Mount Prospect plumbing at a glance
Coverage
Mount Prospect has one ZIP code, 60056, and we dispatch to it from 776 Busse Highway in Park Ridge, by way of Des Plaines.
Response
Emergency dispatch is available around the clock, 24/7, for sewer backups, burst pipes and active leaks. Same-day appointments are offered when available for other work.
Sewer type
The Village's own overhead sewer page describes a combined sewer main, one pipe that carries both house waste and storm runoff, which shapes how backups happen here.
Water
The Village-owned system gets Lake Michigan water treated by Chicago and delivered by the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.
Where we go in Mount Prospect
The village sits about 4 miles north of O'Hare, with Village Hall at 50 South Emerson Street and the Metra stop at 11 East Northwest Highway on the Union Pacific Northwest Line. US Route 14 (Northwest Highway) and Illinois Route 83 cross the village, and Randhurst Village is another local landmark.
We name them because a dispatcher needs a cross street, not a ZIP code, to picture the drain. The more precisely you can say which house, which drain and what the weather was doing, the faster we can match the call to the likely cause.
Creeks, a combined sewer and a long flood record
These are the pieces Mount Prospect's own pages and the Cook County hazard plan put on the record.
Four creeks
McDonald, Feehanville, Weller and Higgins creeks run through the village and drain to the Des Plaines River, per the Village's stormwater page.
Combined sewer main
The Village's overhead sewer page says its combined sewer main can reach capacity in heavy rain. That is when basements are most at risk.
Flood dates
The Cook County hazard plan lists floods in October 1986, August 1987, August 2007, May and September 2008, July 2011 and April 2013.
Repeat losses
The same plan counts 14 FEMA repetitive-loss properties and notes drainage work at Catalpa Lane, Park Drive and the New Town Subdivision.
Mount Prospect note: water, Public Works and permits
Mount Prospect is a village in Cook County with 56,852 residents in the 2020 Census, and 68.7 percent of homes are owner-occupied (Census QuickFacts). Its 2023 water quality report says the water comes from Lake Michigan, is treated by Chicago and reaches the Village through the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency. The Village's own Public Works Department runs the distribution system.
Not every address is on the Village system. Its service-line program page excludes Illinois American Water customers, so check your water bill to see who serves you before you call the wrong office. Public Works answers on weekdays during business hours, and after hours the Village points residents to the police non-emergency line.
For plumbing work, the Village's Building and Inspection Services Department issues the permit and has a plumbing inspector. Permit rules vary by job, so we confirm with the Village before work starts.
What homeowners notice first
The common first sign is a floor drain that gurgles or a basement toilet that bubbles during a heavy rain, then clears when the storm passes. That pattern points to the combined main filling up, not a clog in your own pipe. If it happens in dry weather, the blockage is more likely in your house sewer, which is the right job for sewer line cleaning.
Slow drains on every fixture at once, a sewer smell near the cleanout, or wet footprints at the lowest drain are also reasons to call. Storm-driven backups tend to arrive fast and recede, while a house sewer blockage keeps coming back.
Floor drain gurgling or water rising?
Our 24/7 dispatch line is open. Tell us which drain and what the weather was doing.
How we work a backup call here
Ask first
We ask whether it rained, which drains are affected and whether neighbors are having the same trouble.
Check access
We locate the cleanout or the lowest drain and look at what is coming up.
Clear and camera
We cable or jet the line, then run a camera if it clogs again to look for roots, offsets or breaks.
Plan the fix
If the pipe is damaged we explain sewer line repair options and quote a clear price before work starts.
Before we arrive: if you have a burst pipe or active leak in Mount Prospect
Water and sewage both move quickly through a finished basement. These steps help while our emergency dispatch line is on its way to you.
- Shut off the main water valve if a supply pipe is leaking.
- Stop using sinks, toilets, the dishwasher and the washer if a drain is backing up.
- Turn off power to the wet area at the panel only if the floor around the panel is dry.
- Keep children and pets out of any sewage water.
- Move belongings off the floor if you can do it safely.
- Call our 24/7 line and tell the dispatcher which drain is affected.
The overhead sewer rebate and what it does to your price
The Village's overhead sewer rebate page describes a rebate of up to 50 percent of direct costs, capped at $7,500, for converting a gravity sewer to an overhead one. Only single-family homes qualify, drain tile must be disconnected from the sanitary or combined sewer, and the work needs a sump pit and pump discharging to the yard.
That makes it a plumbing-installation job as much as a repair, and it needs permits and inspections. See our page on plumbing installation for the general process. For your real number, call our 24/7 line.
Neighboring ZIP codes
Nearby ZIP codes such as 60016 (Des Plaines), 60005 and 60004 (Arlington Heights) and 60070 (Prospect Heights) raise the same questions about backups and old sewer lines. If you are on the other side of the village line, ask the dispatcher whether we can reach you.
Our route from Park Ridge runs through Des Plaines, and Glenview is another town we reach, about 6 miles to the east.
State rules that apply in Mount Prospect
Licensing and code come from the state. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, plumbers are licensed under the Illinois Plumbing License Law, 225 ILCS 320, and the Illinois Plumbing Code is 77 Ill. Adm. Code 890. Ask which village office handles permits for your repair.
Frequently asked questions
Mount Prospect has a single ZIP, 60056, and we cover all of it. That runs from Village Hall on South Emerson Street and the Metra stop on Northwest Highway out to Randhurst Village and the creek corridors in between.
Yes. Our emergency line is staffed 24/7, including nights and weekends, for sewer backups, burst pipes and active leaks. Same-day appointments are offered when available for less urgent work.
The Village describes a combined sewer main that can reach capacity in heavy rain, which pushes water toward the lowest drain in the house. If it only happens during storms, a rebate-eligible overhead sewer may be worth discussing. If it happens in dry weather, we clear the line.
The Village's page says only single-family homes qualify, so a multi-family building does not. For landlords with backups, we can still clear the line and discuss backflow protection. Check with the Village about any other program.
The Village's service-line program splits costs at the B-box, with one rate to the main and another to the meter. Its page said funding was no longer available for 2024, so ask Public Works if it has reopened and who owns each side of the box.