Utilities

Utility bills, shutoffs, and outages

Find the safer first stop for a late utility bill, shutoff notice, CARE or FERA discount, Medical Baseline, LIHEAP help, PSPS, outage map, gas smell, water bill, or utility complaint.

Official link Last reviewed June 30, 2026

Why it matters

Utility help depends on two things: what service is involved and who provides it. CPUC handles many investor-owned electric, gas, water, and phone utilities. City utilities, public water districts, sewer agencies, and internet companies can have different complaint paths. Start with the bill, the utility name, and the official assistance page before the deadline feels loud.

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Emergency and utilities

Alerts, smoke, roads, power shutoffs, outages, and bill help.

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Select the utility issue.

First moves

1
Find the bill, account number, service address, utility name, notice date, due date, shutoff date if listed, and the amount that is past due.
2
Name the problem first: late bill, shutoff notice, discount program, Medical Baseline, outage, PSPS, gas smell, water or sewer bill, phone discount, or complaint.
3
For a late bill or shutoff notice, start with the utility's payment help and CPUC late-bill assistance page.
4
For lower ongoing bills, check CARE, FERA, Medical Baseline, utility emergency assistance, LIHEAP, and 211.
5
For medical equipment or health-related electricity needs, check Medical Baseline and your utility's outage-notification options early.
6
For a power outage or PSPS, use CPUC's outage map source and your utility's outage page before relying on a neighborhood post.
7
For a gas smell, suspected leak, or carbon monoxide concern, leave the area if needed and use the utility's emergency contact instructions.
8
For water or sewer, check whether it is a CPUC-regulated water company, city utility, county service area, special district, or private system.
9
If the utility will not fix a billing, service, deposit, shutoff, or complaint issue, use the CPUC complaint path when CPUC is the right regulator.

Watch for

1
CPUC does not handle every utility. Publicly owned city utilities, irrigation districts, sewer districts, and some water systems can use local complaint paths.
2
CARE, FERA, Medical Baseline, LIHEAP, utility emergency assistance, and 211 are different offices. One application does not cover every program.
3
Medical Baseline is not a promise that power stays on during an outage or PSPS. Plan backup power and contacts if electricity is medically important.
4
PSPS timing can change with wind, humidity, equipment, fire risk, and restoration work.
5
A payment plan, discount, emergency grant, complaint, and outage report do different things.
6
Gas smell and carbon monoxide concerns are safety issues first. Use the emergency instructions from the gas utility.
7
Water shutoff protections and help depend on the water provider and the current program rules.
8
Keep bills, notices, payment receipts, call notes, confirmation numbers, screenshots, and names in one folder.

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ShelfEmergency and utilitiesAlerts, smoke, roads, power shutoffs, outages, and bill help.DirectoryPaperwork & MoneyReturn to the full tools shelf.Nearby toolAlerts, smoke, roads, and power checkA calm first-stop starting point for local emergency alerts, evacuation words, wildfire smoke, road closures, and power shutoffs.A-ZFind another California pathUse the directory index when the task has a different name.