Copper thefts strip City of streetlights
Damage and dollars adding up

Estimated number of streetlights hit since 2010

Amount spent to date to repair, and counting...

Page last updated on May 16, 2013

The Department of Transportation has an urgent and ongoing need to repair the City’s street lighting infrastructure damaged by thieves stripping copper wiring. The reason for the thefts is the rapidly rising cost of copper, which has escalated the scrap price paid out at recycling centers.

Since January of 2010, the department has logged 325 areas where streetlights are out due to copper thefts blacking out some 9,000 streetlights. Blacked out neighborhoods invite more crime, fuel a lack of security and reduce livability.

With the repair wait list stretching out 12 months, the department sought City Council approval on April 10, 2012 to divert $2 million toward hiring more electrical contractors and buying more materials to reduce the wait time for repairs to 90 days or less. For background on the escalation of copper thefts and our response, see these questions and answers.

We are appreciative of our residents’ patience as we make our way to your street. Find out when we expect to have your streetlights back on here.

Find out what sites have already been repaired here.

Remember to stay vigilant by calling the Sacramento Police Department at 911 if you see a copper theft in progress.

To report a streetlight out that is not on the maps linked above, please report it by dialing or e-mailing 311.