Accessibility Barriers, Curb Ramps and Sidewalks in San Diego

• ADA Compliance and Accessibility. The City's ADA Compliance and Accessibility office is "A division of the Engineering & Capital Projects Department." Its About Us page says it was established in 1991 in response to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and lists a Program Manager who serves as Citywide Accessibility Coordinator and a Complaint Coordinator.
• Contact. As of November 2, 2026: 619-236-5979, TTY 711, [email protected], and by mail to City of San Diego, ADA Compliance and Accessibility, 8575 Gibbs Drive, Suite 102, San Diego, CA 92123.
• What it covers. The City's ADA notice says that under Title II of the ADA the City "will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities." City sidewalks, curb ramps, crosswalks and pedestrian signals are part of that.
• Accessibility Advisory Board. The City also has an Accessibility Advisory Board. As of November 2, 2026, its page says the board meets the first Thursday of each month from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., in person and online.

• Get It Done: ADA Compliance. The City's ADA Compliance report on Get It Done is the online route the City's Make a Complaint or Request page points to. You can also report by phone, email or in writing to ADA Compliance and Accessibility.
• Who can use it. The form says: "Per Federal regulation, this category is reserved for individuals who have a disability or represent an individual with a disability." You must check a box confirming the report concerns your own disability or that of the person you are reporting for. If that is not you, the form asks you to use the regular category instead, such as Sidewalk, Curb or Traffic Signal.
• Expected response. As of November 2, 2026, the form says: "The department assigned to a valid case will respond to the reporter within 30 days. Full case resolution may take several months."
• What to include. The City asks for the date (if applicable), the exact location, a detailed description, and your name, address, phone or TTY and email. The Get It Done form asks for photos that show the surrounding area and requires a name, email and phone number. Say which corner, which side of the street, and what you could not do: for example, no ramp to reach the crosswalk, or a pole leaving too little room for a wheelchair.

The form asks you to pick one of these details:

The form says that if your issue is not listed, choose Other "and we will try our best to route your report to the appropriate party." For how Get It Done works in general, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.

• Requesting a curb ramp. Use the Curb Ramp detail in the ADA Compliance report, or contact ADA Compliance and Accessibility. The City's complaint page says "requests for curb ramps and accessible pedestrian signals (APS) installation are sent to the Transportation Department," and that "All complaints are prioritized, funded, and programmed by the responsible department." The City's pages do not state a timeframe for building a new ramp.
• A sidewalk you cannot get through. The ADA form has Path of Travel and Sidewalk details for a route that is not usable because of a disability. Ordinary damage such as a lifted or cracked panel can also be reported by anyone through Get It Done Sidewalk; who repairs it, and how long it takes, is covered in our sidewalk repair guide.
• Temporary obstructions. Many things block sidewalks for a while rather than permanently. We cover them in separate guides: scooters and bikes, overgrown hedges, sidewalk cafes and streetaries and cars parked on the sidewalk.
• Design standards. The City's Policies and Regulations page links its Curb Ramp Design Guidelines and older Access Memos on sidewalk slopes and truncated domes (the raised bumps at the bottom of a ramp).

• Audible or accessible signals. The ADA form has Audible Pedestrian Signal, Pedestrian Signal and Crosswalk details. Like curb ramp requests, APS installation requests go to the Transportation Department.
• The policy behind them. Council Policy 200-16, effective November 18, 1985, sets factors for ranking signalized intersections to be retrofitted with audible devices. It notes that some signals "cannot be retrofitted with audible traffic signals without major costly modifications" and that retrofitting is subject to approval by the City Engineer.
• Push buttons and broken signals. Anyone can use the Get It Done Traffic Signal report, which has a Walk Signal Push Button Upgrade type for an old, small button. Broken walk signals and other signal problems are covered in our traffic signals guide.

