Top-Rated Flooded Basement Cleanup in Oakland County, MI (2026)

Novi

• A Novi sewer backup starts with a four-step process: Water & Sewer staff fill out an incident report, the Water & Sewer Manager investigates by televising the line, the Clerk's Office sends a claim packet within five business days, and the city's insurer investigates liability. A written claim is due within 45 days of the overflow; call 248-735-5644, or 248-348-7100 after hours. (City of Novi, Sewer Overflow or Backup Information)
• Oakland County's Water Resources Commissioner operates the sewage system for part of Novi, while the City of Novi Water and Sewer Division runs its own sewer system elsewhere in the city, so which agency a resident contacts after a backup depends on which part of Novi the home sits in. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, Basement Flooding Claim Information)
• A Novi resident whose home is served by the city system reports a sewer backup to City of Novi Water and Sewer staff, who complete a Sewer Backup Incident Report Form, at 248-735-5644 (248-348-7100 after hours), and must still file a written claim within 45 days of discovering the overflow or backup under Public Act 222 of 2001. (City of Novi, Sewer Overflow or Backup Information)
• Novi recorded a major flood on June 26, 1968, the only dated historical flood the city names on its own flood plain information page. (City of Novi, Flood Plain Protection Information)

NOAA's storm record logs 13 storm reports (1 flood), gusts to about 64 mph at locations in Novi from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2025-06-24. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Novi: 1-800 Water Damage of Southeast Michigan. Compare water damage restoration companies in Novi

Royal Oak

• Royal Oak is one of the 14 communities on the George W. Kuhn combined-sewer basin, and about 40% of the city's homes flooded during the August 2014 storm when the system overflowed. Residents report a sewer or drain concern through the city's online form or by calling 248-246-3000. (City of Royal Oak, Report a Concern; Wikipedia, George W. Kuhn Retention and Treatment Basin)
• Royal Oak maintains about 300 miles of sanitary and storm sewers, manholes, and catch basins, and participates in the George W. Kuhn Retention Treatment Basin (formerly the Twelve Town Drainage Enhancement Program), expanded in 2006 to reduce basement flooding risk across the district. (City of Royal Oak, Sewer Division)
• A Royal Oak resident reports a sewer backup or flooded basement to the Department of Public Service at 248-246-3300 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.), with a response targeted within the hour, or to police non-emergency at 248-246-3500 after hours, who dispatch sewer personnel 24 hours a day. (City of Royal Oak, Responding to Street/Basement Flooding)
• The city maintains the main sewer lines, but property owners are responsible for their own service line connections and cleanouts; if a blockage sits on the owner's side of the line, the owner has to hire a plumber or sewer cleaning company rather than wait on the city. (City of Royal Oak, Responding to Street/Basement Flooding)

NOAA's storm record logs 4 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 1.5 inches, gusts to about 60 mph at locations in Royal Oak from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2020-07-07. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Royal Oak: Dry Space Property Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Royal Oak

Southfield

• Southfield runs its own water department rather than a county system; a backup is reported to 248-796-4850 (248-796-4899 after hours), and a written claim goes to the city's Office of Management and Budget at 248-796-5260 within 45 days of discovering the damage. (City of Southfield, Public Works, Sewer and Drain)
• A Southfield resident who discovers a sewer or storm-water backup should call the city's Water Department at 248-796-4850, or 248-796-4899 after hours, or the police desk at 248-796-5500 if those lines don't answer. (City of Southfield Public Works, Sewer and Drain page)
• Under Michigan's Public Act 222 of 2001 (MCL 691.1419), a resident is not entitled to compensation for sewage-system backup damage unless they notify the governmental agency in writing within 45 days after discovering the damage, naming the property address, the discovery date, and a brief description of the claim. In Southfield that written claim goes to the Office of Management and Budget, reachable at 248-796-5260. (Michigan Legislature, MCL 691.1419; City of Southfield Public Works)
• During the June 25-26, 2021 storm that flooded basements across Metro Detroit, a volunteer rain gauge 2.8 miles north-northeast of Southfield recorded 2.90 inches of rain by 8:00 a.m. on June 28, 2021. (National Weather Service Detroit/Pontiac, Metro Detroit Flooding storm report)

NOAA's storm record logs 4 storm reports (0 flood), gusts to about 64 mph at locations in Southfield from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2023-04-05. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Southfield: Prime Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Southfield

