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Water still coming in? Shut off the main valve first. First-hour checklist
Cost guide

Flooded Basement Cleanup Cost (2026)

Cleaning up a flooded 800 sq ft basement costs $2,850⁠–⁠$6,350 when it’s unfinished, with little to tear out, and $10,850⁠–⁠$23,150 when it’s finished with carpet and drywall, from drying through repairs. If the water is judged Category 3, as sewage is and floodwater often is, the finished basement runs $13,500⁠–⁠$28,550.

By Erik Leavell, Editor Updated Oct 2026 · 18 sources
A finished basement with a few inches of water around the sofa and the foot of the stairs
Drying and repairs 800 sq ft finished basement, Category 2 water

$10,850–$23,150

Drying and tear-out$3,950–$8,450
Repairs after drying$6,900–$14,700

Where the water came from sets the category, and the category sets most of the price.

Estimate your cost Check a quote Built from 10 published price sheets, trade wages and store prices.

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$10,850–$23,150

Drying, tear-out and repairs. National prices. Add your ZIP for local ones.

Drying and tear-out$3,950–$8,4503–4 days, right away
Repairs after drying$6,900–$14,700Drywall, paint, carpet and baseboard
See the line items
Estimate by line item
Drying and tear-out
Emergency service call1 visit$118–$279
Water extraction800 sq ft$440–$616
Air movers42–56 unit-days$1,078–$2,032
Dehumidifiers6–8 unit-days$610–$1,328
Technician: setup, daily checks, pickup11–12 hours$544–$834
Tear out wet carpet and pad800 sq ft$680–$848
Flood cut drywall392 sq ft$404–$886
Antimicrobial800 sq ft$96–$184
Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10%$0–$1,402
Drying and tear-out3–4 days of drying$3,950–$8,450
Repairs after drying
Hang and finish new drywall392 sq ft$1,654–$2,704
Prime new drywall392 sq ft$102–$169
Paint the walls, two coats1,333 sq ft$866–$1,919
New carpet and pad800 sq ft$2,896–$4,944
New baseboard, installed and painted196 linear ft$1,043–$1,954
Trips and setup6 hours$379–$520
Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10%$0–$2,442
Repairs$6,900–$14,700
TotalDrying, tear-out and repairs$10,850–$23,150

Drying and tear-out (mitigation) for a home, then the repairs after drying: drywall, paint, baseboard, flooring and base cabinets. Drying low end: lower-quartile rates from 10 published price sheets; high end: upper-quartile rates and a day more drying. Repairs are built from published labor hours, local trade wages and store prices for materials, and checked against public price sheets. Both high ends add overhead and profit. Totals are rounded out to the nearest $50, so line items may not add up exactly. How we built it

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Cost factors

What drives the cost

In a basement, where the water came from and what’s down there matter more than how deep it got.

  • Where the water came from

    A burst pipe or water heater starts as clean water. Sewer backups are Category 3, the dirtiest kind; floodwater from outside often is too, but the restorer decides from what the inspection finds, as for seepage and sump overflows. The same finished basement runs $2,600⁠–⁠$6,000 with clean water caught early and $13,500⁠–⁠$28,550 with Category 3.

  • Finished or unfinished

    A concrete floor and open studs have little to tear out or rebuild: 800 sq ft unfinished with gray water runs $2,850⁠–⁠$6,350. Finished with carpet and drywall, the same space runs $10,850⁠–⁠$23,150, most of it repairs.

  • How long it sits

    Our calculator treats clean water left more than 48 hours as gray: a day more drying, and wet carpet and drywall come out. Pumping out a deep basement can take days on its own when the ground outside is soaked.

  • Size

    Drying and tear-out are priced by the square foot. A 500 sq ft finished basement with gray water runs $7,150⁠–⁠$15,100; 800 sq ft runs $10,850⁠–⁠$23,150.

Where it came from sets the category

  1. Category 1 Clean water Burst supply line, clean sink overflow $$$Lowest cost
  2. Category 2 Gray water Washing machine, dishwasher, aquarium $$$Higher cost
  3. Category 3 Black water Sewage, sewer backflow, floodwater from outside $$$Highest cost
Water categories and classes explained
Where the money goes 800 sq ft finished basement, Category 2 water · drying, tear-out and repairs · typical ranges
  • Water extractionPumping and vacuuming out the water $440–$620
  • Drying equipment Check the daily logAir movers and dehumidifiers, billed per day $1,690–$3,360
  • Technician timeEmergency call, setup, daily moisture checks, pickup $660–$1,110
  • Tear-outWet carpet and pad, drywall cut 2 ft up $1,080–$1,730
  • AntimicrobialApplied to wet materials $100–$180
  • Drywall and paintNew drywall along the cut, primed, walls repainted $2,620–$4,790
  • New flooringCarpet and pad, or vinyl plank $2,900–$4,940
  • BaseboardInstalled and painted $1,040–$1,950
  • Trips and setupTravel and setup for each trade $380–$520
  • Overhead and profitSome companies add 10% + 10% $0–$3,840
Total, 800 sq ft basement$10,850–$23,150
By situation

Cost by situation

Each range is the calculator’s answer for a typical case at national prices, from drying through repairs.

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What you get back

A fair quote shows

  • The water category, and where the water came from
  • Equipment by the day, backed by a daily moisture log
  • Drywall cut height and square footage
  • Drying priced apart from rebuilding

Red flags

  • Category 3 pricing for a clean burst pipe caught early
  • A lump sum for “basement restoration” with no quantities
  • Pressure to sign before your insurer has seen the damage
See the full price list
Insurance

Will insurance pay?

