San Diego off-leash dog parks and dog beaches, by area

The City of San Diego lists 20 places where your dog can be off the leash. Two of them are on the water: Dog Beach in Ocean Beach and Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. Below they’re grouped by area, with the hours and details exactly as the city publishes them. Coronado and Del Mar run their own dog beaches with their own rules, so those come at the end.

A note on “fenced”: we only call a park fenced where the city says it is. If a listing doesn’t say, we don’t know. Check before you unclip a dog who likes to bolt.

The rules that apply everywhere in city parks

• Leash length. Outside an off-leash area, dogs stay on a leash no longer than 8 feet, and that includes trails and canyons (Your dogs and city parks; Municipal Code §63.0102(c)(2)).
• Leash up to the gate. Your dog has to be leashed until you’re inside the posted off-leash boundary.
• Three dogs, tops. One person can’t have more than 3 dogs in an off-leash area. Fiesta Island is the exception, where the limit is 6 (§63.0102(d)(1)).
• Stay with them. Leaving an off-leash dog unattended is against the code, and so is bringing a female dog in heat into an off-leash area (§63.0102(d)(2) and (3)).
• License. Dogs in city parks need a current license. Visitors staying less than 30 days are exempt (§63.0102(e)(1)).
• Pick it up. Every time, and into a proper bin (§44.0304.1).
• Your risk. The city says people who bring dogs to leash-free areas “enter at their own risk and accept full responsibility and liability for their dog’s actions.”

The city also asks you not to bring a puppy to a dog park until all its required vaccinations are done.

Dog beaches in the city

Dog Beach, Ocean Beach

At the foot of Voltaire Street, at the north end of Ocean Beach. Open 24 hours, and dogs are always allowed off the leash there. Lifeguards call it “San Diego’s only 24-hour beach for dogs.” Standard dog laws apply on the rest of Ocean Beach and, in the city’s words, “are strictly enforced.”

Fiesta Island, Mission Bay

Dogs can be off the leash anywhere on the island outside the fenced areas, shoreline included. There’s a 5.2-mile path around the island. A few things to know:

• Hours: the city’s own pages disagree. The leash-free list says 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The dogs at beaches page and the Fiesta Island page say 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you want to be safe, go by 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Two California least tern nesting sites are behind locked gates all year. People and dogs are both kept out.
• Two buffer zones around the nesting sites close every year from April 15 through September 15.
• No dogs at all, leashed or not, at the Youth Aquatic Center/Camp.
• There are no restrooms on the island.
• In summer the entrance gate closes overnight, so after 10 p.m. you can only get in on foot.

Everywhere else on the beach and in Mission Bay

Outside Dog Beach and Fiesta Island, dogs are only allowed at certain times, and always on a leash:

• November 1 through March 31: no dogs on the beach, boardwalk or nearby parks from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• April 1 through October 31: no dogs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

That’s how the lifeguards’ beach rules put it. The dogs at beaches page gives the same hours for the rest of Mission Bay Park, though it starts winter on October 31. And the lifeguards’ Mission Bay page simply says no dogs in Mission Bay Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you’d rather not think about it, keep dogs out of Mission Bay Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year.

Two places are off-limits to dogs outright: the beach at the La Jolla Children’s Pool (service dogs aside) and the closure area at Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach (§63.0102(f) and (g)).

Balboa Park and South Park

• Nate’s Point, Balboa Park. Balboa Drive at El Prado, on the south side of the Cabrillo Bridge. 24 hours. Open space for dogs.
• Morley Field, Balboa Park. Northwest of the tennis courts. 24 hours. Open space for dogs.
• Grape Street Park, South Park. Grape and 28th streets. Leash-free Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., going by the posted hours. The city’s 2025 dog park map lists the park at 1998 28th St. as Officer Tonahill and Officer Ruopp Memorial Park; an older city map gives that address as Grape Street Park.

Mid-City: Normal Heights, City Heights, North Park and Encanto

• Ward Canyon Neighborhood Park, Normal Heights. 3905 Adams Ave. (the city’s maps say 3904). Dawn to dusk. Two fenced pens with wood chips, one for small dogs and one for large, plus pergolas, benches and parking.
• Charles L. Lewis III Memorial Park, City Heights. 4750 Home Ave. Dawn to dusk. A half-acre off-leash dog park, with a playground, basketball court and restrooms in the park.
• Gompers Neighborhood Park, Encanto. 4926 Hilltop Drive. Posted leash-free hours. Two pens, one for smaller dogs and one for larger, with a double-gated entry.

Not on the leash-free list, but on the city’s 2025 dog park map: North Park Community Park (4044 Idaho Ave.) and the University Heights Interim Dog Park (4304 Normal St., on the Eugene Brucker Education Center lawn). The map gives no hours, so go by the signs.

Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach and Mission Bay

• Dog Beach, Ocean Beach. See above. 24 hours.
• Dusty Rhodes Neighborhood Park, Ocean Beach. Sunset Cliffs Boulevard, between Nimitz and West Point Loma. Dawn to dusk. One acre for all dogs.
• Capehart Park, Pacific Beach. Felspar Street and Soledad Mountain Road. 24 hours. One acre with fenced pens for small and large dogs, water stations, picnic tables, benches and parking.
• Fiesta Island. See above.

