Boil Water Advisories — Live Alerts for the U.S. & Canada
Search your city, county or water system to see active boil water advisories, who issued them and exactly what to do next — aggregated straight from official sources.
U.S. states & D.C.
What to do during a boil water advisory
What is a boil water advisory?
What triggers one, who issues it in the U.S. and Canada, and how long it usually lasts.
What to do: complete checklist
Drinking, cooking, ice, formula, pets, dishes and laundry — the full household playbook.
How long to boil water
One minute at a rolling boil — three at high altitude. Why, and how to do it right.
Advisory vs. order vs. do-not-drink
Every notice type explained, with the legal differences in both countries.
Can you shower?
Yes, if you avoid swallowing water — plus special rules for children and open wounds.
After the advisory is lifted
Flush pipes, water heaters, ice makers and filters with the post-advisory reset guide.
Real data. Official sources. No rumors.
There is no single shared advisory API for the U.S. and Canada — every state, province and territory publishes its own way. This site connects the official feeds that are genuinely machine-readable (state ArcGIS services, open data APIs, agency notice lists) and syncs them automatically, deduplicates records, and marks advisories as lifted when the source clears them. For the states that publish no machine-readable feed, it also tracks recent local news reports — always named, linked and clearly tagged — so no state is left in the dark.
Every notice keeps its source name and a link to the original government announcement, so you can always verify at the authority that issued it.
Frequently asked questions
Is a boil water advisory mandatory?
Yes. Whether your jurisdiction calls it an advisory, notice or order, it is a binding public health directive. Boil tap water for one minute before drinking, cooking, making ice or brushing teeth until it is officially lifted.
How do I know if MY home is affected?
Notices usually apply to a specific water system, pressure zone or set of streets. Find your water system name on your bill, then check this site and your utility’s official alert channels. When in doubt, call the number on your water bill.
Where does this data come from?
From official government sources where they publish machine-readable data: state drinking water programs, provincial regulators, health authorities and federal agencies like Indigenous Services Canada. States without an open-data feed are covered by a news fallback — recent reports from local news outlets (aggregated via Google News RSS) are shown with the outlet named and linked, tagged “via news report”, and they expire automatically when coverage stops. We are independent and not affiliated with any agency.
Why does my state page show few or no notices?
Every state and province is monitored twice a day. States with open-data feeds show official registry records; the others surface recent news reports about local advisories instead — those pages may look quieter simply because there is currently nothing to report. Notices usually apply to a specific water system or set of streets, so always confirm with your utility using the official links on each state page.