Downed Wires and Leaning Utility Poles in San Diego: Who to Call

A wire on the ground, draped over a fence or car, or hanging within reach could be a power line, and you cannot tell whether it is energized by looking at it. Both SDG&E and the state's utility regulator say to treat it as dangerous:

• Assume it is energized. SDG&E's newsroom safety reminder says to always assume downed power lines are energized, keep a safe distance, and call 911 and SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343. The CPUC's power line safety fact sheet says all downed lines should be treated as dangerous and that you should never touch a downed power line or go near one.
• Do not touch anything it touches. The CPUC says not to touch a person, animal or object in contact with a downed line, because the line may still be energized, and to call 911. SDG&E's downed power line page says only a qualified electrical worker should try to free a person or animal from an electric line.
• Call 911, then SDG&E. SDG&E's power outage safety page says to report downed lines to 911 and call SDG&E immediately at 1-800-411-7343. Its storm safety page says to report them to the police or fire department and SDG&E.
• In a car. If a line falls on your vehicle or you hit a pole, stay inside and call 911 unless there is a fire. Our power outages guide covers SDG&E's full guidance for this.

How far away? As of November 2, 2026, the SDG&E and CPUC pages we checked do not set a specific safe distance for a line that is on the ground; they say to stay away and call from a safe place. Give it plenty of room, keep children and pets back, and remember that a wire can lie hidden in grass, water or debris. SDG&E's 10-foot rule applies to working near overhead lines that are still up, not to standing near a fallen one.

Many utility poles carry more than one kind of wire. There is a general pattern, but it is not a safe way to decide whether you can go near a wire.

• Power is usually on top. SDG&E's tree safety FAQ says its high-voltage lines are the ones at the top of the pole, marked "High Voltage" on the cross arm, and that the lower-voltage phone and cable lines sit below SDG&E's equipment on the pole.
• The wire to your house is electric too. The same FAQ describes the service drop, a low-voltage SDG&E line that runs from the pole to a house or business. Low voltage does not mean safe to touch.
• Why not to guess. When a pole breaks or a tree falls, wires end up out of their usual order, and a phone or cable line can be lying across or touching a power line. If any wire is down or within reach, treat it as a power line and call 911 and SDG&E. Only report a line straight to AT&T or Cox when it is clearly a communication line, still up and not touching anything electrical.

• Power lines: SDG&E. San Diego Gas & Electric owns and maintains the electric lines and equipment, and SDG&E's own manual refers to poles owned by SDG&E. The City of San Diego does not run the power grid.
• Phone, cable and internet lines: the carrier. Lines for phone, cable TV and internet belong to companies such as AT&T and Cox (Cox's website now says "Cox is now Spectrum"), plus other providers. SDG&E's tree FAQ notes that it does not maintain other utilities' facilities.
• Shared (joint-use) poles. A CPUC staff paper, A Brief Introduction to Utility Poles, explains that the state requires investor-owned utilities such as SDG&E, and incumbent phone companies such as AT&T, to give phone and cable TV providers access to their poles. SDG&E's pole attachment manual describes communication companies attaching to poles owned by SDG&E. So one pole can have several owners' wires on it.
• Ownership tags. Under the CPUC's General Order 95, Rule 91.5, communication cables on joint-use poles must carry markers naming the owner with a 24-hour contact number. The rule says the markers must be visible to workers who climb the pole, so they may be hard to read from the street.

If a phone or cable line is sagging low over a street, sidewalk, driveway or yard but is not on the ground and not near a power line, report it to the company that owns it. Use only the companies' official pages and numbers below; do not rely on numbers from ads or search snippets.

• AT&T. AT&T's page on unburied cables, exposed wires and downed lines says to call 800.288.2020 at any time about a downed or drooping line. If you have AT&T service, give your account information and say the line is down. If you are not a customer, say you have no account, decline new service, and then say the line is down. AT&T also warns never to approach a downed wire yourself and to call local authorities in an emergency.
• Cox. Cox's disaster support page asks people to report damaged or downed lines, links to its contact page, and says to use cox.com/chat to get a downed line repaired safely. It also asks people never to remove lines themselves, because lines on a pole serve several homes.
• Another company's line. AT&T says that if a line is marked with a different company's name, report it to that company. Use the contact details on that company's own website.
• Not sure, or it is a hazard? If you cannot tell whose line it is, or it is low enough to catch a truck or a person, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343, and 911 if it is an immediate danger. The CPUC's public safety complaint page gives a dangling wire as an example of a utility safety problem to report to 911.

• Report it to SDG&E. For a pole that is leaning, cracked, burned, hit by a car or pulling its wires tight, call SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343. SDG&E's Dial 811 page gives the general rule for damage to its equipment: if you think the damage is life-threatening, clear the area and call 911 as well as SDG&E; if not, still report it to SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343.
• Call 911 first if it is falling or blocking a road. A pole that is moving, has wires down, or is lying across a street or sidewalk is an emergency.
• Give a precise location. Note the nearest address or cross street, which way the pole is leaning, and what it is touching. Take photos only from a safe distance.
• A pole with only phone or cable lines. If a pole carries no power lines at all, the phone or cable company may own it; report it to that company as above. When in doubt, call SDG&E.

SDG&E's contact page lists 1-800-411-7343 as its customer line and says it handles emergencies after hours and on Sundays. In an electrical or gas emergency, that page says to leave the area and call 911 and SDG&E from a safe location.

Overhead power, phone and cable lines run along City streets, but the City does not own or repair them. A few related things are the City's:

• Street lights. The City's streetlights page says, "The Street Division is responsible for all the streetlights in the City of San Diego." Report a light that is out or a damaged street light pole through Get It Done, at 619-527-7500 or [email protected]. See our street lights out guide.
• Trees and power lines go to SDG&E. The City's street tree maintenance page says that if a City-maintained tree is affecting power lines in any way, report it to SDG&E immediately at 1-800-411-7343. SDG&E's vegetation management page says to call that number to request an inspection and that its pruning or removal is done at no cost to the property owner. Its tree FAQ adds that pruning around power lines must be done by a line-clearance-qualified arborist, and that the California Penal Code bars unauthorized people from working within six feet of high-voltage lines. For other street tree problems, see our street trees guide.
• Undergrounding. The City's Utilities Undergrounding Program aims to move every residential overhead electric, telephone and broadband line underground. The City says about 1,000 miles of overhead lines remain and that SDG&E carries out most of the construction. Questions: 619-533-3841 or [email protected].

For other problems on City streets and sidewalks, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.

• SDG&E equipment. SDG&E's claims page accepts claims for losses such as property damage, bodily injury, business interruption and food spoilage. You can send its claims form by email or fax, or mail it to SDG&E, Attention: Claims Department, P.O. Box 129831, San Diego, CA 92112. SDG&E says a claims representative will contact you within 3 to 5 business days.
• Phone or cable equipment. Contact the carrier that owns the line through its official contact page.
• The CPUC does not decide damage claims. Its complaint page says it cannot award damages or decide a utility's liability, and that you can go to civil court if you cannot resolve it with the utility.
• City property. If a City street light pole or other City property caused the damage, the claim goes to the City, with strict deadlines. See our guide to filing a damage claim against the City.