No hot water in the house

No hot water at any tap means the water heater. No hot water at one tap means that tap.

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The short version

Electric heater: Check the breaker first.
Gas heater: Check whether the pilot or burner is lit.
Call a plumber when: The breaker trips again, the pilot will not stay lit, or the tank leaks.

Smell gas near the water heater? Leave the house first. Call your gas company or 911 from outside. Do not switch anything on or off on the way out.

Safe to check yourself

Whether every tap is cold, or only one.
The breaker for an electric water heater.
The status light or pilot on a gas heater.
The temperature dial.

Stop and call

The breaker trips again after one reset.
The pilot goes out repeatedly.
There is water around the heater.
The water is rusty or smells.

Why the hot water stops

Electric: power or elementsA tripped breaker, a tripped safety switch on the heater or a burned-out heating element.
Gas: ignitionA pilot that is out, a failed thermocouple or a gas control that has shut down.
The thermostatA failed thermostat stops the heater calling for heat.
Not enough, not noneLukewarm water or hot water that runs out fast points to sediment or a failed part, not a dead heater.

What a plumber will do

Check power or gas supply to the heater.
Test the elements, thermostats or gas control.
Replace the failed part.
Set the temperature and check for leaks.

When the heater is running again, check the setting. The CPSC says 120 degrees Fahrenheit may be necessary to reduce or eliminate the risk of most tap water scalds.

Related guides

Sources

US Consumer Product Safety Commission: tap water scalds