At home in
Boulder Creek.

Find a service, a local guide or your next step.

Check conditionsNew to Boulder Creek?Find help & agency contacts
Watercolor cabin beneath redwoods

New to Boulder Creek

A few useful things to get settled.

Start with the quick-start guide

Check conditions

Weather, roads and outages, with routes to official sources.

Open Mountain Status

What do you need a hand with?

Start with your situation. These links take you to the people who handle it, with local help for food, housing, bills and everyday problems.

Immediate danger or a medical emergency: call 911. Don't use a website form to request emergency help.

Need crisis support? Call 988, text 988, or chat with the 988 Lifeline, available around the clock.

Get help

Programs set their own requirements and availability. If you're unsure where to begin, call 211 or use 211 Santa Cruz County.

I need groceries or help applying for benefits

Mountain Community Resources in Felton offers food distribution and help with benefits applications. Call 831-335-6600 to ask what to bring and confirm the current schedule.

I need shelter or help keeping my housing

Start with 211's housing and shelter resources for current contacts and intake information. A listing doesn't guarantee a bed or financial assistance.

For help navigating a housing problem, including an eviction concern, contact Mountain Community Resources.

I'm having trouble paying an energy bill

Central Coast Energy Services handles Home Energy Assistance Program applications for Santa Cruz County. Call 888-728-3637 to ask about applying. Assistance depends on program requirements and available funding.

I need accessible transportation

Lift Line has transportation programs for older adults and people with disabilities. Check the program that matches your trip, then ask about eligibility, service area, costs and booking before making plans.

I'm helping an older adult or caring for someone

Senior Network Services can help you find local support, care management and housing resources. Call 831-462-1433 and describe the help you or your family member needs.

An older adult needs meals at home or nearby

Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County offers home-delivered meals and community dining, including Highlands Park in Ben Lomond. Ask about screening, waitlists and the current dining schedule; home delivery isn't automatic.

Who handles this?

Boulder Creek has county roads, state highways and privately maintained roads. The right contact depends on the location.

There's a problem on a county road

For a county-maintained road, contact County Public Works. Road Operations dispatch is 831-477-3999, available 24/7. Its contact page also links to the road-maintenance map and routine problem reports.

Check maintenance responsibility first if you're on a private or association-maintained road.

There's a problem on Highway 9 or 236

Use Caltrans' maintenance request form for a non-emergency state-highway issue. It isn't monitored for emergencies. Call 911 for a highway emergency.

For current closures and incidents, check Caltrans QuickMap.

The power is out

Check or report an outage through PG&E's Outage Center. Follow PG&E's emergency guidance for electrical hazards.

A missing outage marker doesn't establish that power is on or an area is safe.

I have a water-service problem

If SLVWD supplies your water, call 831-338-2153. SLVWD's customer service page explains after-hours emergency calls. If you're served by a different water system, contact that provider.

I need animal control or help with a stray

Contact Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter: animal control 831-454-7224, or after-hours animal emergencies 831-471-1182. Use its current instructions for stray animals.

I'm planning building, tree or property work

Start with the county's Unified Permit Center to find the right permit team and ask about your parcel. Requirements depend on the work and location, so check before starting.

Links and routing checked September 13, 2026. Confirm current service details with the provider. Suggest a correction.

The details, when you need them.

Open a topic for contacts, practical guidance and official links.

Hours, fees, access and program availability can change. Check the linked provider before making plans.

For home and everyday life

Trash, recycling & pickup days

GreenWaste picks up. The transfer station takes the rest.

Boulder Creek is unincorporated Santa Cruz County, so collection runs through the county's franchise hauler.

Curbside collection

GreenWaste Recovery handles trash, recycling, and green waste for unincorporated Santa Cruz County. Customer service: 831-426-2711.

GreenWaste county page

Your pickup day

Enter your address in GreenWaste's lookup tool to see your collection day. That's also the fastest way to confirm your address is in their service area.

Service day lookup

Bulky items and extra pickups

GreenWaste's county page lists up to three bulky item reuse collections and up to four extra set out collections per year at no additional charge. Call to schedule.

Program details

Self-haul: Ben Lomond Transfer Station

9835 Newell Creek Road, Ben Lomond. The transfer station remains open during phased construction, but its operating days may vary beginning in September 2026. Normal hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 7:30 am to 3:30 pm; Wednesday 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, on days the station is open. Check the improvement project page before hauling. The household hazardous waste facility is closed from August 21, 2026 through September 2027; use the alternatives listed on the project page.

County solid waste page
Water & power

Two numbers worth saving in your phone.

Both utilities take outage calls around the clock.

Water: San Lorenzo Valley Water District

If your home is served by the district, start or stop service through the Start and Stop Service page. Give at least 24 business hours of notice, and expect a $20 establishment fee on the first bill. Accounts go in the property owner's name.

Customer service and emergencies: 831-338-2153. After hours, the same number transfers to an answering service that reaches on-call staff, per the district's customer service page. Some properties in the area are on private wells or small mutual systems instead; your closing documents or neighbors can tell you which.

Power: PG&E

For a downed power line, stay away from it and anything it is touching, call 911, then call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. To report an outage, use the PG&E Outage Center or call 1-800-743-5002. PG&E's general customer service line is 1-877-660-6789. All three numbers are on PG&E's report an emergency page.

Sign up for outage alerts so shutoffs don't catch you off guard. If someone in your home depends on power for qualifying medical needs, the Medical Baseline Program may provide an additional monthly energy allotment at a lower cost or a discount, depending on the rate plan, plus extra notifications ahead of Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Eligibility is based on medical need, not income.

Internet & cell service

Coverage varies canyon to canyon.

