Storm Drains and Street Flooding in San Diego

• 619-527-7500 for flooding. Get It Done lists the same number for urgent street-related issues.
• SDG&E at 800-411-7343 for downed electrical lines or gas emergencies, as the City's storm page advises.
• 619-515-3525 if the water is sewage, or you smell sewage. That is the City's sewer emergency line, not the storm drain line. See sewer spill or storm drain.

The City also says to leave early if your property is in a flood zone, since water levels can rise fast once storms start, to follow all instructions from public safety personnel, and to monitor its road closures page.

Inside the City of San Diego, storm drains belong to the Stormwater Department, which says its crews clean and maintain storm drains year-round and take additional precautions when rain is forecast. It is also responsible for the channels that carry runoff from neighborhoods to the ocean. To report a problem:

• Get It Done: the Storm Drain form or the Get It Done San Diego app. Put the pin on the inlet, grate or channel itself.
• Or call 619-235-1000 or email swppp@sandiego.gov. The Stormwater Department lists these alongside Get It Done for service requests.
• A photo that shows the surrounding area, which the form asks for so crews can locate the problem.

The Storm Drain form asks you to pick one of these details:

Use Grate frame broken or missing for a damaged inlet. If it is an immediate danger in the roadway, call 619-527-7500 as well, the number Get It Done lists for urgent street-related issues.

A pile of trash or furniture next to a drain is illegal dumping, which has its own report type. See our illegal dumping guide.

For water ponding in the street that is not an emergency, use the Street Flooded form on Get It Done. As of October 28, 2026, it shows an estimated resolution time of 3 days, with emergencies addressed within 24 hours. The City's timeframe list says the same: 3 days, and it responds to emergencies within 24 hours.

If the flooding is spreading, threatening homes or making a road unsafe, do not wait for an online report: call the City's emergency dispatch center at 619-527-7500, or 911 if lives are at risk.

The City says its storm drain system carries water off the streets and out to rivers, creeks, bays and the ocean, and that none of this water is treated. Its rule is short: "Only rain is allowed down the drain."

What counts. The Stormwater Department says: "If you see anything other than water from a rain event in the curb, gutter, alley or street, please let us know." Its examples include irrigation water runoff, oil, grease, swimming pool and spa water, construction waste (including sediment), landscaping waste, wash water, and power washing wastewater.

What the law says. San Diego Municipal Code section 43.0304 makes it unlawful for any person to cause a non-storm water discharge to the storm drain system, which section 43.0302 defines to include municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels and storm drains. Section 43.0305 lists exceptions. For example, air conditioning condensation, individual residential vehicle washing and water from swimming pools are allowed only if they are handled with the best management practices the City requires; otherwise they are illicit discharges.

Three ways to report:

• Storm Water Pollution Hotline, 619-235-1000. The City says that if a violation is actively occurring during business hours, calling the hotline will ensure it is addressed as quickly as possible.
• Get It Done: the Illegal Discharge form, or the Over Irrigation form for sprinkler runoff.
• Email swppp@sandiego.gov with photos if possible and a description of the time, location, type of substance and when it happened, plus your contact information so a Code Enforcement Officer can follow up.

The Illegal Discharge form asks what was discharged:

What happens next. The Stormwater Department's Code Enforcement teams respond to complaints of illicit discharges. The City says enforcement escalates with each incident and can include a warning letter, Notice of Violation, Administrative Citation, Civil Penalty or criminal prosecution. Administrative Citations range from $100 to $1,000, and civil penalties can reach up to $10,000 per day per violation.

Spilled something yourself? Municipal Code section 43.0308 requires anyone owning or occupying a property who knows of a significant release from that property that may enter the storm drain system to immediately take all reasonable action to contain it, and to notify the enforcement agency within 24 hours.

Water waste that does not reach the storm drain, such as sprinklers soaking a sidewalk or driveway, goes to the Public Utilities Department instead: 619-533-5271 or waterwaste@sandiego.gov. The City's Think Blue program has more on preventing stormwater pollution at thinkblue.org.

They are two separate systems run by two different City departments. Storm drains take rain off the streets (Stormwater Department). Sewers take wastewater from homes and businesses (Public Utilities Department).

Sewage backing up on your property. The City says the property owner is responsible for maintaining the sewer lateral, the pipe from the property all the way to the connection with the City sewer main, which may be in the street, on an easement or in a canyon. If a licensed plumber finds a break or collapse of the lateral beyond the property line, the plumber should call the City's Sewer Emergency Line at 619-515-3525 to file a Plumber's Report, and the City says it will investigate within 24 hours.

A foul smell from a storm drain inlet that is not sewage can be reported on the Get It Done Storm Drain form, which has a Foul Odor option.

Estimated resolution times shown on the Get It Done forms, as of October 28, 2026, which match the City's timeframe list (last updated May 7, 2026). Plumber's Report timing is from the Public Utilities Department.

The forms say each estimate is calculated using data from the last 6 weeks as well as seasonal trends and staff knowledge, and the City says resolution times can vary based on available budget and due to weather, seasonal or other local impacts. Flooding is the fast lane. A clogged drain that is not yet flooding anything is not, which is why a drain that is backing up during a storm deserves a call to 619-527-7500 as well as a report.

As of October 28, 2026, the City's Storm Preparedness page says empty sandbags are available at the recreation centers below. Sandbags are limited to 10 bags per City of San Diego household or business, and sand is not provided; the City says sand can be purchased at local hardware and home improvement stores.

Before it rains, the City also asks residents to:

• Report non-emergency problems such as blocked storm drains through Get It Done.
• Place trash, yard and recycling bins about 2 to 3 feet away from the curb so they do not block the flow of stormwater.
• Sweep up trash, sediment and debris, and put construction waste in the trash so it does not enter and block the storm drain system.
• Check whether your address is in a floodplain on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
• Sign up for AlertSanDiego, the regional emergency notification system. It says it can call listed and unlisted landlines automatically, but alerts to cell phones, internet phones and email require registration.

The forms and phone numbers above are for the City of San Diego. Get It Done asks you to confirm that the address is within the City. Elsewhere:

County. The County's Report Storm Drain Pollution page has a map that tells you who to contact based on where the problem is. For a County storm drainage system that needs maintenance, the County lists its Public Works Field Operations staff at 619-443-1260 on weekdays, or the Stormwater Hotline at 888-846-0800 (watersheds@sdcounty.ca.gov).

Caltrans. Caltrans handles requests Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and says the form should not be used for any kind of highway emergency; report those to 911 or the California Highway Patrol. The City's Get It Done FAQ lists the CHP non-emergency number as 858-637-3800.

Private drainage. The County says drainage systems may be publicly maintained or maintained by a private property owner such as a resident or a homeowners association, and that incorporated cities maintain the public drainage systems in their own jurisdictions. Its rule of thumb: if a drainage easement was offered and accepted, the drainage is publicly maintained; if not, it is privately maintained. It advises property owners to inspect and clean private drainage systems before each rainy season (October to April) and after storms. Inside the City, Municipal Code section 43.0309 requires anyone owning or occupying a property the storm drain system passes through to keep that part reasonably free of trash, debris and other obstacles. For other kinds of problems, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.