Answers to Frequently Asked Questions

 [ Engineering | Flood Control | Land Development | Landfills ]
[ Recycling | Sewer | Special Districts | Transportation  | Watershed/Stormwater ]

Engineering 
How do I select an engineer? 

Flood Control 
What type of rainfall data is available?
When are Storm Reports produced?
Who can I call for flood control information?
Is the ALERT data available on the Internet?
Who can I call for flood plain information?

Sewer 
What is this "sewer charge" on my property tax bill?
Who do I call if there is an emergency or blockage?
Does everyone pay a sewer charge?
How do I connect to the public sewer system?
How much does it cost to connect a single family dwelling to the sewer system?
How is my sewer charge determined?

Land Development 
What is the typical review timeframe in Land Development for improvement plans and grading plans?
What is the typical review timeframe for Subdivision Maps?
What are the Land Development Counter hours of operation?
What are the Survey Records/Cartography Counter hours of operations?
Is there a plan to make services accessible through the Internet?
How can I find out how much my project will cost to process through DPW?

Landfills 
How can I find out if there is an inactive County landfill near my house?
What are those white pipes at the landfill sites? 

Recycling 
Where do I find information about recycling?

Special Districts
How do we get street lights installed? 
How can I get a street light repaired? 
How can we get our road repaired and/or maintained if the County does not currently provide this service? 
How can we provide for landscape or median maintenance? 
How long will it take?

Transportation 
Where do I get information about bus routes and Paratransit? 
Can I get people to drive slower on my street? 
How do I get the speed limit reviewed or other regulatory devices, such as stop signs, installed?
How do I adopt a road?
How do I report missing or damaged signs?
How do I request maintenance, such as sweeping or pothole repair, on my road?

How do I select an engineer?
As a public agency we cannot make specific recommendations to hire one engineer rather than another. The yellow pages list most Civil and other consulting engineers that practice engineering in San Diego County.

What type of rainfall data is available?
The primary type of rainfall data available is daily, monthly, and annual rainfall totals. In addition, the ALERT flood warning data (106 stations within the county) is available in raw data format. For copies of county rainfall data, you can contact the Flood Control Hydrology office at (858) 495-5557.

When are Storm Reports produced?
Storm Reports are produced whenever a storm causes significant damage or produces documentable weather extremes such as a 50-year storm or moderate to major flooding.

Who can I call for general flood control information?
Contact the Flood Control Counter at (858) 694-2055 M-F, 7am -4pm.

Is the ALERT flood warning data available on the Internet?
The National Weather Service has access to the ALERT data and they have placed near-real-time rainfall information on their Web Page, which is updated every 15 minutes. The internet address is: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/obs/rainobs.php?wfo=sgx.

Who can I call for flood plain information?
The answer always depends on where the property is located. Most properties are not in a defined flood plain. In the cities, please contact the DPW office for that particular city. In the unincorporated area, please the Flood Control Counter at (858) 694-2055 M-F, 7am -4pm.

What is this "sewer charge" on my property tax bill?
The annual sewer charge reflects the cost to collect, operate and maintain and treat the sewage that flows from your home (condominium, mobile home, apartment or commercial building etc.) to a wastewater treatment plant.

Who do I call if there is an emergency or blockage?
You can call (858)514-4990 or follow the recorded instructions for emergencies. The Wastewater Management section employs the personnel and equipment needed for emergencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Does everyone pay a sewer charge?
The property owner of any structure (home, condo, apartment, mobile home, church, commercial building, etc.) that discharges sewage into the County public sewer system is required to pay a sewer charge.

How do I connect to the public sewer system?
You can call our office at (858) 495-5717 for residential connections or (858) 694-2660 for commercial connections and discuss the details regarding your particular parcel or visit our public counter at 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite D.

How much does it cost to connect a single family dwelling to the sewer system?
If the parcel is located in one of our sewer districts and within 100’ of a public sewer main, the estimated cost paid to the sewer district is shown below. The connection fees depend on which sewer district your are in. These charges do not include any fees paid to contractors to install the sewer lateral, connecting your house to the public sewer main.

a. Connection capacity fee (one time fee) --- $1,000-$4,000.

Saddle connection (if needed)---------$ 250

Annual sewer service charge----------$216- $705

How is my sewer charge determined?
The sewer charge is determined by various factors including but not limited to, maintenance and operations of pump stations and sewer lines, repair and replacement of existing infrastructure, strength or toxicity and wastewater treatment and disposal of sewage.

What is the typical review timeframe in Land Development for improvement plans and grading plans?
Through June of 2004, the median review time was 7.5 calendar days.

What is the typical review timeframe for Subdivision Maps?
Through June of 2004, the median review time was 7 calendar days for Final Subdivision Maps and 6 calendar days for Parcel Maps.

Where is the Survey Records/Cartography Counter located and what are the hours of operations?
We are on the second floor of 5510 Overland Avenue, Suite 210 Room 270 in the new County Operations Center in the Kearny Mesa area of San Diego. Our hours for the public are Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Also open during lunch.

