Electrical work in San Diego County

One wire owner, three power sellers

All 12 San Diego County cities covered on this site are in SDG&E territory. SDG&E owns the poles, wires and meters, and it runs the shutoff program. What changes from city to city is who buys the electricity.

• San Diego Community Power is the default in San Diego, Chula Vista, Encinitas and La Mesa.
• Clean Energy Alliance is the default in Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos and Vista.
• SDG&E bundled service continues in El Cajon, Poway and Santee.

Neither community program changes the panel, the meter or the permit. It changes the price per kilowatt-hour and the green power options. The county has no city-owned electric utility among these cities, so, unlike Los Angeles or Riverside counties, a panel upgrade always runs through SDG&E.

Coastal versus inland fire

The pattern here is the clearest of any SoCal county.

Coast and near coast. Oceanside, Encinitas, Carlsbad and most of San Diego sit near the ocean and run little air conditioning. No SDG&E shutoff naming Oceanside, Encinitas or Carlsbad has been reported. Fire still happened: the Poinsettia Fire started May 14, 2014 in Carlsbad, burned about 600 acres, and destroyed eight homes, an 18-unit condominium complex and two commercial buildings by the end of its first day.

Inland East County and North County. El Cajon, Escondido, Poway, San Marcos and Santee are inland, and the three cities this site rates high for shutoff risk are El Cajon, Escondido and Poway. SDG&E’s October 2 to 5, 2026 shutoff hit about 35,000 customers in North, East and South County. El Cajon and Poway were the two largest cities on the list, and Lakeside was named too. Escondido, Poway and Santee also appeared on SDG&E’s possible-shutoff lists in the late-2024 and January 2025 events. On January 8, 2025, about 9,000 customers countywide were without power, mostly rural, including parts of Escondido. Across the county, SDG&E notified 64,866 customers of possible shutoffs that month.

Past fires set the map. The Cedar Fire crossed into San Diego on October 26, 2003, and hit Scripps Ranch and Tierrasanta. The Witch Creek Fire of October 2007 burned Rancho Bernardo, and in Poway it jumped Interstate 15. The Cocos Fire of May 14, 2014 started south of Cal State San Marcos, burned about 1,995 acres and destroyed 36 to 39 homes.

Planned shutoffs change what a household buys. Households in the inland cities have the most reason to look at a generator inlet or battery. The PSPS prep checklist covers medical needs and communication.

Housing eras

Median build year runs from 1971 in La Mesa to 1996 in San Marcos. By 1980, 73 percent of La Mesa’s homes had been built, against 27 percent in San Marcos. La Mesa, El Cajon (67 percent before 1980) and Poway (56 percent) have the most older wiring. Before 1970 the shares are lower: 48 percent in La Mesa, 39 percent in El Cajon and 19 percent in Poway. Carlsbad, Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos grew mostly after 1980, so their homes are more likely to have copper wiring and 100- to 200-amp services, but many of them still need a bigger panel for an EV charger plus a heat pump. See panel upgrades.

Permits and who handles them

Each city runs its own building division. El Cajon takes permits through an online portal called PACO that needs an account, and its FAQ says plan check typically takes about three to four weeks, with rechecks one to two weeks. Simple permits that need no plan check have no published day count. Ask your electrician which category a job falls in before you book a date.

Programs and what is not available

San Diego County has the thinnest set of local cash rebates of the five counties. SDG&E’s Customer Home Electrification Readiness Program is an advisory roadmap of rebates and financing, not a cash rebate. SDG&E’s Power Your Drive programs for apartments, condos and workplaces are fully subscribed, and SDG&E says it is no longer accepting applications. The SDG&E programs guide tracks what is open. For wildfire basics, the PSPS explainer is the starting point.