Water Damage Restoration in Cimarron Hills

Updated November 12, 2026

Cimarron Hills is an odd piece of the map. It is an unincorporated El Paso County community wrapped on all sides by Colorado Springs, a few miles north of the airport and right up against Peterson Space Force Base. That status changes who you call when water shows up where it should not, and it is the first thing worth sorting out.

Your water comes from a district, not the city

Inside Cimarron Hills, water and sanitary sewer service is generally provided by Cherokee Metropolitan District, a special district that has served this area for decades. Colorado Springs Utilities is not your water provider here, even though it may supply your electricity or gas.

Why that matters during a leak:

• A break in the street or at the meter pit is the district's problem. Call Cherokee directly.
• A break between the meter and your house, or anywhere inside, is the homeowner's. Shut off the house valve and call for help.
• A sewer line backing up could be a blockage in your own lateral or a problem in the district main. A plumber with a camera can tell you which.

Find your main shutoff now, before you need it. In many Cimarron Hills homes it sits in the basement or crawlspace where the line comes through the foundation wall, sometimes behind a utility room door that is blocked by storage.

The houses here

Most of the neighborhood is single-family homes from the 1980s and later, with a mix of townhomes, apartments and a smaller share of manufactured homes. That points to a few common patterns:

• Bi-levels and two-stories with finished lower levels. When water gets into a finished basement, it soaks carpet pad, wicks up drywall and hides under laminate.
• Original water heaters and supply lines in homes that have never been replumbed. A water heater tank that has been in service for a long time tends to fail at the bottom seam, and the first sign is often wet carpet in the next room.
• Manufactured homes with plumbing running under the floor. When a line freezes and splits there, water can run for hours before anyone sees it.

What usually causes the damage

Hail deserves a special note on this side of town. Big storms roll across the eastern half of the metro most summers, and a cracked shingle or dented vent can let water in for weeks before a stain shows. If you had a hail claim on the roof, keep an eye on the ceilings below it. Our page on roof leak water damage explains what the crew checks.

Military families and empty houses

With Peterson next door, a lot of Cimarron Hills homes change hands or sit empty during PCS season. A house left with the heat turned way down for a few weeks in January is exactly where a pipe freezes and runs unseen. If you are leaving, set the thermostat to a safe minimum, shut the main valve, and ask a neighbor to look in. Our post on PCS moves and vacant homes has a fuller checklist.

What to do in the first hour

1. Shut off the water at the main valve, or at the fixture if the leak is isolated.
2. If water is near outlets, cords or a furnace, turn off power to that area at the breaker panel. Do not step into standing water to reach it.
3. Take photos and video of everything before you move it.
4. Pull rugs, boxes and furniture out of the wet area.
5. Call your insurer to open a claim, and call for a crew to start extraction.

What drives the bill and how insurance usually works

No one can give you a fair figure over the phone. The crew that inspects will look at the water type (clean supply line versus sewage), how many square feet got wet, whether it is finished drywall and carpet or bare concrete, how long the water sat, and whether you need rebuild work or drying only. After-hours calls and tight access, like a crawlspace under a manufactured home, also factor in. You should get the scope and cost in writing before any work starts.

Many homeowners policies cover sudden water, such as a supply line that bursts, but exclude slow leaks and groundwater. Sewer backup usually needs a separate endorsement. Hail damage to the roof is handled as a wind and hail claim, and Colorado policies often carry a higher deductible for that peril. Read more in does homeowners insurance cover water damage in Colorado.

Permits and checking a contractor

Because Cimarron Hills is unincorporated El Paso County, building permits and contractor licensing go through the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. Drying and cleanup alone usually do not need a permit, but replacing drywall in quantity, moving plumbing or rewiring wet circuits often does. You can look up any contractor's license status on the PPRBD website before you sign anything.

Nearby areas

Crews that work Cimarron Hills also cover Falcon to the northeast and Stetson Hills just to the north. If you are dealing with sewage rather than clean water, start with sewage cleanup.