The short answer
A Public Safety Power Shutoff is PG&E turning off power to specific areas to reduce the risk of its equipment starting a wildfire[1]. PG&E files a report with the CPUC after each one[11], and those reports list every circuit that was shut off and the communities it serves.
Across those reports, circuits that PG&E lists as serving Boulder Creek, Felton, Ben Lomond or Brookdale were shut off in four events: October 9 to 12, 2019; October 26 to November 1, 2019; October 14 to 17, 2020; and October 25 to 28, 2020[6][7][8][9]. Santa Cruz County customers were also shut off in two events in 2024, but on circuits PG&E lists as Los Gatos, Rob Roy and Stelling, not the valley circuits[10].
So the honest picture is this: shutoffs have reached the valley, they have lasted days, and they have not reached it since October 2020. The centres of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Brookdale are still mapped as extreme fire risk, so planning for one remains reasonable. Below is the record, how the warnings work, and what it means for backup power.
What a PSPS is, and when PG&E calls one
The CPUC describes a PSPS as a measure of last resort, used when the utility reasonably believes there is an imminent and significant risk that strong winds may topple power lines or blow vegetation into them[1]. Its 2019 decision requires the utilities to deploy de-energization as a last resort and justify why it was used over other measures[2].
PG&E lists what it weighs: low humidity, forecast high winds, dry material on the ground, vegetation near power lines, Red Flag Warnings from the National Weather Service, and real-time ground observations[4]. In a January 2025 explanation it gave guide values of humidity below 30% and sustained winds above 19 miles per hour[5].
The record for the San Lorenzo Valley
- OCTOBER 9 TO 12, 2019. Circuits serving Ben Lomond, Felton, Brookdale and Boulder Creek were shut off on the night of October 9. They came back between the afternoon of October 10 and midday October 12[6].
- OCTOBER 26 TO NOVEMBER 1, 2019. The same circuits went off on the evening of October 26. The last of them, on the Big Basin circuits serving Boulder Creek, came back on the evening of October 30, about four days later[7].
- OCTOBER 14 TO 17, 2020. Parts of the Big Basin and Camp Evers circuits serving Boulder Creek and Felton were shut off for less than a day, on the night of October 14 into October 15[8].
- OCTOBER 25 TO 28, 2020. Six circuits serving Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Brookdale and Felton, about 6,000 customers between them, were shut off on the night of October 25. Restoration ran from the evening of October 26 to the morning of October 28, with more customers on circuits shared with Scotts Valley and Los Gatos[9].
That last event is the useful one for planning. The CPUC's intent is that utilities restore service within 24 hours after a shutoff event ends[3], a clock that starts at the weather all-clear, not when the power went off. In October 2020, PG&E reported the Ben Lomond and Big Basin circuits among those it could not restore within 24 hours of the all-clear, giving the reason as lack of resources and inability to use a helicopter because of the weather[9]. Before power comes back, PG&E patrols the lines and repairs or clears what it finds[7], and in bad weather on steep, wooded circuits that takes time.
For comparison, in PG&E's November 2024 shutoff, 99% of customers were restored within 24 hours of the weather all-clear, with an average restoration time of 10.9 hours[20]. That was a different area and a different year. The valley's own record runs from under a day to about four.
Where the valley sits on the fire map
The CPUC's fire-threat map marks Tier 2 areas as elevated risk and Tier 3 as extreme risk[12]. On the CPUC's Tier 2 and 3 map layer, the centres of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond and Brookdale fall in Tier 3. Felton's town centre falls outside the Tier 2 and 3 areas, with Tier 3 at sampled points on the surrounding hillsides[13]. Classification varies by location. PG&E's reports list the Felton circuits as partly Tier 3, partly Tier 2 and partly outside[6].
Santa Cruz County's 2019 de-energization response plan put about 57% of the county in Tier 3 and about 23% in Tier 2[14]. To check your own address, the CPUC's map viewer has a search bar[12].
Fast-trip outages are not PSPS
If your power drops suddenly on a dry, windy day with no warning, it may not be a PSPS at all. PG&E's Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings detect hazards on the power line and shut off power quickly to prevent an ignition, and PG&E uses them only in areas with high wildfire risk[15]. PG&E says outages from those settings are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs: a PSPS is planned, and these are not[15]. Where the cause is hard to find, PG&E says restoring power can take longer[15].
For backup planning, that means a planned shutoff is not the only outage to plan for. An unplanned trip arrives with no warning at all.
How the warnings work
The CPUC's guidelines set a minimum notification timeline, whenever possible: 24 to 48 hours ahead for affected customers, and 1 to 4 hours ahead where possible, with further notices when the shutoff starts and when power is coming back[2]. PG&E says that in some cases it may not send the first alert until the same day your power is shut off[4].
- ACCOUNT HOLDERS are enrolled in PSPS alerts automatically[4].
- ADDRESS ALERTS let you get alerts for any address that matters to you, such as a parent's house or a rental, without being the account holder[4].
- MEDICAL BASELINE customers get additional alerts, which PG&E says may include multiple texts, phone calls or a door-bell ring[16].
- COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTERS open during a shutoff, with a place to charge devices and get updates[19]. In October 2020 PG&E ran them at St. Michael's Church in Boulder Creek and at Highlands County Park in Ben Lomond[8].
PG&E programs, as of October 2026
- GENERATOR AND BATTERY REBATE. Open to customers with an active PG&E account who are in Tier 2 or 3, a High Fire Risk Area, or on a fast-trip circuit. It covers portable generators that are on PG&E's qualified product list and CARB compliant, and portable batteries between 290 Wh and 1 kWh, so home battery systems are outside it. Applications are due within 12 months of purchase or by December 31, 2026, whichever is sooner[17].
- BACKUP POWER TRANSFER METER. A meter that helps you connect a backup power source during an outage. Eligibility includes the same areas, a single residential home, 200-amp or smaller service and a PG&E SmartMeter. PG&E says the program is fully subscribed for 2026, and to check back in January 2027[18].
Programs like these open, fill and close from year to year. Check PG&E's pages for the current status before you plan around one.
Planning backup power around the record
The valley's shutoffs ran from under a day to about four days[6][7][8][9]. That is the planning case: a system that only covers an evening is a bridge, not an answer. How long your backup lasts, and what it can run, is the decision.
The choice between a standby generator, a battery and solar, or both is laid out in Generator or battery for a mountain home?, including the well pump, which on many mountain properties is the load that sizes the whole system. Two rules hold whichever you choose. Never run a generator indoors or in a garage, even with the door open[22], or where its exhaust can get in through a window, door or vent. And never connect one to the house through an outlet[22]: a generator connects through a properly installed transfer switch or other approved equipment.
Boulder Creek, Felton, Ben Lomond and Brookdale are unincorporated, so the County of Santa Cruz is the permit authority for backup power work there[21]. We confirm what your installation needs, pull the permits and coordinate the inspection.
Before the next red-flag season
- Check your address on the CPUC fire map, and sign up for PG&E address alerts for any property you are responsible for
- If anyone in the home depends on powered medical equipment, look at PG&E's Medical Baseline program
- Write down what has to keep running for three or four days: water, refrigeration, medical equipment, heat, communications
- If you own a portable generator, plan how it will connect safely before the day you need it