Tips for a great submission

Help our Safety Team by providing quality submissions

Submitting good quality photos and descriptions of potential safety issues helps our Safety Team more accurately review your concern.

IMPORTANT: This app is not meant for emergencies. If you see a downed or sparking power line, or smell natural gas, leave the area immediately and call 9-1-1.

Best Practices

Here are some tips to follow

• Include the asset tag number if safe to do so. Most poles or equipment have a number on them. This number helps us identify the exact item location.
• If safe to do so, zoom close enough in to show detail, but also zoom out so the Safety Team can see the overall area. It’s ok to submit a few photos at different angles and zoom levels.

See photo examples of common safety concerns:

Power Pole

Impact to the strength of the pole

If pole is damaged, broken, burnt, deformed, corroded, gunshot, or showing signs of cracking, or decay that impact the strength of the pole.

• Be sure to include a photo of the asset tag number if safe to do so. It helps us identify the exact location of your concern.

Power Line

• Sagging lines, particularly when the power line is sagging far more than the others on the pole
• Taut lines, frayed lines
• Shoes hanging from a power line, mylar balloons caught in a power line, or other foreign objects caught on the lines

• Be sure to include a photo of the asset tag number if safe to do so. It helps us identify the exact location of your concern.

How to tell if it’s a power line or communications line

If you see a pole with three sets of wires, the top two are power lines and the lowest one is a communications line. Communications lines are owned by vendors like AT&T and Comcast. Issues with communications lines should be reported to the communications vendor.

Equipment issues

• Surface damage is often marked by discoloration in parts of equipment. For example, leaks or other issues can sometimes be identified by color differences on the metal.
• Heavy corrosion where the metal is breaking into layers can also be an indicator of a possible issue
• If equipment looks melted or burnt, it could be a sign of an equipment issue
• Bird nests on transformers can cause arcing when in contact with equipment or the power line

• Be sure to include a photo of the asset tag number if safe to do so. It helps us identify the exact location of your concern.

Tree or Vine

Look for trees, branches or debris touching, growing or potentially falling near the pole or power line

• Dead or dying trees that could fall on a power line
• Branches growing over a power line that could break off and hit the line
• Branches growing into a power line
• Equipment cases that have vines growing into the casing or around the line
• Trees that have branches within the required clearances or setbacks

• Be sure to include a photo of the asset tag number if safe to do so. It helps us identify the exact location of your concern.

How to determine if it's a power line or communication line

If you see a pole with three sets of wires, the top two are power lines and the lowest one is a communications line. Communications lines are owned by vendors like AT&T and Comcast. Issues with communications lines should be reported to the communications vendor.

Trees around the service wire to your home

As part of our Vegetation Management Program, we maintain required safety clearances around transmission and distribution power lines that serve cities and neighborhoods. However, you are responsible for maintenance of the service wire that runs from PG&E’s electric pole to your home. You can call us at 1-800-743-5000 to request a free temporary service disconnect so you or a contractor can safely work around the service wire that connects to your home.