Meter Moves · Manifolds · 2-Flat & 3-Flat · Utility Coordination

Gas Meter Relocation, Re-Set & Manifold Service in Chicagoland

Move your gas meter the right way, with the customer-side piping handled by licensed pros

Whether you are adding a room, finishing a basement, building a garage, or your meter is simply in the wrong spot, relocating a gas meter is a coordinated job between you, your utility, and a licensed plumber. Midwest Gas Pipe Repair handles every part of the work that belongs to you, the homeowner: new manifold fabrication, riser, and the piping that ties your home back together once Peoples Gas or Nicor moves the meter itself. We work across Chicago and the suburbs, pull the right Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will County permits, and keep your project on schedule. Have a gas emergency or a meter question right now? Call (708) 381-2959 anytime, 24/7, anywhere in Chicago and the suburbs, and we will call you right back.

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Why homeowners move a gas meter

Most meters were set decades ago, in spots that made sense at the time and get in the way today. The reasons we hear most often are home additions, new decks and porches, basement finishing, and detached garage builds. If your meter now sits inside a planned bedroom wall, under a new deck, or where a driveway and garage will go, it has to move before construction can continue.

A few common drivers in Chicago and the suburbs:

  • An addition or bump-out will enclose or block the existing meter location
  • A new deck, patio, or porch would sit over or beside the meter, against clearance rules
  • Finishing a basement means moving meters and piping off a wall you want to use
  • A new garage or driveway changes where the service should enter
  • The meter is simply in an awkward, exposed, or hard-to-read spot

Moving a meter often pairs naturally with a new gas line installation to feed a relocated furnace, range, or outdoor grill line.

The Peoples Gas / Nicor process: your side vs. the utility's side

This is the part that confuses most homeowners, so let's make it plain. A gas service is split into two halves at the meter. The utility owns and controls everything up to and including the meter itself: the service main, the connection, and the meter set. In the city that utility is usually Peoples Gas; out in the suburbs it is typically Nicor. Only the utility can disconnect, move, or re-set the meter.

Everything downstream of the meter is customer-side piping, and that is the work a licensed plumber performs. We build the new manifold, riser, and the gas piping that carries fuel from the relocated meter into your home. We coordinate the appointment, but we cannot touch the meter or the utility's service line.

If you ever smell that rotten-egg odor, mercaptan added to natural gas as a warning, leave the building first and call 911 or your utility, then call us for the private-side repair. A Peoples Gas meter relocation in Oak Park or a Nicor move in Naperville follows this same two-sided split.

Pre-work: new manifold, riser, and customer-side piping

Before the utility ever shows up, the customer-side piping needs to be ready so the meter can be re-set and turned on the same day. This pre-work is where a licensed crew earns its keep. We fabricate a new manifold, the assembly that ties the meter to your home's branch lines, and we build the riser that brings the connection to the right height and position for the utility's new meter set.

Depending on your home we run black iron or CSST (corrugated stainless steel tubing), size each line to the BTU demand of your appliances, and include the small but important parts that keep the system safe: a sediment trap, also called a drip leg, to catch debris before it reaches a valve, and a proper flex connector at each appliance. We also confirm bonding so the gas piping is electrically grounded. Larger or aging systems may call for gas pipe replacement at the same time.

Coordinating the utility disconnect and reconnect

A clean relocation runs in a tight sequence, and timing is everything. We schedule the disconnect and reconnect with Peoples Gas or Nicor, then build our customer-side work to be inspection-ready before that window opens. Here is the typical order:

  1. We file for the meter move with your utility and pull county and municipal permits (Cook, DuPage, Lake, or Will, depending on your town)
  2. If any digging is involved, we call JULIE / 811 so all underground utilities are located and marked first
  3. We fabricate and install the new manifold, riser, and customer-side piping
  4. The utility disconnects the old meter and re-sets it in the new location
  5. We complete final tie-ins and the system is inspected and turned back on

Because the utility controls its own calendar, the appointment date is the part we cannot rush, so we plan around it. We keep you updated at each step in Evanston, Schaumburg, and every town between.