Is there a plan to make services accessible through the Internet?
DPW has tested receiving and providing review comments via the Internet for Grading Plans. Staff is currently developing the final product and including other types of plans and permits.  Cartographic Services completed development of all maps, plans and other miscellaneous documents available in the survey records section.  This new on line system will be available in January 2004.

How can I find out how much my project will cost to process through DPW?
The Department of Public Works performs various tasks associated with private land development, including, review of subdivision maps and improvement plans, review of new projects, and grading plans and permits. DPW also must inspect required improvements and infrastructure to assure they are constructed to acceptable standards and within the timeframe identified in secured agreements. Upon project application with DPW, an initial deposit per the approved fee/deposit schedule (see http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dpw/land/deposits.htm) for each task is required. For example, a grading plan review would also likely require a CEQA review, so a separate deposit for each would be required. These deposits are placed into an individual developer account, and as staff reviews the project, funds are withdrawn from the account to pay for the work. Additional funds are requested if the initial deposit is exhausted and more work is needed. Likewise, any remaining funds are refunded at project conclusion. The approved fee and deposit amounts are established annually and reflect average processing times and costs for each review processes. To calculate and estimate for your project, list all the tasks you will be asking DPW to work on and then you can find the deposit requirement for each task o the above referenced schedule. We also post any adjustments in advance of their effective date to allow customers to plan for future costs.

How can I find out if there is an inactive County landfill near my house?
The information is available by calling Landfill Management at (858) 495-5447 or send an e-mail to .

What are those white pipes at the landfill sites?
They are a part of the landfill gas control system. A natural gas called methane is produced by the decomposing trash. That gas is vacuumed out of the landfill, carried through the piping, and burned at the flare station, which is located within the walled compound.

Where do I get information about bus routes and Paratransit?
MTDB, the Metropolitan Transit Development Board is responsible for transit services in the unincorporated County.  Please call the Regional Transit Information Service at 1-800-COMMUTE (1-800-266-6883).  Information is also available on MTDB's web site at http://www.SDCOMMUTE.com

How do we get street lights installed?
Street lights can be requested by a special petition process.  To annex into the County's street light district requires support of at least 50% of the affected properties. Lights are generally installed on utility poles. Charges are placed on district property tax bills. For information, call (858) 694-2198.

How can I get a street light repaired?
If the light is in the unincorporated area, call (858) 694-2200 (24-hour hot line) to report the outage. If the light is in an incorporated city, call the appropriate city.

How can we get our road repaired and/or maintained if the County does not currently provide this service?
Repair or maintenance of non-maintained roads can be provided through special districts known as Permanent Road Divisions (PRDs). PRDs charge special assessments for this service. For information call (858) 694-2198.

How can we provide for landscape or median maintenance?
Landscape or median maintenance can be provided through special districts known as County Service Areas or Landscape and Lighting Districts. These districts charge special assessments for this service. For information call (858) 694-2198.

How long will it take to form a district?
Formation may take from 6 months to 2 or more years depending on the type of district/service and the complexity of the project.

What are the costs involved and how are they paid?
Construction costs vary since each project is unique. Generally, district formation costs are repaid on the first year’s tax bill and are shared equally by all property owners. For specifics call; (858) 694-2198.

Can I get people to drive slower on my residential street?
Contact  the County’s Residential Traffic Program at (858) 874.4032.

How do I get the speed limit reviewed or other regulatory devices, such as stop signs, installed?
Contact the County’s Traffic Advisory Committee staff at (858) 874-4030.

How do I adopt a road?
Contact the County's Adopt-A-Road program at (858) 874-4040.

How do I request maintenance, such as sweeping or pothole repair, on my road?
If your road is in the County Maintained System, county forces can provide such maintenance. Call the toll-free Pothole Hotline (1-877-684-8000). Staff can determine whether your road is in the maintained system and refer requests to appropriate field staff.

How do I report missing or damaged signs?
County forces maintain traffic signs, like speed limit signs, stop signs, warning signs, etc., and street name signs on County maintained roads. To report a missing or damaged sign, call 858-874-4040 Monday through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM.

Where do I find information about recycling?
Our website has lists of recycling centers and contacts throughout San Diego County. https://sdcdpw.org/recycling/.  You can also contact the Recycling Hot Line at:
1-877-R1EARTH.

Why should I be concerned with stormwater and storm drains?
Stormwater and storm drains should be a major concern for all San Diego residents because polluted stormwater is the source of a great deal of coastal water pollution.

What is the difference between storm drains and sewers?
The sewer system collects water from inside homes and businesses and carries it to a treatment plant where it is cleaned before being released into the ocean. The storm drains system collects water and litter from outside our homes and businesses and carries it, untreated directly to the ocean.

What is the purpose of the storm drain system?
The purpose of the storm drain system is to divert rainwater away from urban areas; to prevent the flooding that in earlier decades caused great hardship and even loss of life.

Where does the wastewater that goes into gutters and storm drains get treated before it goes into the ocean?
Nowhere. Wastewater in the storm drains flows directly to the ocean without any treatment. This is why it so important to keep pollutants out of the storm drain system.

What can I do to help prevent stormwater and ocean pollution?
A: The biggest thing we can all do is to make the connection that storm drains are for rainwater only. There are other steps we can all take as well.

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