Sinkholes and Sunken Pavement in San Diego

San Diego Fire-Rescue's utilities drill manual says: "Sinkholes can occur without warning for various reasons." When firefighters respond to one, its procedures start with rescue and evacuation, keeping vehicles and traffic a safe distance away, and notifying the Public Utilities Water Division. Get It Done says it "is not for emergencies."

• Call 911 if someone has fallen in or is hurt, a vehicle is in or at the edge of the hole, or the ground under a building, wall, driveway or slope is giving way. If you smell gas, call 911; the City lists SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343 for gas and electric problems.
• Call 619-527-7500 for an open hole, a collapse or sinking pavement in a City street, alley or sidewalk when no one is in danger. The Transportation Department lists this number "to report a street or structure repair," and the Street Division says anyone can report one "24-hours a day, seven days a week" there. The Get It Done page says: "For urgent street-related issues, dial 619-527-7500."
• Call 619-515-3525 if water is flowing out of the ground or the hole, or there is sewage or a sewer smell. The Public Utilities Department lists it for water leaks, sewer spills and pressure problems, and its water emergency brochure describes the Water Emergency Hotline as open 24 hours a day.
• Stay back from the edge. The ground around a sinkhole can be hollow underneath. On one canyon storm drain repair, the City's project page said "the unknown sub-surface soil condition poses a risk to pedestrians" and asked people not to go over or around barriers. Do not drive through standing water; the Fire-Rescue manual gives the same warning for crews at a main break.

A pothole is a surface failure. The City's street resurfacing and pothole repair page describes potholes as "small bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface" that "generally have sharp edges and vertical sides near the top of the hole," most often when water seeps into cracks and the vibration of tires causes the asphalt to fail. A sinkhole starts underneath: soil is washed away below the pavement, leaving a void. City emergency repair records describe what that looks like from above.

Sources for the examples above: the City's Mission Gorge Road settlement emergency project, where lanes were closed in 2016 because of road settlement; emergency contract records for a depression in a parking lot in the College Area, a sinkhole in the travel way that undermined a sidewalk and a sinkhole beside a storm drain inlet that reached under a home; and the Fire-Rescue drill manual. If you cannot tell which it is, treat it as a sinkhole: keep away from the edges and phone it in.

A sunken water meter box or a lid that has dropped is covered in our fire hydrants and water meter boxes guide. An ordinary pothole is covered in our pothole guide.

• Failed storm drain pipes. Many of the City emergency sinkhole repair records published online involve a failed storm drain pipe. A June 2018 City Auditor report on the Storm Water Division says corrugated metal pipe (CMP) "is an outdated pipe material that is prone to failure," has an expected useful life of only 35 years, compared with 100 years for reinforced concrete pipe, and is the primary cause of the City's storm drain pipe failures although it makes up only about 4 percent of its storm drain pipes. The audit says that failing to repair and replace these assets can result in flooding and sinkholes, and that the rate of failure is "greatly influenced by the frequency of rainstorms." A July 2022 City news release counted 1,800 known stormwater pipe failures citywide that, if not prioritized for repair, would likely affect neighborhoods with "sinkholes, road closures and safety impacts."
• They grow, especially in rain. One City emergency record describes a sinkhole on a slope above a failed storm drain that "has grown considerably," with two additional sinkholes forming along the same slope, one connected underground to the first. Another, in an open space area, "continues to enlarge following each rain event" (record). After the 2022 to 2023 winter storms, an aged section of a large storm drain in La Jolla collapsed, causing a sinkhole beside a condominium complex; two of its buildings were later red-tagged (project page).
• Broken water mains. San Diego Fire-Rescue's drill manual says: "Most commonly, sinkholes are caused by broken underground water mains that may go undetected for an extended period of time. The leaking water washes away the soil that supports roadways, foundations, and structures located above." In one 2023 case, a water main break in San Clemente Canyon caused a sinkhole, and the City shut off the water and repaired the pipe. After a main break, the City's water emergency brochure says crews backfill the trench and place a temporary asphalt patch, and the Street Division later paves over the excavated area.
• Sewer lines. Sewer pipes run under streets and alleys too. As of November 5, 2026, we did not find a City page that describes sewer failures as a cause of sinkholes, so this guide does not claim one. If you see sewage or smell sewer gas at a hole, the City's number is 619-515-3525.