Multi-meter manifolds for 2-flats, 3-flats, and small commercial

Chicago is full of two-flats and three-flats, and many of them carry a bank of meters on one wall. When those buildings are renovated, deconverted, or have meters relocated, the whole assembly often needs to be rebuilt as a custom meter manifold, a single fabricated header that feeds several individual meter sets cleanly and keeps each unit's gas properly separated.

This work demands careful BTU sizing across every unit, correct clearances, and a layout the utility will approve. We build custom manifolds for multi-unit residential and for storefronts, restaurants, and other small businesses. For larger buildings and tenant fit-outs, our commercial gas services cover the heavier piping and code requirements those projects involve.

We regularly handle two-flat and three-flat manifold work in Joliet, Arlington Heights, and Bolingbrook, where mixed residential and small-commercial blocks keep these jobs common.

What it costs to move a gas meter (customer-side scope only)

Pricing on a meter relocation depends almost entirely on the customer-side scope: how far the meter moves, how much new piping is required, whether you need black iron or CSST, how many appliances are served, and whether a single meter or a multi-meter manifold is involved. Permits and any required excavation also factor in. To set expectations, simple repairs at Midwest Gas Pipe Repair start from $199, but a relocation is a larger, custom job.

What moves the number on a meter relocation:

  • Distance the meter and piping have to travel
  • Single meter vs. a custom multi-meter manifold
  • Length and type of new customer-side piping
  • Permit fees by county and municipality
  • Whether digging and JULIE / 811 locating are needed

Remember, the utility's own charge for moving the meter is separate and billed by Peoples Gas or Nicor. We quote only the customer-side work we perform. Get a written quote — every home is different.

Timeline and what to expect

A typical single-meter relocation spans a couple of weeks from your first call to gas-on, and most of that time is spent waiting on permits and the utility's appointment, not on the physical work. The hands-on customer-side piping is usually a one- to two-day job once we start.

Here is the rhythm most homeowners experience:

  • We visit, confirm scope, and give you a written quote
  • We file the utility request and pull permits, the slowest stretch
  • We fabricate and install your manifold, riser, and piping
  • The utility re-sets the meter on its scheduled date
  • We finish tie-ins, complete gas pressure testing, pass inspection, and your gas is restored

We will not leave you guessing. From Hinsdale to Glenview to Oak Brook, we keep you posted at each milestone, and if anything urgent comes up along the way, our licensed crews are on call 24/7 with 30 to 60 minute emergency response across Chicago and the suburbs.

Service areas for gas meter relocation

Gas meter relocation requests are routed across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.

Need to Move or Re-Set a Gas Meter?

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Common Questions

Gas Meter Relocation FAQs

Only your utility can disconnect, move, and re-set the meter itself, since they own everything up to and including the meter. In the city that is usually Peoples Gas; in the suburbs it is typically Nicor. What we do is the licensed customer-side work: building the new manifold, riser, and piping, pulling permits, and coordinating the utility's appointment so everything lines up for a same-day turn-on.
It depends on the scope: how far the meter moves, how much new piping is needed, the pipe type, the number of appliances, and whether it is a single meter or a multi-meter manifold. Permits and any digging factor in too. The utility bills its own charge for the meter move separately from our customer-side work. Get a written quote — every home is different.
Most single-meter relocations run a couple of weeks from first call to gas-on, but the bulk of that is waiting on permits and the utility's scheduled appointment. The actual customer-side piping is usually a one- to two-day job. We build everything to be inspection-ready before the utility's disconnect and reconnect window so there are no delays on our side.
Yes. We fabricate custom multi-meter manifolds for two-flats, three-flats, and small commercial buildings, with careful BTU sizing for each unit, correct clearances, and a layout the utility will approve. For larger buildings and tenant build-outs, our commercial gas services cover the heavier piping and code requirements.
Treat any gas smell as an emergency. The rotten-egg odor is mercaptan, added so leaks are easy to detect. Leave the building right away and call 911 or your utility first. Once you are safe, call us at (708) 381-2959 and our licensed crew will respond for the private-side repair, 24/7, anywhere in Chicago and the suburbs.
We serve Chicago and a wide range of suburbs, including Naperville, Oak Park, Evanston, Schaumburg, Joliet, Hinsdale, Arlington Heights, Glenview, Oak Brook, and Bolingbrook. We are licensed for Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Will County permits. We serve Illinois only and do not work in Indiana.