Bloomfield Hills

• Bloomfield Hills drains entirely into the Rouge River watershed, a 438-square-mile system covering parts of 48 municipalities in three counties with more than 40 lakes and impoundments and over half of it urbanized. Oakland County operates Bloomfield Hills' sewage system directly. (City of Bloomfield Hills, Rouge River Watershed)
• A Bloomfield Hills resident with county-sewer backup damage must file written notice within 45 days of discovering it, either online at forms.oakgov.com/259 or by mailed PA 222 claim form, under Michigan's Public Act 222 of 2001 (MCL 691.1419). The county's after-hours emergency line is 248-624-6366. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, Basement Flooding Claim page; Michigan Legislature, MCL 691.1419)
• During the June 25-26, 2021 Metro Detroit storm, a resident identified only as Victoria shared a photo captioned simply "Flooding in Bloomfield Hills," one of the local flood photos collected the morning of June 26, 2021. (ClickOnDetroit (WDIV))
• Oakland County's RainSmart Rebates program pays homeowners in southeast Oakland County up to $125 per rain barrel (minimum 50 gallons, two per property), $6 per square foot for a rain garden that is at least 75% native species, and $250 per qualifying tree, capped at $2,000 per property. It requires a $25 site visit from the Clinton River Watershed Council or Friends of the Rouge, and it does not cover backwater valves or sump pumps. The county was not accepting new 2026 applications because of demand. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, RainSmart Rebates page)

NOAA's storm record logs 8 storm reports (1 flood), hail up to 1 inches, gusts to about 70 mph at locations in Bloomfield Hills from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2025-06-24. (NOAA event record)

• 2021-07-24, flash flood: A quick 2.5 inches of rain in thunderstorms lead to flash flooding of the underpass at the intersection of Maple Road and South Easton Street. (NOAA)

Highest ranked for this job in Bloomfield Hills: Prime Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Bloomfield Hills

Farmington

• The City of Farmington owns sanitary and storm sewers in public rights-of-way, but a resident owns the line from their property to the city main even when that connection sits across the road. Public Works jets city-owned lines on a five-year cycle; call 248-473-7250 with a sewer problem. (City of Farmington, Water and Sewer Lines)
• Oakland County's basement-flooding claim program lists Farmington Hills, not the City of Farmington, among the communities whose sewage disposal systems the county operates. Farmington runs its own system. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, Basement Flooding Claim page)
• The City of Farmington cleans every municipal-owned sanitary sewer line once every five years, across roughly 50 miles of sanitary sewer pipe citywide. (City of Farmington, Water and Sewer Lines page)
• Under Michigan's Public Act 222 of 2001 (MCL 691.1419), a Farmington resident must give the city written notice within 45 days of discovering sewage-backup damage, including the property address, discovery date, and a brief description of the claim, or compensation cannot go forward. Report a sewer line problem to Farmington Public Works at 248-473-7250. (Michigan Legislature, MCL 691.1419; City of Farmington, Water and Sewer Lines page)

NOAA's storm record logs 11 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 0.75 inches, gusts to about 64 mph at locations in Farmington from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2024-06-19. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Farmington: Prime Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Farmington

Farmington Hills

• Farmington Hills is on the county-run system: a backup not caused by internal plumbing goes to the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner at 248-858-1127 (248-858-0931 after hours), and a written PA 222 claim mails to the Commissioner's Waterford office within 45 days. (City of Farmington Hills, Sewer Backup Information)
• Farmington Hills' storm sewers run separately from its sanitary sewers: the city's own page says storm drains carry rain and snowmelt straight to creeks and the Rouge without treatment, while the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner (WRC) owns and runs the sanitary sewer for Farmington Hills, one of 16-plus Oakland County communities on the WRC's operated list. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, basement flooding claim page)
• Report a sanitary sewer backup not caused by your own plumbing to the WRC at (248) 858-1127 during business hours or (248) 858-0931 after hours, weekends, and holidays. The city itself says it has no legal duty to repair the private sewer lead between your house and the main. (City of Farmington Hills, Sewer Backup Information)
• At a National Weather Service gauge 2.4 miles south-southwest of the city, the June 25-27, 2021 Metro Detroit storm dropped 3.44 inches of rain, well below the 8-inch totals in Wayne County but still enough to overwhelm yard drainage across Farmington Hills. (National Weather Service, Detroit/Pontiac)

