Frequently Asked Questions

In the mid-1980s, and in response to the growing concern for noise pollution and airborne contaminants, the City banned the use of all electric and gasoline powered leaf blowers City wide. 

Did you know? One two-stroke gasoline powered leaf blower produces as much pollution as 34 automobiles. The blower is also very hazardous to the operator. It blows animal droppings, which carry the Hantavirus, pollens, and other toxic materials into the air. There are no restrictions on other gas or electric powered tools or leaf vacuums

Yes, whether your business is physically located with our city limits, any person or business who transacts, or carries on any commercial activity within the City of Del Mar is first required to obtain a City of Del Mar Business License. This includes, home businesses, mobile businesses, gardeners, nannies, and non-profits. This includes all service contractors and their subs.

Any person or business operating in the City of Del Mar without first obtaining a City of Del Mar Business License is subject to fines of up to $1,000 per day of noncompliance. For additional information on applying for and obtaining a City of Del Mar Business License, please refer to Business License Information or contact the City of Del Mar Finance Department at (858) 755-9354.

Signs advertising a residential property for sale, or an open house, may only be posted by the occupant of the adjacent dwelling unit or with the permission of the occupant, and may only be posted in residential zones. The maximum area of a temporary sign, as measured on one side, may not exceed 5.5 square feet.

The Del Mar Municipal Code prohibits posting any sign, or portion of a sign, that encroaches into a street, sidewalks, bike lanes, paved and unpaved walking paths, traffic circles, or center medians. Signs must not block motorists’, cyclists’, or pedestrians’ sightlines, or otherwise conflict with the public’s health and safety.

Prohibited locations: Commercial zones, City-owned properties, parks, beaches, bluffs, or within an environmentally sensitive resource area. Signs affixed to utility poles,  or any city infrastructure such as streetlights, trees, traffic light poles, or any City sign, are strictly prohibited.

Signs found in violation of the Del Mar Municipal Code will be confiscated. Signs confiscated by the City are subject to confiscation fees of $25.00 per sign. Repeat offenders will also be issued a fine. The City will send you a notice if your sign has been confiscated.

Staff contact: Patty Malik 858-704-3651 or pmalik@delmar.ca.us.

Link to the Del Mar Municipal Code Chapter 30.84- Signs

It is a violation of both City and County codes to leave a dog to bark. Further, other than designated areas, it is also a violation of both City and County Code to allow a dog to walk unrestrained in public.City and County Code requires dog owners to effectively control their dog’s behavior by voice, or electronic pet containment system, or must physically and humanely restrain them by a leash, fence, or other enclosure. 

Yes. Please check out our Dog Friendly Beach page at Dog Friendly Beaches.

The City’s Noise Ordinance regulates construction days, hours and noise. Construction hours are limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday. No construction is allowed on Sunday or City observed holidays.

Please take advantage of our online Citizen’s Complaint Form at, http://www.delmar.ca.us/forms.aspx?FID=93.

Your complaint will then be forwarded on to the Code Enforcement Officer for review, and investigation. If you have questions about a violation of the City’s Municipal Code, the Code Enforcement Officer can be reached by,

1. In person at 1050 Camino del Mar

2. Call (858) 704-3651

3. Email code@delmar.ca.us

In October 2009, the Del Mar City Council voted to amend its Smoking and Tobacco Regulations (DMMC Chapter 11.08). The revised ordinance bans smoking in many public and private properties. The following is a brief overview of the City’s smoking and tobacco regulations and lists the locations where smoking is prohibited in Del Mar.

Air quality issues are handled through the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District. When an air quality problem is observed at a stationary source (business, government or military), please call (858) 586-2650, email apcdcomp@sdapcd.org, or use the San Diego County Air Quality Complaint App.

No. The ordinance bans smoking only in select locations. Smoking includes, cigar, pipes and vapes.

• Enclosed public places - such as stores, restaurants, churches and offices open to the public
• Places of employment
• Parks, beaches and seawalls and their street sidewalks, stairs and cul-de-sacs
• Taxi Cabs operating in Del Mar
• Child Care facilities
• All sidewalks and those segments of any street lined with a sidewalk
• All portions of outdoor seating areas of any bar or restaurant and within reasonable distance of those seating areas, including: adjacent sidewalks and/or streets and roads
• All public plazas and public and semi-public spaces identified in an approved Specific Plan
• All outdoor arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters; including their bleachers and grandstands
• All public transportation station facilities; such as train stations and bus shelters
  Any property zoned as Public Facility (PF).