It depends on where the water came from. Homeowners insurance covers a sudden pipe or appliance leak, but excludes flooding and seepage, and covers a sump or sewer backup only with an add-on. Flood insurance covers a short list of things in a basement.

Usually covered

  • A burst pipe or appliance leak, under homeowners insurance
  • Sump overflow or sewer backup, with a water backup endorsement
  • Furnace, water heater, sump pump, electrical panels, unfinished drywall and cleanup, under flood insurance

Usually not covered

  • Water seeping through the walls or floor
  • Flooding from outside, under homeowners insurance
  • Finished walls, floors and your belongings, under flood insurance

Your policy wording decides.Does homeowners insurance cover flooding?

Safety first

Before you go down there

  1. 1Safety

    Turn off the power, if you can stay dry

    If you can reach the main switch from a dry spot, turn it off. If you’d have to step into water to reach it, call an electrician instead.

  2. 2Safety

    Smell gas? Get out

    Turn off the main gas valve, open windows and leave. Never run a gas pump or generator inside the house or basement, or within 20 feet of a door, window or vent.

  3. 3

    Pump it out slowly

    If the ground outside is soaked, pump out about a third of the water a day, the Red Cross says. Draining it all at once can let the pressure of wet soil push the walls in.

  4. 4

    Photograph it and report it

    Take photos before anything is moved or thrown out, then call your insurer. If you have flood insurance, call that insurer too.

Full first-hour checklist
FAQ

Questions people ask

Does homeowners insurance cover a flooded basement?

Only for some causes. A burst pipe is usually covered. Flooding from outside isn’t, and neither is seepage through the walls or floor, which South Dakota’s insurance division says no endorsement can add. A sump pump overflow or sewer backup is covered only if you bought water backup coverage.

What does flood insurance cover in a basement?

A short list. FEMA’s list includes furnaces, water heaters, central air conditioners, sump pumps, electrical outlets and panels, unfinished drywall, stairs, and cleanup such as pumping out the water. It doesn’t cover finished floors and walls, furniture, electronics or other belongings. A few listed items, like washers, dryers and freezers, are covered only under contents coverage, which is bought separately.

What do flood insurance claims come to for homes with basements?

In our analysis of FEMA’s flood claims for single-family homes from 2021 to 2025, homes with finished basements had a median paid claim of $12,804, and homes with unfinished basements $13,211, against $61,517 for homes without one. These are whole-house claims, limited to what flood insurance pays for, so they aren’t a full cleanup cost.

How fast does a basement need to dry?

Within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold, the EPA says. That’s hard in a basement, where it’s cool and damp to begin with, which is why drying companies run dehumidifiers for days and check the readings each day.

Why did my basement flood?

Common causes are rain that runs toward the house because of poor grading, gutters or downspouts, and a rising water table, the University of Minnesota Extension says. It often gets in through cracks in the foundation or floor slab, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Sump pump failures, sewer backups and burst pipes are other causes.

How do I keep it from happening again?

Keep a working sump pump with a battery backup and a water alarm, FEMA says. Test the pump before the wet season by lifting the float to see that it turns on and runs. Point downspouts and grade the soil away from the foundation, and consider a backwater valve if sewage could back up.

How we got these numbers

Drying prices come from 10 published price sheets. Repair prices are built from published labor hours, federal wage data for each trade and store prices for materials, then checked against public repair price sheets. Both are adjusted for labor costs near your ZIP. Ranges are national until you add one. Flood claim figures are our analysis of FEMA’s NFIP claims data. Read the full methodology.

  1. Published restoration price sheets (state and county contracts, contractor price lists), RestoreCost. 10 published price sheets, collected Oct 2026.
  2. Seabee Planner’s and Estimator’s Handbook (NAVFAC P-405), U.S. Navy. Labor hours for repairs. 1996 edition.
  3. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trade wages by metro. Checked Oct 2026.
  4. Category of Water Damage and Weather-related Events (S500 position statement), IICRC. Feb 10, 2026.
  5. What does flood insurance cover in a basement?, FEMA. Jan 2022.
  6. NFIP Redacted Claims (v3), OpenFEMA. Flood claims only, single-family homes, 2021–2025. Our analysis, Oct 2026.
  7. Which disasters are covered by homeowners insurance?, Insurance Information Institute. Checked Oct 2026.
  8. Homeowners 3 – Special Form (HO 00 03 10 00), sample policy, ISO, hosted by the Insurance Information Institute. 2000 edition; your policy’s wording may differ.
  9. Understanding the difference between flood damage and water damage, Maryland Insurance Administration. Checked Oct 2026.
  10. Flood disaster and insurance Q&A, South Dakota Division of Insurance. Checked Oct 2026.
  11. Safety guidelines: reentering your flooded home, CDC. Updated Aug 24, 2026.
  12. Disaster cleanup and repair, American Red Cross. Checked Oct 2026.
  13. How to deal with a leaking or flooded basement, NDSU Extension. Mar 2, 2022.
  14. Now is the time to check your sump pump, NDSU Extension. Mar 17, 2022.
  15. Moisture in basements: causes and solutions, University of Minnesota Extension. Checked Oct 2026.
  16. How to protect your home from water damage, Insurance Information Institute. Checked Oct 2026.
  17. Minimize flood damage, FEMA FloodSmart. Checked Oct 2026.
  18. A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home, U.S. EPA. Updated Feb 18, 2026.