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Older Houses
Sinkholes and Pipes: When the Yard Opens Up
When a sinkhole opens near your plumbing, keep people and pets back, don't fill it or let water run into it, and call your insurer. If it threatens the house or a road, call 911.
Every part of Florida sits on limestone and dolomite, so the Florida Geological Survey says sinkholes could form anywhere in the state; no area is truly "safe." But not every hole in a Seminole County yard is a sinkhole. The same agency's list of look-alikes includes failed drain and sewer lines and cracked septic tanks, which makes a sudden low spot a plumbing question as much as a geology one.
Is that hole a sinkhole or a broken pipe?
You often can't tell by looking. Besides karst, FGS names buried debris and badly compacted fill as reasons ground can drop, along with the pipe and tank failures above. When a depression hasn't been confirmed as a sinkhole, FGS calls it a "subsidence incident."
A hole right over the path of your drain line or septic tank deserves a closer look from a plumber or septic contractor. In older houses, our notes on cast iron drains and slab leaks cover the pipes most likely to be involved.
What should you do first when a hole opens in the yard?
Keep everyone away from it. FGS advice is to mark and secure the area and keep children and pets back. If you see sinking, sagging or cracking walls in the house, stay out of the building. Where there is any risk of someone getting hurt, FDEP says to call your local law enforcement agency, and 911 is the number when a house or road is in danger.
Leave it unfilled. FGS says not to put water into the hole, since that may make it bigger, and never to throw in anything that could contaminate groundwater. Call your property insurance adjuster right away.
Should you shut off the water if a hole opens near the line?
If water could be reaching the hole, yes. FGS warns that water flowing into a sinkhole can cause it to expand and become more active. Turn off any irrigation zones nearby, and close the house's main shutoff if a line runs close by.
To see whether a leak is feeding the hole, use the meter. Seminole County's leak page says a flow indicator that spins with all water use off means a leak; if it still turns after you close the house valve, the leak sits in the yard line. The full test is on our high water bill page. A hole at the meter box or on the street side belongs to the utility; Seminole County Utilities answers for everything through the meter.
What if the ground sinks over a septic tank?
Stay off it and keep others off. A cracked tank is one of the FGS causes of sinking ground, and EPA warns that septic tanks can hold dangerous gases, so opening or fixing one is work for trained people. Bring in a septic contractor registered with DEP (its contractor search lists them) and let your county health department know.
Repairs need a permit, issued in Seminole and Orange by the county's Department of Health office. For the system itself, see septic pumping and care.
Who inspects sinkholes in Florida?
No government agency does, for private property. FGS says plainly that no agency in Florida has responsibility or authority for sinkhole inspections, and that FDEP does not inspect possible sinkholes. It points homeowners to a certified home inspector, a foundation specialist, or a licensed engineering or geology firm.
FGS does encourage you to report a hole as a subsidence incident. It keeps a database of reports going back to 1954, but most entries are unverified, and there is no ready-made sinkhole risk map. For a hole in the street, FDEP says to cordon it off, contact law enforcement, and call the city or county road department.
What you see and who to call first
| What you see | First call |
|---|---|
| Hole near the house, walls cracking or sagging | Stay out; 911 if anyone is at risk, then your insurer |
| Hole in the street | Law enforcement, then the city or county road department |
| Hole over the septic tank or drainfield | Registered septic tank contractor and the county health department |
| Hole near a water line, meter spinning | Close the house shutoff; licensed plumber or your utility |
| Hole in the open yard, nothing nearby | Mark it off, call your insurer, report it to FGS |
Does homeowners insurance cover sinkholes?
Part of it is required, part is optional. Under s. 627.706, Florida Statutes, every property insurer in Florida must cover catastrophic ground cover collapse. Coverage for sinkhole loss beyond that is optional and costs an extra premium; its deductible can be 1%, 2%, 5% or 10% of the dwelling limit.
The required coverage is narrow. A catastrophic ground cover collapse needs all four of these: the ground collapses abruptly, a depression is clearly visible, the building has structural damage including the foundation, and a government agency has condemned the structure and ordered it vacated. Settling or cracking of a foundation alone does not count. For claim questions, FDEP refers people to the Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services.
Which of those you carry depends on your policy, so check with your agent.
Do wells or heavy rain cause sinkholes?
Heavy rain can trigger them; a home well usually can't. FGS lists drought, construction, blasting, heavy loads on the ground, heavy rainfall and heavy groundwater pumping as possible triggers, and says private residential wells are typically not enough to cause one. So it's worth walking the yard after a wet stretch of storm season.
Readers often ask
Can I fill a small sinkhole myself?
Don't. FGS warns that putting water into a hole can enlarge it, and it says never to dump anything that could contaminate groundwater. Have it looked at by a certified home inspector, a foundation specialist or a licensed engineering or geology firm, and call your insurer.
Will the county come out and inspect it?
No agency in Florida has the job of inspecting sinkholes on private property. FDEP does not inspect them either. The county road department does handle holes in public streets.
My foundation has cracks. Is that a catastrophic ground cover collapse?
Not by itself. Florida law says settling or cracking of a foundation alone does not meet the definition. All four conditions, including a government order to vacate, have to be met.
Could my private well have caused the sinkhole?
FGS says private residential wells are typically not sufficient to cause sinkholes. Heavy groundwater pumping, drought, construction and heavy rain are among the triggers it lists.
Who do I call about a hole in the road in front of my house?
Cordon it off if you safely can, call law enforcement, and call the city or county road department, as FDEP advises. If anyone is in danger, call 911.
Where this came from
- FDEP Florida Geological Survey — Sinkhole FAQ — karst everywhere, other causes, what to do, no inspections, triggers, database
- FDEP — Sinkholes — law enforcement, road holes, DFS referral
- Florida Statutes s. 627.706 — required collapse coverage, optional sinkhole coverage, deductibles, definition
- Florida Department of Financial Services — Consumer Services — insurance claim help
- EPA — Septic Systems: What to Do after the Flood — dangerous gases in tanks
- FDEP — Septic Tank Contractor Registration — registered contractor search
- Seminole County Water Conservation — Leaks (archived) — meter leak test
- Seminole County Utilities — Cross-Connection Control Program (archived) — county responsible up to the meter
- FDEP — Onsite Sewage Program — county health departments issue septic permits