NOAA's storm record logs 4 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 0.75 inches, gusts to about 63 mph at locations in Farmington Hills from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2019-06-01. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Farmington Hills: Prime Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Farmington Hills

Auburn Hills

• Auburn Hills runs its own DPW Water and Sewer Division, maintaining about 185 miles of water main and 120 miles of sanitary sewer main. A backup claim form goes to the Public Utilities Manager at 1500 Brown Rd.; call DPW at 248-391-3777, or police at 248-370-9444 after hours. (City of Auburn Hills, Public Utilities)
• Auburn Hills' DPW Water and Sewer Division runs the city's own roughly 185 miles of water main and 120 miles of sanitary sewer main; the city is not on Oakland County's list of communities whose sewers the county Water Resources Commissioner operates. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, basement flooding claim page)
• Report a water main break or sewer backup to DPW at (248) 391-3777 during business hours, or the Auburn Hills Police Department at (248) 370-9444 after hours. A Sewer Back-Up Claim Form, under the city’s own Sewer Back-Up Policy, goes to the Public Utilities Manager at 1500 Brown Rd. (City of Auburn Hills DPW, Public Utilities)
• At about 1:30 a.m. on May 10, 2026, the Great Lakes Water Authority's 42-inch transmission main burst in River Woods Park off Squirrel Road, flooding the park and Squirrel Road; the city declared a State of Emergency and ordered a mandatory boil-water advisory for areas north of Cross Creek Parkway and University Drive. (City of Auburn Hills Police Department media release)

NOAA's storm record logs 7 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 0.88 inches, gusts to about 63 mph at locations in Auburn Hills from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2024-08-27. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Auburn Hills: Prime Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Auburn Hills

Northville

• Northville buys its water from the Great Lakes Water Authority but sends its wastewater into a Wayne County transmission line to Detroit's treatment plant, crossing county lines for disposal even though the city sits in Oakland and Wayne counties. A backup claim, with receipts and photos, goes to the City Clerk within 45 days; the city reimburses actual cash value only. (City of Northville, Water & Sewer)
• The city owns and runs its own water and sanitary sewer system, buys its water from the Great Lakes Water Authority, and the sanitary system ties into a Wayne County transmission line that carries waste to Detroit's wastewater treatment plant, regardless of whether a given property sits on the Oakland or Wayne County side of the city. (City of Northville, Water & Sewer page)
• A sewer-backup claim requires receipts for cleanup or repairs, an itemized list of damaged property with proof of its age, and photos where possible; reimbursement is capped at actual cash value, not replacement cost, and the written claim goes to the City Clerk at 215 W Main Street within 45 days of discovery. (City of Northville, Water & Sewer page)
• FEMA's flood plain map for the Northville Downs area was revised effective November 26, 2021, a change the city still posts on its Flood Plain Information page years later, reclassifying part of that area into the Zone AE Special Flood Hazard Area. (City of Northville, Flood Plain Information)

Highest ranked for this job in Northville: 1-800 Water Damage of Southeast Michigan. Compare water damage restoration companies in Northville

Troy

• Troy runs its own Water & Sewer Division but sends wastewater to the Great Lakes Water Authority treatment plant rather than treating it locally. Call 248.524.3370 during business hours for an emergency, or the police department at 248.524.3477 after hours. (City of Troy, Water & Sewer Division)
• Troy is not one of the municipalities where the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner operates the sewers, so a Troy sewer backup claim never goes to the county. It goes to the City of Troy Water & Sewer Division at 248-524-3370 during business hours, or the Troy Police Department at 248-524-3477 after hours. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, basement flooding claim page)
• A Troy sewer backup claim must be a written notice to the City Attorney's Office, 500 W. Big Beaver, Troy, MI 48084, within 45 days after the damage is discovered. The city provides a fillable "Notice of Sewer Backup Claim" form, and missing the 45-day window prevents recovery of damages under Michigan law. (City of Troy, Sewer Backup Legal Claims)
• A major storm in August 2019 flooded Sylvan Glen Subdivision 3 along Livernois and Square Lake Road, carrying debris from nearby school properties into the street drainage system. (C&G Newspapers, "Livernois/Square Lake-area residents speak out about flooding problems")

NOAA's storm record logs 16 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 1 inches, gusts to about 64 mph at locations in Troy from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2025-03-30. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Troy: Dry Space Property Restoration. Compare water damage restoration companies in Troy

