Find Your Utility’s Outage Map and Report a Power Loss
Find the electric provider for your address, check its official outage status, and report an outage with the details the utility can use.
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When the lights go out, the first useful question is whether the utility knows about the interruption. Find the provider on a recent bill, its official account portal, or a landlord/building notice. Then use the provider’s own outage page and reporting channel. Utility maps differ: a missing pin does not prove that power is available, and an estimated restoration time can change. For example, FPL says an outage may take time to appear on its map and directs customers to its reporting system if a reported outage is still missing.
Find the provider and its official status page
Use the name printed on the electric bill or the utility’s account portal. In a rental or multi-unit building, ask the building manager whether the outage affects one unit, shared equipment, or the wider service area. If the bill lists a billing company rather than the wires utility, use the provider’s official site or the state utility regulator’s consumer page to identify the electric distribution utility. For example, the California Public Utilities Commission links customers to separate utility outage centers; use your own state’s regulator and serving provider elsewhere.
Bookmark the provider’s outage page before an emergency. A search result, social post, or map screenshot may be old or may describe a different service territory. The California Public Utilities Commission’s outage resources, for example, direct California customers toward utility-specific information; they are not a single map for all U.S. addresses.
Read a map without overreading it
| What appears | What it can tell you | What it cannot confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Address or area listed as affected | The utility has associated an outage with that location or area | That every nearby building or circuit is affected |
| Crew assigned or work in progress | The provider reports a response stage | The exact cause or a guaranteed restoration time |
| Estimated restoration time | The provider’s current estimate | A promise; weather, access, and repair findings can change it |
| No outage shown | The map has no displayed outage for the address | That the building has power or the utility has received a report |
Check the map’s “last updated” time and the provider’s own notes. A provider may report an outage through a map and a separate reporting system; FPL describes this lag between outage reporting and map display. If the status is unclear, report it through the utility’s official channel rather than relying on another household’s screenshot.
Make a useful report
Have these details ready:
- Service address and unit number, if applicable.
- When the power stopped and whether it is fully out or flickering/partial.
- Whether nearby homes or common areas appear affected, if you can tell safely.
- A callback method or account reference if the utility asks for one.
- The report confirmation or ticket number and the time you received it.
Do not go outside to inspect wires or utility equipment. If you see a downed line, sparking equipment, smoke, or fire, stay well away and contact emergency services and the utility using their urgent hazard channels. Do not touch a line, fence, tree, or object that may be energized.
If the outage is not listed
Submit a report anyway, then note the confirmation number and when you checked the map. In an apartment building, notify management as well; a building-side issue may affect only one unit or shared equipment. If lights are flickering or some rooms have power while others do not, use the partial-power safety checklist and contact the utility or a qualified electrician as appropriate.
For the household response after reporting, use the home resilience outage guide. Keep the utility’s official link and report number in a place household members can find without internet access.
