Safer alternatives

• If you smell gas, leave the area immediately, warn neighbors on your floor, and use stairs; call the gas utility’s emergency line and 911 from outside.
• Notify the superintendent/landlord/front desk right away; they often have keys to the meter room and know the location of the building main and curb valve.
• If safe and localized, close the appliance’s individual shutoff (quarter-turn handle inline = open, crosswise = closed) and then evacuate.
• Avoid operating electrical switches or elevators; prop the unit door open only if advised by emergency services and there’s no strong odor in the corridor.
• If gas odor is strong in hallways or multiple floors, follow building policy to activate the fire alarm or alert security so evacuation can start.
• After the utility makes the area safe, let building staff handle relights and pressure tests; do not attempt to restore gas yourself in a shared-meter setup.

Bottom line

In a shared or master-metered apartment building, do not enter restricted areas or touch the building main unless you are trained and directed to do so. Prioritize evacuation and calling the gas utility and building staff. Only close a clearly identified, accessible appliance shutoff in your unit if the leak is localized and it’s safe to reach.

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