These providers claim service in the Boulder Creek area on their own sites. Always check your exact address before signing anything; two houses on the same road can have different options.

Xfinity (Comcast)

Xfinity's local page states it provides internet service in the Boulder Creek area, with availability by address.

Check your address

AT&T

AT&T's Boulder Creek page offers Internet Air fixed wireless, with fiber at some addresses. Availability is address by address.

Check your address

Starlink

Satellite service that works independently of local lines, which matters during extended outages. Their site checks availability for a specific address.

Check availability

Cruzio

The local Santa Cruz provider lists Boulder Creek in its service area, with an address lookup on its internet page.

Check your address

Cell coverage in the canyons is uneven for every carrier. Test your carrier at the house before you commit, and don't rely on cell alone for emergency alerts. A landline or satellite option is a reasonable backup here.

Library, post office & recreation

Library, post office, and rec programs.

Three places that do a lot of quiet work in a small town.

Boulder Creek Branch Library

13390 West Park Avenue. Part of Santa Cruz Public Libraries; hours and programs are on the branches page. Cards are free for California residents with photo ID and proof of address.

Get a card

Post office

200 Lorenzo Street, phone 831-338-4865. Retail hours posted by USPS: Monday through Friday 9:30 am to 4:00 pm, closed weekends. Confirm current hours on the official page.

USPS location page

For family, property and local services

Schools & families

SLVUSD serves Boulder Creek.

Enrollment starts with the school-site registrar, then online registration. The district's enrollment page lists age cutoffs and required documents.

Boulder Creek Elementary

TK through elementary grades at 400 Lomond Street, right in town.

School site

SLV Middle School

The district middle school, located on the SLV campus in Felton.

School site

SLV High School

The district high school, also in Felton on Highway 9.

School site

Preschools, child care, and referral services are listed in the local directory. Finding infant care up here is its own project; I wrote about how to do it, from experience.

Permits, septic & tree work

Check before you build, dig, or cut.

Mountain parcels may involve septic, geologic, and tree requirements that vary by parcel. A short call to the county early can prevent delays and added cost.

Building and zoning permits

The county's Unified Permit Center, part of Community Development and Infrastructure, handles building, zoning, environmental, and public works permits for unincorporated areas like Boulder Creek.

Permit Center

Septic systems

Most homes here are on septic. County Environmental Health runs the onsite wastewater program. A sewage disposal permit is required to install, upgrade, or abandon a system and for major and some minor repairs; routine maintenance may not require one. See the new-development rules and repair guidance.

Septic rules

Tree removal

Some removals need a county permit, especially significant trees in the Coastal Zone and trees in sensitive habitat. Read the county's tree protection and removal page before scheduling work, and find local tree companies in the directory.

County tree rules

Roads and getting prepared

Roads & maintenance

Know who maintains which road.

Beyond Highways 9 and 236, which Caltrans maintains, a road may be county-maintained, privately maintained, or maintained through a road association or county service area. Check the Santa Cruz County road-maintenance map before assuming the county is responsible for a particular road.

County road hazards

Report fallen trees, flooding, and storm damage on county-maintained roads to Road Operations dispatch: 831-477-3999, staffed 24/7 per the county's Public Works contact page.

Public Works contacts

Highway 9 and 236 conditions

Check Caltrans QuickMap for closures and incidents, or call the Caltrans highway conditions line at 1-800-427-7623, listed on roads.dot.ca.gov.

Open QuickMap

Live conditions in one place

Our Mountain Status page gathers weather, road, outage, and smoke links with the official sources for each.

Mountain Status
Emergency preparedness

Set this up before you need it.

This page points to official programs. It is not an alert service, and in an emergency you should call 911 and follow agency instructions.

CruzAware alerts

The county's official emergency alert registration. Choose calls, texts, or email. Choose the phone numbers and email addresses where you want to receive alerts, and provide your location for targeted notifications.

Sign up

Boulder Creek Fire Protection District

13230 Central Avenue, office 831-338-7222. Call 911 for emergencies; use the office line for prevention questions and district business.

BCFD site

Defensible space

CAL FIRE’s guidance calls for defensible space out to 100 feet or the property line. Check the requirements for your property with your local fire authority. The Fire Safe Council of Santa Cruz County breaks the work into zones and explains where to start.

Zone guide

Free chipping

Seasonal chipping is available to eligible residents in parts of the county when funding is available. The Resource Conservation District offers spring no-cost at-home chipping and a summer/fall neighborhood reimbursement program. Eligibility and program windows change, so check the current pages.

Chipping programs

Household planning: Household Communication and Reunification Plan · Pet Evacuation and Care Plan · Smoke-Ready Home Plan · Household Records and Recovery Folder. All fifteen printable guides.

Storm and fire-season checklist

Prepare before the next storm or fire season.

Learn your routes, sign up for alerts, keep supplies current, and know which official sources you will check.

Open Mountain Status

Getting settled

Your first-month checklist

Six things to do in your first month.

None of these take long, and each one saves you a scramble later. I've lived here my whole life and still keep this list.

Sign up for CruzAware

It's the county's official emergency alert system. Register at cruzaware.org to get evacuation and emergency warnings by call, text, or email.

Set up water service

If your home is on district water, start service through the San Lorenzo Valley Water District. Accounts are set up in the property owner's name, and the district asks for at least 24 business hours of notice.

Find your GreenWaste pickup day

Enter your address in the GreenWaste service day lookup to see your trash, recycling, and green waste collection day.

Get a library card

Cards are free for California residents with photo ID and proof of address. Details are on the Santa Cruz Public Libraries card page, and the Boulder Creek branch is on West Park Avenue.

Download the New Resident Quick Start or browse all printable guides.

What would make life here easier?

Tell us which question deserves a guide, or help us correct a detail.

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