Utilities and generation asset owners must report to the CPUC when an emergency arises or a safety concern becomes apparent.  

This page offers instructions and advice on reporting, but for future reference in the event Internet access is not available, write down the emergency phone numbers and keep them easily available.

Electric Utilities must report any incident, within two hours during working hours and four hours outside of working hours, that is attributable or allegedly attributable to utility-owned facilities, and which results in:

  • Fatality or personal injury requiring in-patient hospitalization;
  • Significant public attention and/or media coverage; or
  • Property damage to the utility or others is above $50,000.

Deadlines:

  • Notification to CPUC within 2 hours of learning of incident (within 4 hours if after hours);
  • Utility follow-up with an email or fax update within 24 hours; and
  • Full report due at 20 days.

See excerpt from Appendix B to D.06-04-055.

Gas Utilities must report, within two hours during working hours and four hours outside of working hours, incidents which involve the release of gas that result in:

  • Fatality or personal injury requiring in-patient hospitalization;
  • Significant public attention or media coverage; or
  • Damage to property of the utility, including loss of gas, or others, or both, is above $50,000.

Utility should follow up with a more comprehensive report on the designated form within 30 days. See excerpts from GO 112-E and CFR 49 § 191.9.

Major Electric outages must be reported.

  • See excerpt from GO 166.

Generating Asset Owners must report, within 24 hours of its occurrence:

  • Safety-related incidents that result in death;
  • Injury or illness requiring overnight hospitalization;
  • Presence of identified media representation (with a known market); and
  • A report to Cal/OSHA, OSHA, or other regulatory agency; or damage to the property of the Generating Asset Owner or another person of more than $50,000.  See excerpt from GO 167-B.

View information on whistleblowing or file a complaint online.

You can report unsafe conditions to the CPUC by calling the whistleblower hotline at 1-800-649-7570 or by sending an email to safetyhotline@cpuc.ca.gov.  

Utility and General Asset Owner (GAO) Online Reporting

  1. If you are a gas or electric utility and need to report an incident, make a report online here.
  2. If you are an electric utility and need to report a major outage, make a report online here.
  3. If you are a generation asset owner or power plant representative and need to report a safety-related incident, make a report online here.
  4. If you are the operator of a mobilehome park with a master meter for gas or the operator of an underground propane distribution system and need to report an incident, make a report online here.

CPUC Telephone Numbers

In the event of an emergency or emerging safety situation when internet access is not available, you may report on the situation to the CPUC using the following:

  1. For utilities to report gas or electric incidents:
    1-800-235-1076
  2. For GAOs to report safety-related incidents:
    1-415-355-5503
  3. For customer complaints:
    1-800-649-7570

Utility Customers

If you are the customer of a utility and need to report an emergency such as a downed electrical wire or the smell of gas, call 911.

You can also call the main number for your utility listed in the phone book. Below are phone numbers for some utilities.

  • PG&E: 1-800-743-5000
  • SCE: 1-800-611-1911
  • SoCal Gas: 1-800-427-2200
  • SDG&E: 1-800-611-7343
  • Southwest Gas:
    • Northern – 1-800-772-4555
      Areas in and around Truckee and Lake Tahoe
    • Southern – 1-800-867-9091
      Areas in and around Barstow, Big Bear, and Victorville
    • Needles – 1-800-447-5422 

    If you are a customer and want to report an ongoing safety situation or concern, please file a safety complaint online.