Photo: Taylorj661 · Public domainLiving in San Marcos, CA: what to set up and who to call
Two school districts split the grades in San Marcos: San Marcos Unified School District and San Dieguito Union High School District. The closest public drop-off to San Marcos is Escondido Resource Recovery, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in San Marcos, 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 Marcos.
Power comes from SDG&E
SDG&E (San Diego Gas & Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of San Marcos. 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 Vallecitos WD water system
The Vallecitos WD water system supplies San Marcos: about 92% of residents live in its service area. Vista Irrigation District serves another 7%. It buys treated surface water (EPA lists Olivenhain Mwd and San Diego County Water Authority as sellers) and serves 113,500 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 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. CA3710002.
6 home internet providers serve San Marcos
95% of 21,718 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 20% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 81% | 2,000/100 |
| AT&T | DSL, Fiber, Fixed wireless | 68% | 5,000/5,000 |
| Spectrum | Cable, Fiber | 37% | 1,000/35 |
| San Diego Broadband | Fixed wireless | 76% | 500/100 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless | 53% | 300/20 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 39% | 100/20 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
EDCO picks up trash in San Marcos
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in San Marcos, from the town’s own site.
EDCO's Buyback Center
224 S. Las Posas Road
We couldn’t find pickup days or drop-off hours. Check sanmarcosca.gov →
From sanmarcosca.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 23, 2026; pages dated 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.
San Marcos is in two districts that split the grades: San Marcos Unified School District and San Dieguito Union High School District.
A−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 Marcos spans 2 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where San Marcos residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of San Marcos | ZIP’s residents in San Marcos |
|---|---|---|---|
| 92069 | San Marcos, CA | 50% | 97% |
| 92078 | San Marcos, CA | 49% | 90% |
A few homes fall in 92029, 92096, 92024. 92079 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP 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.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in San Marcos
Who supplies San Marcos’ drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Vallecitos WD water system (EPA ID CA3710002). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% 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 Marcos?
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 Marcos?
Cox Communications, AT&T, Spectrum, San Diego Broadband, Verizon, T-Mobile (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in San Marcos?
92069 (50%), 92078 (49%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is San Marcos in?
San Marcos Unified School District and San Dieguito Union High School District. Parts of the city are in Escondido Union High School District.
How do I register to vote in San Marcos?
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 Marcos’ own website (sanmarcosca.gov), read Oct 23, 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.