Sewer Spills, Backups and Sewer Smells in San Diego

This guide is for the City of San Diego sewer system. If you live in another city or a sewer district, see who to call below.

The City's Sewer System Management Plan (revised May 12, 2026) says public observation is the most common way the City learns about blockages and spills, and that all calls about suspected sewer spills are routed to 619-515-3525. What happens when you call, according to the plan:

• 1. The operator takes your details: the specific location (address, street, cross street), what the spill looks like and how severe it is, when you first noticed it, and your name and phone number.
• 2. Not sure if it is sewage? The operator asks follow-up questions about color, consistency, odor, the exact location and the type of structure it is coming from (manhole, valve cover, meter box) so the right crew is sent. You do not need to be sure before you call.
• 3. A work order is opened in the City's maintenance system to document the complaint and the response.

Signs of a spill the City's door-hanger notice tells residents to look for: wet ground or water leaking around manhole lids onto the street, water leaking from cleanouts or outside drains, drain backups inside a building, and "unusual odorous wet areas" on sidewalks, walls or landscaping.

Leave manholes alone. San Diego Municipal Code section 64.0307 makes it unlawful to enter, break, uncover or tamper with any part of the wastewater system without City authorization, and section 64.0308 makes it unlawful to put wastewater or anything else directly into a manhole except through an approved connection or with a permit.

The City's sewer lateral fact sheet answers this directly: "For assistance with sewer backups, call a licensed plumber or drain-cleaning specialist." The City says it cannot recommend specific companies. If your drains start running slowly, the fact sheet says there is a good chance of an obstruction in your lateral that a plumber should be able to clear.

• 1. Call a plumber. The City says a licensed plumber will usually assess the pipe after clearing it by televising it (a camera inspection).
• 2. If the problem is past your property line, the plumber should call 619-515-3525 to file a Plumber's Report. The City does not charge for it, and says it will investigate within 24 hours.
• 3. If the City's main was the cause, the City's Sewer System Management Plan says staff will offer a City claim form "irrespective of fault" whenever the backup may have come from a blockage in City-owned sewer lines, or whenever a customer asks for one. See cleanup and damage claims.

Sewage spilling from your cleanout? The fact sheet says to control and contain it as much as possible with sandbags, dirt or cat litter, turn off the water if necessary, and call a licensed plumber. If it has reached the street, call 619-515-3525; City crews will clean up the spill within the City right-of-way, but the property owner can be held responsible for the City's response costs if the spill came from a blockage or break in the part of the lateral under the property.

Preventing backups. The City's door-hanger notice suggests a backflow prevention device, installed by a professional plumber or contractor, to help prevent sewage backups into homes and businesses.

A sewer lateral is the pipe that connects the sinks, drains and toilets in a building to the City sewer main, which is usually under the street. The City's fact sheet says: "The entire length of the sewer lateral, extending from your home or building to its point of connection with the City sewer main underneath the street, is your private property." The Public Utilities website adds that the connection "may be in the street, past the property line; on an easement; or in a canyon." The City's Sewer System Management Plan counts about 280,000 privately owned sewer laterals in its system.

From the City's sewer lateral fact sheet, its "Your Sewer Plumbing System" page and its Maintenance of Street/Alley Sewer Laterals policy, as of October 31, 2026.

When the City will and will not do the work on the street part of a lateral, according to the fact sheet:

• If you have lost all sewer service (a toilet cannot flush and water will not drain at all) because of a total blockage or break in the part of the lateral in the City right-of-way, the City may correct it at no expense to you, after your plumber files a Plumber's Report.
• If the City finds the problem is inside your property line, City crews will not do the work.
• If a private structure such as a block wall blocks access to the part in the right-of-way, City crews will not do the work.
• If the problem was caused by a lack of routine maintenance, such as roots or grease, the owner is billed for the City's time, equipment, labor, materials and overhead.
• The City will not, under any circumstances, dig on private property.

Laterals in easements and encroachment laterals follow different City policies, which are linked from the City's Your Sewer Plumbing System page. If your sewer is not fully blocked but your plumber found a structural defect, the fact sheet says you may submit the plumber's video to the City for review; call Public Utilities' Construction Support section at 858-614-5742. Development Services can show where your lateral connects to the City main; appointments are at 619-446-5300.

Buying a home? The City suggests getting a licensed plumber's report on the condition of the lateral in addition to the regular home inspection.

The City's Spill Emergency Response Plan (part of its Sewer System Management Plan) says City crews clean up when the damage is minor and outside the building, such as front, side and back yards and easements. In other cases, property owners can call a water damage restoration contractor, and "In both cases, property owners may submit a claim form to the City Risk Management Office."

