Fire Hydrants and Water Meter Boxes in San Diego: Who to Call

This guide is for the City of San Diego water system. If your water bill comes from another agency, see who to call below.

• When to call 911. If a vehicle has crashed into a hydrant, someone is hurt, or the water is flooding a road, undermining pavement or otherwise putting people in danger, call 911. A City Public Works dispatch reference sheet lists 619-515-3525 for a hydrant knock-over and says to call 911 immediately for any life-threatening emergency or urgent or serious situation.
• Stay clear. Keep people and cars away from the water and any hole or broken pavement. Do not try to shut the water off yourself: Municipal Code section 67.0213 makes it unlawful to operate or tamper with a City water control valve without the Department's authorization.

A sheared hydrant can look like a main break. Either way, the number is the same. Our water leaks and main breaks guide covers main breaks, no water, low pressure and leak adjustments in more detail.

Sources: Municipal Code Chapter 6, Article 7, Division 2, the City's water meter diagram and San Diego Fire-Rescue policy O-22-2. The SDFD policy also says the Fire-Rescue Department must be notified immediately when a private hydrant is out of service because of damage or repairs lasting more than 24 hours.

• Call, don't use the app. Get It Done has no category for hydrants, water leaks or meter boxes. The City's Guide to Get It Done Reports and Services says: "To report a water leak or a sewer issue, please call the Public Utilities Department at 619-515-3525."
• What to give the operator. The City's brochure says the hotline operator takes your name, phone number, the location, nearby landmarks, a description of the problem and any damage. For a hydrant or meter box, an exact address or the nearest cross street, which side of the street it is on, and whether water is flowing all help a crew find it.
• Note what you see. Water spraying or pooling, a cracked or tilted hydrant, a missing cap, a missing or broken lid, or a box that has sunk below the sidewalk. If you share it on SaveSanDiego, a photo taken far enough back to show the location helps neighbors recognize the spot.
• Leak at your own meter? The City says standing water in the meter box, consistently saturated soil or water flowing from the meter are signs of a possible meter leak. If the leak is on the City's side of the meter a City crew repairs it; on the property side, the owner does. See our water leaks guide.

A missing or broken lid leaves an open hole in the sidewalk or parkway, and a box that has settled or cracked can become a trip hazard. The City's meter diagram says the box and its lid are maintained by the City unless it is a private water service.

• Report it to Public Utilities. The City does not publish a separate number for meter box lids. The Water Emergency Hotline, 619-515-3525, is the Public Utilities line that dispatches crews to the City water system. For account and billing questions, customer support is 619-515-3500, Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• If someone could fall in right now, stay with it if it is safe to do so, warn people walking by, and tell the hotline operator it is an open hole. If someone has been hurt, call 911.
• Leave the meter alone. The City's meter page tells customers how to lift the lid to read their meter, using a tool such as a large screwdriver rather than fingers. Beyond that, Municipal Code section 67.0213 makes it unlawful to break, disassemble or tamper with a water meter, a meter locking device or other City water system equipment, or to turn on water on the City side of the meter without authorization.
• Cracked sidewalk around it? A raised or broken sidewalk panel is a separate Get It Done report. See our sidewalk repair guide.

If you were hurt or your property was damaged, our guide to reporting a problem to the City explains how claims against the City work.

• Hydrants are for firefighting. Municipal Code section 67.0212 says fire hydrants are to be opened and used only as specifically authorized by the Department, and makes it unlawful to use City water from a hydrant for anything other than extinguishing a fire without prior authorization and a fire hydrant meter, regardless of knowledge or intent. Water hauled to a work site in a tank or vehicle must also pass through a Department-installed hydrant meter.
• The Fire Hydrant Meter Program. The City's Fire Hydrant Meter Program page says the program, also called the Construction Meter Program, mainly applies to contractors. Public Utilities installs, locks on and relocates the meters and reads them monthly for billing. Fees listed as of October 31, 2026, for a 2-inch meter: $936 equipment deposit, $62 installation or removal, $93 relocation, and a $75.44 monthly base fee. Larger meters are estimated individually. Questions: 619-515-3500.
• Reporting unauthorized use or tampering. The Public Utilities Code Enforcement Unit enforces the Municipal Code to protect the City's water supply and says to report violations regarding the City's potable water supply to PUDCodeEnforcement@sandiego.gov or 619-533-4146. If water is gushing from an opened hydrant, call 619-515-3525 first.
• What enforcement looks like. The Code Enforcement Unit says its primary approach is education. If that does not resolve a violation, it issues Notices of Violation and administrative citations with fines of $100, $250, $500, $750 and $1,000, which can be cumulative, and the Department may also terminate water service.

• Objects around hydrants and meters. Municipal Code section 67.0213(d) makes it unlawful to place any material, debris or structure of any kind on or around water system equipment, including fire hydrants, valves, manholes, meters and meter boxes, so as to prevent free access to it. For hydrants on private property, SDFD policy O-22-2 requires unobstructed access at all times and a 3-foot clear space around the hydrant, including vegetation.
• Cars parked at hydrants. Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant is not allowed, even without a red curb. Report it through the Get It Done parking form. See our blocked driveways and illegal parking guide.
• Overgrown brush? Vegetation that is a fire hazard is covered in our overgrown brush and weeds guide.

The City's water emergency brochure describes the response to a water emergency:

• 1. Dispatch. The hotline operator takes your details and dispatches an emergency service unit.
• 2. Make it safe. The crew investigates, protects public safety and shuts down the water to isolate the problem. Municipal Code section 67.0214 gives the Department authority to shut off water to any premises in an emergency or to make repairs, so nearby homes may briefly lose water.
• 3. Repair. When digging is needed, construction crews repair or replace the damaged pipe, backfill the trench and place a temporary asphalt patch. Traffic control is set up and other underground utilities are marked first. Afterwards pipes are flushed and the water is tested before the system is recharged.

The brochure dates from 2005 but is still posted on the City's website. The City does not publish a target repair time for hydrants or meter box lids. If a problem you reported is still there, call 619-515-3525 again and mention your earlier call.

For other problems you can report to the City, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego. Sewage coming from a manhole goes to the same 619-515-3525 number; see our sewer spills guide.