Rochester Hills

• Rochester Hills owns the storm inlet grates built into its streets, but individual property owners own their own sump pump discharge lines, and private developments own their own shared detention basins and pipes, a split left over from the city's time as a township. Report a hazardous spill to 911, or call 248-656-4640 during business hours. (City of Rochester Hills, Stormwater)
• Rochester Hills is not one of the municipalities where the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner operates the sewers or handles backup claims, so a resident cannot use the county's 45-day claim process; the city handles its own sanitary sewer maintenance. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, basement flooding claim page)
• The Department of Public Services, which performs sanitary sewer maintenance for the city, can be reached at 248-656-4685 for a water or sewer emergency, or 248-656-4600 for general questions. After hours, residents call 248-656-4685 and press 3 for dispatch. (City of Rochester Hills, Public Services & Engineering)
• On November 27, 2023, University Hills Elementary School in Rochester Hills closed for a day after a broken pipe caused extensive flooding discovered over the weekend, requiring water extraction and drying across classrooms, pre-K space and the School-Age Care program. (FOX 2 Detroit, "Rochester Hills elementary school closes due to flooding inside building")

NOAA's storm record logs 13 storm reports (0 flood), gusts to about 64 mph at locations in Rochester Hills from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2026-05-18. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Rochester Hills: Prime Restoration (office in Rochester Hills). Compare water damage restoration companies in Rochester Hills

West Bloomfield Township

• West Bloomfield Township's water and sewer department maintains more than 300 miles of sanitary sewer main, 23 lift stations, and more than 370 miles of water main, sending wastewater to the Great Lakes Water Authority plant, which the township describes as the largest single on-site treatment plant in the northern hemisphere. (West Bloomfield Township, Water and Sewer)
• West Bloomfield is not one of the municipalities where the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner takes basement-flooding claims directly, even though OCWRC transmits the township's sewage to the Great Lakes Water Authority treatment plant. A backup claim goes to the township, not the county's claim process. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, basement flooding claim page)
• To report a sewer backup, call the township's Operations & Maintenance line at (248) 451-4780 during business hours, or Public Safety Dispatch at (248) 975-9200 after hours. The department maintains more than 300 miles of sanitary sewer main and 23 lift stations. (West Bloomfield Township, Water & Sewer)
• For a drainage complaint that is not a sewer backup, such as standing water or a neighbor's altered runoff, the township's Environmental Division at (248) 451-4818 sends an engineering inspector for an onsite assessment, though it cannot resolve a dispute between neighbors. (West Bloomfield Township, Drainage Concerns)

NOAA's storm record logs 10 storm reports (0 flood), hail up to 1 inches, gusts to about 64 mph at locations in West Bloomfield Township from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2026-06-10. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in West Bloomfield Township: Prime Restoration (office in West Bloomfield Township). Compare water damage restoration companies in West Bloomfield Township

Birmingham

• Birmingham splits between the Rouge and Clinton River watersheds, and part of the city still runs combined sewers through the Evergreen-Farmington system into the Birmingham retention/treatment basin and the nearby Bloomfield Basin. A 2025 county briefing noted specific Birmingham streets and basements that have flooded repeatedly for decades. (Citizen Portal: Oakland County water commissioner briefs Birmingham)
• Birmingham is not one system. Part of the city runs combined sewers through the Evergreen-Farmington system into the Birmingham RTB and Bloomfield Basin, while other parts run separated storm and sanitary sewers, so two Birmingham addresses can have completely different backup risk. (Citizen Portal: Oakland County water commissioner briefs Birmingham)
• The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner, which coordinates the combined-sewer basins that touch Birmingham, can be reached at 248-858-0958 during the day and 248-624-6366 after hours. (Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner)
• Under Michigan's sewage-backup law, MCL 691.1417, a Birmingham homeowner must show five things to recover damages: the agency was the right one to sue, the sewer had a defect, the agency knew or should have known about it, the agency failed to fix it in a reasonable time, and the defect was a substantial cause of the damage. (Michigan Legislature, MCL 691.1417)

NOAA's storm record logs 9 storm reports (0 flood), gusts to about 63 mph at locations in Birmingham from 2010 through 2025. Latest: thunderstorm wind on 2024-08-27. (NOAA event record)

Highest ranked for this job in Birmingham: Prime Restoration (office in Birmingham). Compare water damage restoration companies in Birmingham