2026 General Rate Case
Understand how the General Rate Case allows us to support Safe, Reliable, and Affordable energy delivery today. Ready for tomorrow.
On June 15, 2026, Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), a subsidiary of Sempra, submitted its rate request for 2028-2031 to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The request reflects the costs needed to safely operate and maintain the natural gas system for more than 21 million consumers.
View documents related to our rate request proceeding.
2026 General Rate Request
With a focus on affordability, the request is the lowest percentage increase in more than a decade and is focused on essential work needed to maintain the system, meet federal and state safety requirements, and mitigate known risks – including those to public and worker safety, system reliability, and cybersecurity. At its core, this request reflects the estimated baseline cost of continuing to provide safe and reliable service to customers – not expansion beyond essential service obligations.
This request anticipates a combination of required safety and compliance work, ongoing operations and maintenance, and targeted investments designed to maintain the system.
A significant portion of the costs in this request is driven by factors outside of the company’s direct control, including rising insurance costs, employee health care costs, and compliance with federal and state safety requirements.
In nearly all of the past 30 years, average annual bills for SoCalGas residential customers have been among the lowest nationwide.1 As a share of household income, SoCalGas bills represented approximately 0.6% of the median income in 2024 – the best among peer utilities in America.2
In submitting a rate request, we hold ourselves accountable to our customers first and foremost. That means listening to – and learning from – our customers about their needs and concerns. We will be collaborating with various stakeholders in a rigorous review of the request through a proceeding before the CPUC. We are proactively finding new ways to make bills as affordable as possible for every Southern California family we serve.
How the new proposed investments and rates would affect your bill
If SoCalGas’s rate request is approved in its entirety by the CPUC, the average residential monthly bill using 36 therms per month would increase by approximately $5.67 per month in 2028, when compared to estimated 2027, a 7.7% increase. Individual customer bills may vary.
As a regulated utility, SoCalGas does not make a profit from customers’ consumption of natural gas. We work to achieve the best natural gas price possible for our customers, and to help customers conserve energy.
How the rate request and new investments benefit you
These projected costs in this rate request are primarily comprised of required safety and compliance work, ongoing system operations, and targeted investments designed to maintain safe and reliable service. The request is driven by three primary factors:
- Required safety and compliance work: Ongoing pipeline inspection, testing, and maintenance required under federal and state safety regulations
- Ongoing system operations: Day-to-day work needed to safely operate, maintain, and inspect the system
- Targeted investments to maintain system integrity and reliability: Infrastructure, technology and operational improvements designed to support safe and reliable service
Investments to maintain safe and reliable service
These investments support essential work to:
- Maintain safe operation of the natural gas system
- Deliver reliable service to homes, businesses, and critical facilities
- Meet federal and state safety and compliance requirements
- Better protect the system from risks such as cybersecurity threats and infrastructure failures
- Improve efficiency in how the system is operated and maintained
These efforts are focused on maintaining system performance today while helping to avoid higher long-term costs associated with system failures and service disruptions.
What we’re doing to keep natural gas affordable
SoCalGas has taken targeted actions in recent years to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, including workforce optimization, continuous improvement and modernization of processes, automating certain customer support functions, and implementing procurement efficiencies. These efforts have helped to manage cost pressure for customers and led to improvements in important safety and customer service measures.
SoCalGas files a rate request with the CPUC every four years. The application is reviewed through a public process and typically takes 18 to 24 months to reach a decision.
1As compared to peer gas corporations. See American Gas Association (AGA), Annual Report of Volumes, Revenues, and Sales Consumers by Company (1997-2024). SoCalGas ranked 9th or better for 27 out of 28 years compared to a peer group of 50 largest U.S. gas corporations by number of residential consumers.
2Peer group includes the American Gas Association’s (AGA) 50 largest U.S. gas corporations by number of residential customers. Sources: AGA, EIA form 857, BLS, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Average residential natural gas bill divided by state’s median household income.
Frequently Asked Questions
A General Rate Case (GRC) is the formal process the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) uses to review and set the rates SoCalGas can charge customers. Through the GRC, SoCalGas requests recovery of the costs to operate and maintain its system and invest in infrastructure needed to deliver safe, reliable, and affordable service. SoCalGas files a GRC application every four years, detailing its expenses and proposed investments for the upcoming cycle. Following a thorough public and regulatory review, the CPUC issues a final decision that determines the amount of revenue SoCalGas is authorized to collect in customer rates.
SoCalGas is required to notify customers and the public. Customers receive notice by mail and email within 45 days, and a notice is published in a local newspaper within 20 days to ensure broad awareness.
After the application is filed, there is a 30-day protest period. The Public Advocates' Office, an independent branch of the Commission that represents ratepayers, files a protest for the application and undertakes a thorough review of the application's request.
An Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is assigned to oversee the case. Early in the process, the ALJ holds a pre-hearing conference to set the scope, schedule, and structure of the proceeding, including opportunities for settlement.
After the pre-hearing conference, the CPUC holds Public Participation Hearings (PPHs), where customers and stakeholders can provide input directly. Utilities must notify the public of the PPH between 5 and 30 days in advance by mail and email, as well as newspaper postings.
The proceeding moves into a more detailed review phase, where formal parties can submit testimony, present evidence, and participate in evidentiary hearings. This is where the record is built for decision-making. Often the parties will reach a settlement, which are then incorporated into the ALJ’s proposed decision.
Based on the full record, including testimony, evidence, and any settlements, the ALJ issues a proposed decision that may approve, deny, or modify the requested rate changes.
CPUC Commissioners review the proposed decision and vote on a final decision at a public meeting. They can approve it as written, modify it, or reject it.
A General Rate Case typically takes 18 to 24 months from the time SoCalGas files its application to when the CPUC issues a final decision.
Additional Resources
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