City Council Policy 400-10 sets how the City handles claims from sewer main stoppages, sewer pump station failures and water main breaks. Claims are denied if an identifiable third party, such as a contractor, or the homeowner or tenant caused or contributed to the loss. Where the City had control of the cause and the homeowner or tenant was an innocent party, the policy lists:

• Emergency cleanup by the City's contractor.
• Personal property damage and real property restoration (depreciation may be considered).
• Additional living expenses, if the City adjuster decides the home is unfit for use. Unauthorized expenses are not reimbursed.
• Reasonable plumbing bills spent identifying the problem, after a main stoppage is confirmed.

The policy does not cover sewer lateral stoppages, lost business income or rent, personal labor unless the adjuster authorizes it, bodily injury, or general damages such as pain and suffering. Filing a claim does not mean the City accepts liability. The City's door-hanger notice adds that some homeowner's insurance policies cover cleanup after a sewer backup, and suggests checking with your agent.

Cleaning up safely. The door-hanger notice says to keep children and pets away, wear rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles, throw away items that cannot be washed and disinfected (such as mattresses, rugs and baby toys), remove drywall and insulation contaminated with sewage, and wash hands with soap and water afterward. It says people whose resistance to infection is compromised should not attempt cleanup, and that a professional cleaning firm should handle large cleanups. Do not let bleach or other disinfectants reach a storm drain.

• Smell outdoors: call 619-515-3525. The City's fact sheet says: "For sewer odors originating from outside your home or building, call the City's Water and Sewer Emergency Line at (619) 515-3525."
• Smell indoors: call a plumber. "For sewer odors originating from inside your home or building, call a licensed plumber or drain-cleaning specialist."

The City's Sewer System Management Plan says the City "investigates all complaints of bad sewer odors" and runs a chemical odor control program for sulfide odors in certain neighborhoods. According to the plan:

• Chemicals are injected at key locations to reduce hydrogen sulfide, the source of the foul odor. The plan names Pump Station No. 1, Pump Station No. 2, Pump Station No. 65, the Peñasquitos Pump Station, the North City Water Reclamation Plant and the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Carbon odor scrubbers are used as needed along sewers in odor-prone "hot-spot" areas.
• Maintenance holes are sealed in specific areas where odors are a problem.
• The City installs collector sewer mains and replumbs laterals to them, or installs flapper valves on laterals, to keep sewer gases from traveling back up into homes.

The City says cooking grease is "one of the major causes of residential sewer clogs resulting in sewer spills," and that roots and cooking grease, the leading causes of public sewer spills, are also the leading causes of lateral spills on private property. Clogs in your own lateral are your cost to fix.

• Flush only toilet paper. The City's "Flush Smart" page lists items that should never be flushed: baby and cleaning wipes, condoms, cotton swabs, dental floss, facial tissue, feminine hygiene products, incontinence products, medication, napkins, paper towels and teeth whitening strips. "When in Doubt, Throw it Out!"
• No fats, oils or grease down the sink or garbage disposal. The City says garbage disposals do not keep grease out of the plumbing. Pour small amounts of cooking oil, salad dressing or bacon fat into an old milk carton or other non-recyclable container and put it in the trash, wipe greasy pans with a disposable towel before washing, and use sink strainers to catch food scraps.
• Recycle larger amounts of cooking oil. City residents can drop off up to 30 gallons of cooking oil and grease at no charge at the Miramar Recycling Center, where it is mostly recycled into biofuel. The service is not open to commercial food preparation businesses.

Other steps the City suggests: plant trees and bushes away from your lateral to keep roots out, use a commercially available root inhibitor if roots are a problem, and, if you have a property cleanout, flush the lateral through it with a high-pressure hose at least once a year.

Restaurants and other food service establishments in the City need a permit from the City's Food Establishment Wastewater Discharge (FEWD) Program, which requires grease-removal equipment and investigates grease-related sewer main blockages. FEWD can be reached at 858-654-4188.

Storm drains and sewers are separate systems. If sewage is running into a gutter or storm drain, it is still a sewer spill: call 619-515-3525. The City's door-hanger notice warns that if you let sewage from your property discharge to a gutter or storm drain, you may face penalties or the cost of cleanup and enforcement. For storm drain problems that are not sewage, see our storm drains and flooding guide.

Current status for County beaches is posted at sdbeachinfo.com; questions go to the County's Beach and Bay program at (619) 338-2073. The County's beach program tests ocean water at approximately 45 beaches. The County notes that water that looks and smells clean can still exceed State bacteria standards.

The City's Sewer System Management Plan says the City notifies County DEH when sewage from the City's system reaches a water body such as the ocean, a bay, a river or a creek where people may come in contact with it, and that warning signs are posted near water suspected of contamination as determined by the County. Those signs are removed only at the County's direction.

Clean water instead of sewage? See our water leaks and main breaks guide. For other problems you can report to the City, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego. Flooded streets and clogged storm drains are covered in our storm drains and flooding guide.