How San Diego Restoration Desk works

San Diego Restoration Desk is a free referral service for homeowners and renters in San Diego County. We are not a restoration contractor. When you send a request, we pass it to one independent local restoration company that serves your area, and they contact you to look at the damage, price the work and schedule it.

How we make money

The restoration company pays us for the introduction. You never pay us anything. We don't do restoration work, and we don't set the company's prices.

What we ask of the company

• A written scope and price before work starts. What gets removed, what gets dried or cleaned, and for how long.
• Moisture readings and photos. Taken at the start and the end, so any adjuster can see the job was finished.
• No pressure to sign on the spot. You can read anything before you sign it, including any form that mentions your insurance.
• A CSLB license for the repairs. California requires one for any job of $1,000 or more. Ask for the number and check it.

If your experience falls short of that, tell us at (619) 389-3147.

Checking a contractor

California licenses contractors through the Contractors State License Board. Since January 1, 2025, any job of $1,000 or more in labor and materials, or any job that needs a permit, requires a license. You can look up a license at cslb.ca.gov. Ask any company for its license number, proof of insurance and a written scope before work starts.

How we know what we know

Each page closes with the sources behind it. The rain and flood claim numbers are our own analysis of public NOAA and FEMA data, the wildfire counts come from CAL FIRE; housing counts come from the US Census Bureau. See the method.

Photo credits

Photos are from Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License: Clayton Cardinalli, Jon Matthews, Lital Levy, Jeffrey Eisen, Sean Mullowney, Chris Karidis, Hydra 4x, Amritanshu Sikdar. None of the pictures is of a specific contractor's work.