“Ensuring the safety of the community is a top priority for the City of Palo Alto. It's everyone’s responsibility and the City of Palo Alto Utilities is grateful to both its customers and employees for working together to keep us all safe." ---Valerie Fong, Utilities Director
General Meter Alert: If you need your water, natural gas or electricity turned off at the meter for any reason; avoid problems by FIRST calling the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) at (650) 329-2579, 24 hours a day. Remember, all utility meters and valves are City property and should not be tampered with. Make sure your meter is accessible.
Annual gas leak detection survey info REMEMBER: If you smell natural gas in your home, leave the premises! Then call the City’s dispatch center, (650) 329-2579, or call 9-1-1.
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG! Avoid costly mistakes from digging into buried utilities, by calling Underground Service Alert (USA) at 800-227-2600 or dial 811 two working days prior to digging in your yard.
CPAU's ONGOING GAS SAFETY PROGRAM. We are always working on pipeline maintenance and repair, 24/7 customer service and educational outreach to all customers. Click here for more info. Then call the City’s dispatch center at (650) 329-2579 if you have problems.
RIGHT TREE RIGHT PLACE Ensure your trees safely co-exist with both overhead powerlines and underground utilities. A tree in the wrong place can damage your utility service lines. Get details on this incentive program to remove and replace problem trees
PLANNED DISRUPTIONS Ongoing maintenance of the system sometimes requires water service to be shut off to a specific area for brief periods. You will get notices about these planned disruptions, and they are also listed on the web here.
UNPLANNED DISRUPTIONS When an unplanned water service interruption occurs, it will also be posted to the web here.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: You or your plumber should call the Utilities Dept at (650) 496-6995 BEFORE cleaning or repairing a blocked home or business sewer line, so we can verify conditions are safe.
FOG ALERT(Fats, Oil & Grease) Avoid the hassle, expense and public health hazard of a sewer back-up. Do not put trash (fats, grease, sanitary wipes, rags etc) down toilets and sinks. Maintain your private sewer lines.
