For Lake Highlands homeowners
Water damage restoration in Lake Highlands starts with the main valve, a set of photos and a drying plan for the first 24 to 48 hours. Water that rises from outside is Category 3 and falls outside standard homeowners cover. Requests come from four Dallas ZIPs.
Which Lake Highlands addresses do you take requests from?
Requests come in from the Dallas ZIP codes that cover Lake Highlands: 75218, 75231, 75238 and 75243. All four belong to the City of Dallas. A restoration provider confirms by phone whether your street is in range, because providers differ on how far they will drive.
Lake Highlands is a neighborhood, not a separate city, so your mailing address says Dallas. Neighbors have their own pages: Richardson on the north edge, Garland on the east and North Dallas to the west.
Why do hills and creeks matter for water in Lake Highlands?
They decide where rain runs. Wikipedia says Lake Highlands has hills and valleys, unlike much of flat Dallas, and that street elevations can vary by 50 feet. A house at the top of a rise and one in the dip below it will not take the same storm the same way.
The same article says White Rock Creek feeds White Rock Lake, which then drains toward the Trinity River southeast of downtown. If your lot sits low, water from the street can find a garage door or a back patio before it finds a drain.
Walk the lot during a hard rain, or just after one, and note where water collects. That note helps a provider and an adjuster later. Our gutters and downspouts guide covers the cheap fixes that move roof runoff away from the slab.
Does Lake Highlands flood?
Some streets can. Heavy rain in North Texas arrives fast, and Lake Highlands has creek valleys and low corners. Rain runoff or creek water that enters a house ranks as Category 3, the most contaminated class in the IICRC's S500 water categories. Treat it as a job for trained crews.
The National Weather Service gives a sense of how violent a storm can get. On May 5, 1995, its Mayfest Storm summary reports rainfall rates near 2.25 inches in 15 minutes over Dallas County, and 15 deaths there from flash flooding, several of them people who drove into high water.
According to Ready.gov, even six inches of moving water is enough to knock an adult off their feet, so keep out of it. To check an address, read our flood zone guide, and use flood cleanup for what follows a real flood.
What does White Rock Lake have to do with homes nearby?
It is the reason the neighborhood has its shape. Wikipedia says construction began in 1910 after a Dallas water shortage and the dam finished in 1911. The dam is earthen, 47 feet high and 2,550 feet long at the crest, built for storm water control and city water supply.
The City of Dallas owns and operates it, per the same article. The lake covers 1,254 acres. It does not mean every nearby house is at risk, and it does not mean none is. Look up your own address rather than guessing from the map.
What kind of houses are in Lake Highlands, and what fails first?
Mostly houses from the late 20th century. Wikipedia says most of Lake Highlands was developed then, and it describes dozens of subdivisions. Homes from one subdivision can differ in age from the next, so look up your own build year.
Most North Texas homes are built on concrete slabs, so a leak is as likely to hide under the floor as in the ceiling. The table lists parts that tend to wear out in houses of that age. It is general maintenance advice, not a finding about any street.
| Part of the house | Early sign | Where to read more |
|---|---|---|
| Pipes under the slab | Warm floor spot, running-water sound, meter moving | Slab leaks |
| Attic air handler drain | Ceiling stain under the attic unit in summer | AC leaks |
| Water heater | Damp fittings or a wet pan | Water heater leaks |
| Roof and flashing | Brown ring on a ceiling after rain | Roof leaks |
How do hail and thunderstorms reach Lake Highlands roofs?
Hail breaks the roof first and the ceiling second. The Insurance Information Institute reports that Texas ranked first in 2025 with 902 major hail events. A cracked shingle can look fine from the yard and still let water through at the next rain.
The Mayfest Storm is the local reminder. The NWS says hail up to softball size fell on Tarrant and Dallas counties on May 5, 1995, and that more than 350 cars were damaged by hail or water.
After a storm, check ceilings and the attic with a flashlight before the next rain. Our hail and roof leak guide explains what to photograph, and ceiling water damage covers a bulging ceiling.
Will my insurance pay for water damage in Lake Highlands?
The answer follows the water's source. A burst supply line or a roof leak is the kind of loss the NAIC describes as typically covered. Water that rises from the ground or runs in as rain runoff is not, and the Insurance Information Institute says standard homeowners policies leave out flood.
Sewer backup is a third category. Triple-I explains that neither a typical homeowners policy nor flood insurance pays for it, so it takes a separate endorsement.
Phone your insurer before anything is signed. On its claim-steps page, TDI gives a company 15 business days to confirm it received your claim. Our claims guide lists what to document.
What should I do in the first 24 to 48 hours?
Cut off the source, get everyone safe, then dry. EPA guidance is to dry wet areas and belongings inside 24 to 48 hours so mold does not take hold, and to hold indoor humidity under 60 percent, with 30 to 50 percent as the target.
- Close the main water valve. Kill power to wet rooms only when that is safe to do.
- Film and photograph the rooms before moving furniture.
- Ring your insurer and ask what paperwork it wants first.
- Ask a provider how moisture will be measured and how drying readings get logged.
- Stay out of standing outside water and out of any room with a sagging ceiling.
The emergency page has the longer list, and mold after water damage helps if growth has started. Ask the provider directly whether your address is in range.
Sources: Wikipedia articles on White Rock Lake and Lake Highlands; National Weather Service Mayfest Storm page; Triple-I pages on hail statistics and covered disasters; NAIC consumer page; the IICRC's S500 standard; the Texas Department of Insurance claim steps; EPA's brief guide to mold; Ready.gov flood safety.