Clairemont, Kearny Mesa and Allied Gardens

• Cadman Community Park, Clairemont. 4280 Avati Drive. Off-leash only at set times, and the actual dates are posted at the park:
  • Fall, winter and spring: 7:30 to 10 a.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m.
  • Summer: 7 to 9:30 a.m. and 5 to 7:30 p.m.
  • No leash-free hours on July 4, or on Saturday mornings during Little League season.
  • House rules include no treats or food, no dogs in season, and dogs may not drink from the park’s water fountains.
• Kearny Mesa Community Park. 3170 Armstrong St. 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. One lighted acre with water stations for dogs and fountains for people. Daytime parking is limited because of Mesa College.
• Centrum Park, Kearny Mesa. 4855 Ariva Way. 24 hours. In the middle of an apartment complex between Ariva Way and Central Plaza.
• Allied Gardens. 6707 Glenroy St., behind the Allied Gardens Pool. Dawn to dusk. Fenced.

University City and Mira Mesa

• Doyle Community Park, University City. 8175 Regents Road. 24 hours, but not lighted. Two fenced turf areas, one for small dogs and one for large.
• Nobel Park, University City. 8820 Judicial Drive. Dawn to dusk. Separate fenced sections for large and small dogs, next to parking and the Nobel Athletic Fields.
• Maddox Neighborhood Park, Mira Mesa. 7815 Flanders St. Dawn to dusk. 0.65 acres of turf with a walkway and a drinking fountain.

Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Peñasquitos and Torrey Highlands

• Rancho Bernardo Park. 18448 West Bernardo Drive. Dawn to dusk. 2.66 acres next to Rancho Bernardo Community Park, with extra parking.
• Rancho Peñasquitos Park. Salmon River Road at Fairgrove Lane, across from the library. Dawn to dusk. One acre with two fenced, double-gated turf areas, benches and street parking.
• Torrey Highlands Park. Lansdale Drive off Del Mar Heights Road. Dawn to dusk. One acre of turf and mulch.

Beyond the city: Coronado and Del Mar

Coronado Dog Beach

At 200 Ocean Boulevard, the sandy area at the north end of Coronado Beach. Dogs can be off the leash inside the dog beach area, but must be leashed everywhere on the way there. Dogs aren’t allowed anywhere else on Coronado Beach. Coronado’s pages don’t list hours for Dog Beach.

Coronado licenses its own dogs: any dog over four months old that lives in the city more than 30 days a year needs a Coronado license.

Del Mar

Del Mar’s beach rules change with the season. Off season runs from the day after Labor Day through June 15. Peak season runs June 16 through Labor Day.

• North Beach, from 29th Street to the Solana Beach border. Off season: off-leash dogs allowed. Peak season: off-leash from dawn to 8 a.m., leashed the rest of the day.
• Main Beach, from Powerhouse Park to 29th Street. Off season: leashed, except off-leash between 25th and 29th streets from dawn to 8 a.m. Peak season: no dogs.
• South Beach, from 6th Street to Powerhouse Park. Leashed all year.

In Del Mar, leashes can be no longer than 6 feet, dogs off the leash must be under voice control, and your dog has to wear a current license. Leash law penalties start at $285. Those rules come from the city’s dog-friendly beaches page. Del Mar’s older 2021 rules sheet doesn’t limit the early-morning off-leash time on Main Beach to 25th through 29th streets. Go by the current page.

Licenses and vaccinations

In the City of San Diego, every dog four months or older needs a license and has to wear it. To get one, you show proof of a rabies vaccination.

The San Diego Humane Society sells licenses for San Diego and 13 other cities: Carlsbad, Del Mar, El Cajon, Encinitas, Escondido, Imperial Beach, La Mesa, Oceanside, Poway, San Marcos, Santee, Solana Beach and Vista. You need one within 30 days of any of these:

• your dog turning four months old
• getting the dog
• moving into the area

For a spayed or neutered dog it’s $20 for one year, $35 for two or $50 for three. City residents can also buy and renew online through DocuPet, at sandiego.docupet.com.

If you live in Chula Vista, Coronado, Lemon Grove or National City, your city handles licensing. In unincorporated parts of the county, it’s the County Department of Animal Services.

Hot pavement, hot sand

San Diego afternoons can cook paws. The County’s animal services team puts it simply: if it’s too hot for you to walk barefoot, it’s too hot for your dog. They also suggest exercising dogs in the early morning, when it’s cooler.

• Asphalt gets hot enough to burn paw pads. Walk on grass where you can, and carry water (Humane World for Animals).
• Dogs are close to the ground, so they heat up fast on a hot surface. Keep walks short when it’s very hot (ASPCA).
• Give dry sand the same barefoot test before a midday beach run.

Tides

How much beach there is depends on the tide. Before a beach trip, check NOAA’s tide predictions for San Diego (station 9410170) or La Jolla (station 9410230).

Tickets and complaints

Park rangers, San Diego police, the Humane Society and lifeguards can all write citations for leash and beach-hour violations. The fines come from the San Diego Superior Court’s bail schedule, which the city links from its leash-free page. To report a dog off the leash in a park, the city uses its Get It Done app.

Walk dogs for a living, or thinking about it? Read how to start a pet sitting business in San Diego.

Heelwise is a new San Diego pet sitting marketplace. It opens to pet owners soon.