• Different owners. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is a separate agency that runs the buses and Trolley and their stations and shelters. The sidewalk, curb and curb ramps around a City street stop are the City's. Our bus stop guide explains the split in detail.
• MTS ADA complaints. MTS takes ADA complaints about the accessibility of its system at [email protected], 619-557-4539, or by mail. It asks for the time, date, location and why you believe it is not accessible, says complaints should be filed within 180 calendar days, and says its video is kept for 7 to 21 days, so report quickly.
• The City's form has a Bus Stop detail too. If you are not sure which agency is responsible, the City says complaints outside its jurisdiction are forwarded to the responsible entity if its contact information is known.

The City's Complaint and Grievance Procedure covers allegations that the City has "violated Title II of the ADA by denying access to its programs, services, and activities based on a disability." You can also ask for a reasonable modification of a City policy, practice or procedure. As of November 2, 2026, the steps are:

1. File. By Get It Done, mail, phone, relay service (711) or email, no later than 60 calendar days after the alleged violation.
2. Routing. Within seven calendar days, ADA Compliance and Accessibility forwards the complaint to the responsible department, which assigns a staff person within seven calendar days.
3. Plan of Action. Within 30 calendar days of receiving the complaint, the department responds in writing with a Plan of Action, in a format accessible to you (for example, large print, Braille or electronic).
4. First appeal. Within 15 calendar days of that response, you can appeal to the Citywide ADA Coordinator, who confers with you and the department within seven calendar days and responds in writing within 15 calendar days after the meeting.
5. Second appeal. Within 15 calendar days, you can appeal to a Deputy Director in the Engineering & Capital Projects Department, who follows the same timeline and issues the final resolution of the grievance.

The procedure says the City keeps written complaints, appeals and responses for at least three years, and will not place a surcharge on you to cover auxiliary aids or reasonable modifications. Employment-related complaints follow the City's Personnel Policy instead.

• What it is. The City's ADA Right of Way Project page explains that the ADA requires municipalities to complete a self-evaluation and transition plan, and that a transition plan "includes a list of physical barriers in facilities and the public right-of-way."
• History. The City says it adopted its original plan for the right-of-way and facilities in 1996, that all major facility barriers in it have been remediated, that the facilities plan was updated in 2010, and that sidewalk data was updated in a 2015 Sidewalk Inventory and Assessment. The 1996 plan is posted as archived content on the About Us page.
• The update. Phase one covers neighborhoods generally south of Interstate 8, including Barrio Logan, Downtown, Mid-City, North Park, San Ysidro and Southeastern San Diego, and inventories audible pedestrian signals, crosswalks, curb ramps, major sidewalk barriers, on-street accessible parking and street furniture. The City says it was awarded federal Safe Streets for All grant funding for a second phase north of I-8, expected to begin in late 2025 and last about two years.
• How projects are ranked. The page lists population density, links to transit, access to essential services, equity, asset condition and safety, and coordination with other projects. It says the plan itself does not include construction. As of November 2, 2026, the page shows a draft and final project period of November 2025 to June 2026 but does not link an adopted updated plan. The page says you can ask to join its email list for updates at [email protected].

• Not the City's ADA office. The City's complaint page says its grievance procedure "is not for reporting complaints against private landlords, private businesses, other government agencies, or other non-City entities."
• Building code: Building & Land Use Enforcement. The Development Services Department's Building & Land Use Enforcement Division takes Requests for Investigation online, by mail or at 619-236-5500. As of November 2, 2026, its Priority of Cases page lists "Disabled access" as a Priority III building complaint, which it says is inspected within 20 business days. How that process works is in our code enforcement guide.
• Talking to the owner. A business may be able to fix a blocked entrance or move an obstruction once it knows. The City's enforcement page notes that most people are cooperative once an issue is brought to their attention.

• U.S. Department of Justice. The federal ADA complaint page says you can file against a state or local government or a private business that serves the public. Complaints that are not about employment, air travel or housing go to the Civil Rights Division, either online or by mail.
• What to expect. The Department says it "cannot investigate every complaint," that review can take up to three months, and that it may refer a complaint to its voluntary ADA Mediation Program or another agency. The ADA Information Line is 800-514-0301 (voice) or 1-833-610-1264 (TTY).
• Getting advice. The City's ADA FAQ points to ada.gov for federal enforcement. For advice about your own situation, speak to a qualified advocate or attorney; this guide is general information.