Photo: Dirk Hansen · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in San Diego, CA: what to set up and who to call
Tap water in San Diego comes from the City of San Diego water system, which has a clean five-year EPA record (about 18% of systems its size had a health-based violation) and a latest lead result below detection. San Diego has its own drop-off, Household Hazardous Waste Transfer Facility, on 5161 Convoy Street.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Diego, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in San Diego.
Power comes from SDG&E
SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Diego. Its homes paid an average of 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025, about $168 a month (its average across California, for customers on its standard service). California lets you buy power from another supplier; 79% of SDG&E’s home customers do, and SDG&E still delivers it.
Start or move service: sempra.com
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from City of San Diego water system
The City of San Diego water system supplies San Diego: about 96% of residents live in its service area. It draws surface water (EPA lists Cal-Am Water Coronado and City of Del Mar and Santa Fe I.d. and Otay Water District and San Diego County Water Authority as sellers) and serves 1,385,379 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 82% of the 27 systems serving more than 1,000,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2024–Dec 2026, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. CA3710020.
6 home internet providers serve San Diego
98% of 290,783 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 40% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 90% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 51% | 1,000/35 |
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 47% | 2,000/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 61% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 45% | 100/20 |
| San Diego Broadband | Fixed wireless | 27% | 500/100 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash day in San Diego depends on your street
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in San Diego, from the town’s own site.
Your pickup week
- TrashEvery week, on your street’s dayFind your street’s day on sandiego.gov →
Miramar Landfill and Recycling Center
5180 Convoy St., San Diego, CA
- Mon7 am–4 pm
- Tue7 am–4 pm
- Wed7 am–4 pm
- Thu7 am–4 pm
- Fri7 am–4 pm
- Sat7 am–4 pm
Single-stream recycling
All your recyclables go in one bin, no sorting.
- Plastic and glass bottles and jars
- Metal containers
- Cardboard
From sandiego.gov, docs.sandiego.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Most of San Diego (62%) is in San Diego City Unified School District; parts are in Sweetwater Union High School District (41%) and San Dieguito Union High School District (29%) and Escondido Union High School District (18%) and Poway Unified School District (15%) and Grossmont Union High School District (13%) and San Ysidro Elementary School District (5%) and Del Mar Union Elementary School District (4%) and San Pasqual Union Elementary School District (4%) and South Bay Union School District (3%) and Santee School District (3%) and Solana Beach Elementary School District (2%).
B+School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Aug 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
San Diego spans 31 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Diego residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Diego | ZIP’s residents in San Diego |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92154 | San Diego, CA | 6% | 95% |
| 92126 | San Diego, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 92105 | San Diego, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 92114 | San Diego, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 92115 | San Diego, CA | 5% | 100% |
| 92130 | San Diego, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 92129 | San Diego, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 92117 | San Diego, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 92113 | San Diego, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 92128 | San Diego, CA | 4% | 100% |
| 92101 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92111 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92122 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92109 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92104 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92037 | La Jolla, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92102 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92131 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92139 | San Diego, CA | 3% | 100% |
| 92103 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92116 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92127 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 60% |
| 92110 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92123 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92120 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92124 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92173 | San Ysidro, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92107 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92119 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92108 | San Diego, CA | 2% | 100% |
| 92106 | San Diego, CA | 1% | 100% |
A few homes fall in 92014, 92136, 92145, 92092, 92093, 92121, 92118, 92140, 92134, 92147, 92071, 92025, 92027, 92067, 92161, 91911, 92182, 92075. 92112, 92132, 92137, 92138, 92142, 92149, 92150, 92152, 92153, 92158, 92159, 92160, 92163, 92165, 92166, 92167, 92168, 92169, 92170, 92171, 92172, 92174, 92175, 92176, 92177, 92186, 92187, 92190, 92191, 92192, 92193, 92195, 92196, 92197, 92198, 92199 are P.O. box or single-organization ZIPs with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in San Diego
Who supplies San Diego’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The City of San Diego water system (EPA ID CA3710020). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 82% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2024–Dec 2026), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in San Diego?
SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 45.8¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve San Diego?
AT&T, Spectrum, Cox Communications, Verizon, T-Mobile, San Diego Broadband (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Diego?
92154 (6%), 92126 (5%), 92105 (5%), 92114 (5%), 92115 (5%), 92130 (4%), 92129 (4%), 92117 (4%), 92113 (4%), 92128 (4%), 92101 (3%), 92111 (3%), 92122 (3%), 92109 (3%), 92104 (3%), 92037 (3%), 92102 (3%), 92131 (3%), 92139 (3%), 92103 (2%), 92116 (2%), 92127 (2%), 92110 (2%), 92123 (2%), 92120 (2%), 92124 (2%), 92173 (2%), 92107 (2%), 92119 (2%), 92108 (2%), 92106 (1%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Diego in?
San Diego City Unified School District. Parts of the city are in Sweetwater Union High School District and San Dieguito Union High School District and Escondido Union High School District and Poway Unified School District and Grossmont Union High School District and San Ysidro Elementary School District and Del Mar Union Elementary School District and San Pasqual Union Elementary School District and South Bay Union School District and Santee School District and Solana Beach Elementary School District.
How do I register to vote in San Diego?
In California you can register online until 15 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before). Elections here are run by the San Diego Registrar of Voters. Check your registration at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: San Diego’s own website (sandiego.gov, docs.sandiego.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.