As of November 5, 2026, the City's guide to Get It Done reports has no report type for sinkholes, collapsed pavement or settlement. The closest forms each say they are for something else:

• The Pothole form says potholes are "small bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface" and asks people not to use it "to report entire street segments or resurfacing requests."
• The Storm Drain form offers channel cleaning, a clogged storm drain, a foul odor, a broken or missing grate frame and an object in the drain. None of these is a collapse.
• The Sidewalk form is for problems such as a raised sidewalk; the City says a temporary asphalt patch may be applied pending a permanent repair.
• The Other form says "Get It Done is not for emergencies," lists "Other urgent issues: (619) 527-7500" and "Water and Sewer Emergencies: (619) 515-3525," and the Get It Done guide says Other reports are not automatically processed and may take more time.

The Get It Done guide also says a report may take as long as 72 hours to be reviewed. A sinkhole should be phoned in to 619-527-7500, or to 619-515-3525 if water or sewage is involved. City records show sinkholes reaching the City by email to the Stormwater Department and as service notifications. When you call, have this ready:

• Where. The nearest cross streets (for example "near Elm Street and 30th Street"), which side of the street, and whether it is in a lane, a gutter, the sidewalk, an alley or a yard.
• How big, and whether it is growing. A rough width and depth, and whether the edges are undercut. Do not step close to measure.
• Water, sewage or a nearby drain. Whether water is flowing, whether there is a sewer smell, and whether the hole lines up with a storm drain inlet or a manhole.
• Photos, from a safe distance. One that shows the surroundings and one closer view. Never stand in a traffic lane.

For other problems and the full list of City numbers, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.

Who repairs a sinkhole depends on which pipe or structure failed and whose land it is on. A sinkhole on private property can still be the City's problem if a City pipe caused it.

• Storm drains. Council Policy 800-04 says the City "will generally accept responsibility for maintenance of public drainage facilities which are designed and constructed to City standards and located within a public street or drainage easement dedicated to the City." Private drainage facilities are "maintained by the property owners." City emergency records include sinkholes on private land caused by City storm drains: one that formed underneath a driveway after a corrugated metal pipe failed, reported to the Stormwater Department by email, and one caused by a failed storm drain in a City drainage easement between two properties.
• If a City drain crosses your land. Municipal Code section 43.0309, in the stormwater code, requires anyone owning or occupying a property that the storm drain system passes through to keep that part reasonably free of trash and debris, and to maintain structures within or next to it so they do not become a hazard to "the use, function, or physical integrity" of the system.
• Water lines. Municipal Code section 67.0230 in the water regulations says the Public Utilities Department's "jurisdiction and responsibility ends at the meter." A leak on the property side of the meter is the owner's to fix. Our water leaks guide explains each side of the meter.
• Sewer laterals. The City's sewer lateral fact sheet says the entire lateral, from the building to the City sewer main under the street, "is your private property." The City repairs only a problem past the property line in the right-of-way when you have lost all sewer service. See our sewer guide.
• Sidewalks that sank. Council Policy 200-12 lists "damage due to grade subsidence" among the cases where the City replaces sidewalk at its own expense, and the City's sidewalk page says the Transportation Department is responsible for damage caused by grade subsidence. Ordinary wear and age damage are the owner's responsibility; see our sidewalk repair guide.
• A building at risk. If a sinkhole on private property is undermining a building and no one is in immediate danger, the owner needs a licensed contractor or engineer. A structure that looks unsafe can be reported to City Building & Land Use Enforcement at 619-236-5500; its priority list puts "Dangerous/Unstable Structures" in Priority I. A slope or retaining wall next to a public stairway is covered in our public stairways and retaining walls guide.

Not sure whose pipe it is? Call the City anyway: 619-527-7500 for a hole near a storm drain, 619-515-3525 if water or sewage is involved. In the records above, City staff inspected the site and identified the failed pipe.

• County roads in unincorporated areas. The County Department of Public Works' roads contacts page lists (858) 694-3850 or (877) 684-8000 during business hours and (858) 565-5262 for after-hours urgent road hazards. Storm drain or culvert blockage in the County right of way: (877) 684-8000.
• Freeways and state highways. Get It Done tells people to dial 911 for hazards on the freeway. Non-urgent highway problems go to the Caltrans Customer Service Request system.
• Other cities. Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido and the county's other cities maintain their own streets and pipes; use that city's service request system. Our pothole guide explains how to tell whose road it is.

If you believe a City street, sidewalk, storm drain, water main or sewer caused damage or an injury, you can file a claim with the City's Risk Management Department. Its Public Liability page says most claims must be presented no later than six months after the incident. After a main break, the City's water emergency brochure says Risk Management claims representatives assess property damage and assist customers with potential claims.

Flooding in the street from a blocked drain is a separate problem; see our storm drains and flooding guide, and the City's storm preparedness page. The Stormwater Department runs the City's storm drain system.