Pipe repair failure leads to significant flooding at Fulton County jail

Fulton County jail flooding

The Rice Street Jail in Fulton County experienced significant flooding on Saturday after a pipe coupling failed during a repair. 

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A pipe coupling that failed during a water leak repair at the Rice Street Jail in Fulton County led to over 70,000 gallons of water pouring through the facility on Saturday, officials said.  
 

What we know:

Just after 5 a.m., detention staff reported a water leak coming from a toilet in the third-floor medical unit.

When maintenance crews went to repair the leak, the pipe coupling at the source failed, causing widespread flooding across the third floor and the levels below it, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office said.  

The break was not caused by freezing weather or other weather-related issues, the agency explained.

An estimated 70,000 gallons of water have drenched the facility, impacting the front entrance and lobby, medical clinic, officers' fining room, parts of the server room, and courtrooms.

Despite this, the sheriff's office said no inmate resident housing has been affected.

Water service was shut off during repairs, but has since been restored. Water restoration contractors remain onsite, extracting standing water and assessing other needs.

The front lobby is expected to remain closed until at least Sunday. 

What they're saying:

District 4 Commissioner Mo Ivory expressed concern about the significant flooding affecting the jail.

"The conditions are not only unsafe and disruptive for people being held there, but also for staff who are required to work in the building," Ivory said in a statement to FOX 5. 
 

The backstory:

The Rice Street Jail has experienced notable flooding issues in the past.

The current flooding has also caused damage to several servers that were repaired for about $1 million after a pipe burst on Oct. 11, 2025.

Officials are still assessing the damage cost to those servers from Saturday.

In August 2025, heavy rain and faulty plumbing led to flooding in an area that housed nearly 200 detainees. It occurred just hours after the Fulton County Commission approved a $1.1 billion renovation of the jail. 

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