Other than a child day-care facility, the City of Del Mar does not regulate smoking on private property. If you are a renter, please check with your property management company.

A personal or private office where the public is not invited to do business, and where there are no employees. Residential neighborhoods that do not contain public sidewalks and are not adjacent to a beach or park.

If you are at a business, store or restaurant, please ask an employee to enforce the ordinance. If you are walking along a sidewalk or in another public place where smoking is banned, you can ask the smoker to extinguish their cigarette, cigar or pipe. If you are uncomfortable doing so, or if the person refuses your request, you may contact a City Code Enforcement Officer at (858) 704-3651 or the Community Services Department at (858) 755-1556.

The ordinance provides a variety of methods of enforcement ranging from warnings to fines upwards of $1,000.00. In addition to these fines, the owner, manager, or operator of a business who allows smoking in a prohibited location may have their permits or licenses to operate suspended.

If the tree in question is on your private property and it is any species of tree other than a Torrey Pine tree or Monterey Cypress, then you can remove the tree at your own discretion with no City involvement in the matter. However, if the tree is located in the public right-of-way*, on a property within the Central Commercial Zone, on a property located in an Open Space Overlay Zone, or if the tree is a Torrey Pine or Monterey Cypress, it is considered to be “protected” by City Ordinance and a permit is required to remove the tree. (*To get help to determine the approximate location of the public right-of-way [Public/Private edge], contact the Planning Department at (858) 755-9313.) If the trunk of the subject tree is: 1) within 12 feet from the exterior wall of a residence; 2) within 12 feet of another protected tree; 3) less than 20 inches in circumference when measured at 24 inches above the ground; or 4) an immediate threat to public health and safety, then it may be exempt from the permit requirement. If one of these four circumstances applies, then the property owner would complete a Notice of Intent form, attach a simple plot plan and indicate which exemption applies. The exemption would then be verified by Staff via a visit to the site and signed-off as exempt. For more information, please contact the Planning Department at (858) 375-9516 or by email at Planning@delmar.ca.us.

The Trees, Scenic Views and Sunlight Ordinance (DMMC 23.51) provides a process by which residents may seek to restore scenic views and/or sunlight that they feel have been unreasonably obstructed by the growth and/or installation of trees and vegetation since the time the property owner purchased or occupied the property, or in the last 10 years, whichever is shorter.

The Ordinance requires that attempts are first made to work out an amicable solution with the vegetation owner, including formal mediation. If these resolution efforts are not successful, then a resident may fill out the Trees, Scenic Views and Sunlight Application to have the issue reviewed by the Planning Commission at a public hearing. The Commission would then make a determination based on evidence presented.

To find out more about the process and other application requirements, you may view the Ordinance in its entirety here Trees, Scenic Views, & Sunlight Ordinance or contact the Planning Department at (858) 375-9516 or by email at Planning@delmar.ca.us.

Yes. Any person, or business who transacts or carries on any commercial activity within the City of Del Mar needs to first obtain a City of Del Mar Business License. This includes anyone who conducts business within the City regardless of the physical address of the business or whether a profit has been made. Moreover, any mobile business is required to carry a copy of this license at all times and furnish it upon request.

All sub-contractors, gardeners, pool servicing companies and the like are required to hold an active City of Del Mar Business License. 

For more information on how to obtain a business license, please visit this site's Business page.

Per DMMC 1.10.070, you have a right to appeal your Administrative Citation. The DMMC requires that you do so within 15 calendar days of the date of the citation, or forfeit your right to your appeal.

To appeal your Administrative Citation, you must submit a written request, along with payment of the full amount of the fine to, 

City of Del Mar
Attn: Code Enforcement Officer
1050 Camino del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

This information is also found on the back of your Administrative Citation. Once the Code Enforcement Officer has received your request, they will contact you with an Administrative Hearing date. Failure to meet the 15 calendar day deadline will waive your right to an Administrative Hearing. 

For more information about and Administrative Appeals Hearings,

https://library.municode.com/ca/del_mar/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT1GEPR