How to report a power outage in Alabama, by utility

Updated 2026-10-31 · Sources linked inline

Report a power outage to the company that sends your electric bill, not to a state agency or to TVA. Alabama is served by Alabama Power, about two dozen electric cooperatives and a number of city-owned utilities, and each has its own number. The ones below were checked against each utility's own website on October 31, 2026. We read each utility's published page; we did not place test calls or texts. Numbers change, so confirm on your utility's site, and email us if one is wrong.

Step 1: Find out who serves you

1. Look at your electric bill. The company named on it is who you report to.
2. Renting? Ask your property manager who the electric provider is. See renters' backup power.
3. Not sure whether you're on a co-op? According to the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA), co-op power lines cover more than 70 percent of the state's land mass, so you may be a co-op member even outside a rural area. The AREA co-op directory lists them with websites.
4. Save the number now. Store it in your phone before the storm, and write it on paper in your emergency kit.

If you see a downed power line, stay away and treat it as live, and call 911 or your utility.

Utilities we verified

The City of Dothan's page also lists regional numbers: Alabama Power 1-800-888-2726, Pea River Electric Cooperative 1-800-264-7732, and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative by text or call at 1-888-469-6882. Those come from the city's page rather than the co-ops' own pages, so confirm with the co-op.

TVA: not for outages

The Tennessee Valley Authority supplies power to local power companies in north Alabama but does not take outage reports. TVA's own page says that for power outages you should contact your local power company, because it assesses local conditions and repairs service (TVA). So a Huntsville Utilities or Joe Wheeler EMC customer reports to them, not to TVA.

Other electric cooperatives

Alabama's co-ops include these (names and websites from the AREA directory). Use each co-op's own site for its outage number:

(Baldwin EMC, Cullman, Joe Wheeler and the other utilities above are in the first table.) We deliberately didn't copy phone numbers we haven't checked on each co-op's own outage page.

Before the storm: a ten-minute setup

Most failed outage reports come from skipping setup, not from the utility. Do these once:

1. Save the number under a name you will find in the dark, such as "POWER OUT."
2. Opt in to texting if your utility needs it. Baldwin EMC says that if you have never texted an outage, you must opt in first, and the number you text from must match a phone number on your account. Decatur Utilities' text option is for SmartHub users.
3. Confirm your phone number on the account. Automated lines match your caller ID to your address, and both Baldwin EMC and Decatur Utilities say that if your number isn't recognized you'll be asked to leave a message for dispatch instead.
4. Bookmark the outage map and the utility's app. A map often tells you in seconds whether your outage is already known. Our Alabama weather alerts and outage history by county page links to many Alabama utilities' own outage maps and shows active weather alerts by county, though it does not show who has power right now.
5. Charge a battery pack. Reporting and checking status both need a phone that works. See power station sizing if you want more.

What to have ready when you report

• The phone number on your account, since automated systems match it to your address. Baldwin EMC and Decatur Utilities both describe matching your phone number.
• Your address and, if asked, your account number.
• What you see: whether the neighbors are out, any downed line, a transformer that popped or a tree on a wire.
• If anyone at home depends on powered medical equipment, say so, and have a plan that doesn't rely on priority restoration. See CPAP backup power.

Baldwin EMC suggests checking your own breaker or fuse and asking a neighbor before you report, to confirm it's not your panel. Decatur Utilities asks you to follow its prompts to enter the phone number on the account.

How Alabama Power handles it

Alabama Power says customers are automatically enrolled in outage alerts by text, phone or email, and can change preferences or opt out in their account. The system sends alerts about 10 minutes after a confirmed outage, so don't expect one the second the lights go out. If you get a "restored" message but your power is still out, report it again. After a big storm, Alabama Power asks you to wait a reasonable amount of time before calling again, because crews likely already know.

Its restoration order, per its alerts page, starts with power plants and main distribution lines serving communities. Vital services such as hospitals, emergency and public safety services, and water and sewage stations come first, then repairs that restore the most customers fastest, then neighborhood lines.

One more detail: Alabama Power says your meter box belongs to you, not the company. If a storm damages it, you'll need a licensed electrician to repair it before power can be restored (How we restore power). Know that in advance, and have an electrician's number.

One call is enough

A report is a signal to dispatch, not a repair ticket you must keep renewing. Alabama Power's guidance is that after a widespread storm you should wait a reasonable amount of time before calling again, and use the outage map or status text instead. The same logic applies to every utility: repeated calls tie up phone lines that others need. Report once, confirm the report went through, then check status.

Brief flickers are different. Alabama Power explains that a quick blink can happen when protective equipment detects a problem and redirects power to avoid a longer outage. A blink is not an outage and doesn't need a report.

Why you may be out when your neighbor isn't

Alabama Power's outage page says homes near each other aren't always served by the same lines or equipment, so one can lose power while another stays on. That is also why a neighbor's "mine's fine" doesn't mean your outage is known. If a transformer or service line serving only your home is down, report it.

Portable generators and your utility

Decatur Utilities tells customers not to connect a portable generator to a home's outlets or wiring, because backfeeding can endanger line crews, and says standby generators must be professionally installed and registered with the utility. Other utilities have similar rules, so check yours. For safe use of a portable generator, see generator carbon monoxide safety.

Report an error

If a number here is wrong, email [email protected] with the utility, the page and a source. We update the date when we confirm a fix. For the full outage routine, use the Alabama Power outage checklist, and for Gulf Coast storms, the hurricane outage checklist.