Beach and Bay Problems in San Diego: Who to Call

Lifeguard Services is a division of San Diego Fire-Rescue. Its overview describes a 24-hour rescue agency covering about 24 miles of coastline from the tip of Point Loma to Torrey Pines, plus Mission Bay, and a Lifeguard Communications Center staffed 24 hours a day. Lifeguards also enforce City, state and federal beach and water rules; full-time lifeguards are peace officers.

Numbers from the lifeguards' Contact Us page. The beach rules page says lifeguards are generally on duty from 9 a.m. to dusk, with year-round stations at Ocean Beach, South Mission Beach, Mission Beach, North Pacific Beach, Pacific Beach, Children's Pool, La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores, and seasonal towers in summer.

This guide covers beaches and Mission Bay in the City of San Diego. Get It Done only takes reports inside City limits. San Diego Bay and its shoreline parks are run by the Port of San Diego (see Mission Bay and San Diego Bay), and beaches in other cities are handled by those cities.

Under Municipal Code section 63.20, the City's Parks and Recreation Department has jurisdiction over City beaches and the land along the ocean and Mission Bay, and section 63.0102 defines a park to include all public beaches, bays and wetlands in the City. Get It Done does not have a separate beach category; beach problems go through the Parks and Recreation forms on the Get It Done page.

• Overflowing cans and litter. Use Park Trash or Litter. The form says it covers overflowing trash cans, scattered debris or excessive litter, and asks for a clear reference point such as a landmark or facility. As of October 31, 2026, it estimates 5 days.
• Restrooms and showers. Use Restroom/Comfort Station for missing supplies, clogged or running toilets, lights and cleanliness. As of October 31, 2026, it estimates 5 days for cleanliness or supplies and 15 days for repairs. The City's Mission Bay Park page says 11 of the park's 28 restrooms close for the season from November 1 through March 30.
• Dumped furniture and camps. Household furniture is not allowed on ocean beaches or Mission Bay Park land under section 63.20.5(j). For encampments, Get It Done has a Homeless Outreach/Encampment report. Dumping on streets is covered in our illegal dumping guide.
• Scooters on the boardwalk. Shared scooters are banned on Ocean Front Walk and other beach walkways; see our scooters and bikes guide.

Beach fires are governed by Municipal Code section 63.20.5. A City-provided fire ring is defined as a concrete container pre-installed in certain beach areas.

• Where. It is unlawful to build, maintain, use or be within 10 feet of a fire in a beach area unless it is in a City-provided fire ring or a portable propane-fueled device, or the City has approved it in writing. The lifeguards' beach rules page says fire pits are first come, first served.
• When. No fire rings or propane devices between 12:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m., unless the City issues a permit.
• What can burn. Only charcoal, clean wood or paper products. No landscape debris, painted or treated wood, nails or other hardware, cloth, rubber, plastic or anything that leaves residue other than ash. Fuel may not stack more than 12 inches above the top of the ring. A fire ring may not be used to dump trash.
• Putting it out. A fire may not be abandoned until all fuel is burned out or extinguished. Sand or dirt may not be used to put it out, and extinguished ashes may not be covered; they may be left in the ring. Unused wood and trash around the ring must be removed.

To report a fire outside a ring or someone burning trash, use the Get It Done Park Enforcement form, which lists illegal fires among its examples. It says reports help enforcement staff address future issues and may not get an immediate response. If a fire is spreading or someone is in danger, call 911.

Seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales and sea turtles are handled by the marine mammal stranding network that NOAA Fisheries coordinates. NOAA's reporting page asks anyone who sees a sick, injured, entangled, stranded or dead marine mammal or sea turtle to contact the local stranding network immediately. For San Diego County it lists:

• Keep back. NOAA asks people to keep themselves and pets at least 50 yards (150 feet) away from a stranded marine mammal or sea turtle. Municipal Code section 63.0102(c)(10) makes it unlawful to take, wound, disturb or mistreat any bird or animal in a park, which includes City beaches.
• Other animals. The Get It Done Dead Animal report is for animals in the public right-of-way (street or sidewalk). Injured birds and land wildlife go to San Diego Humane Society's Project Wildlife; see our dead and stray animals guide.

Beach water testing and closures are handled by the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality (DEHQ), not the City. Its Beach and Bay Program tests the water, posts signs and publishes current status at sdbeachinfo.com, which the County says is updated as soon as a beach status changes. The County's FAQ says it tests at approximately 45 beaches, and that its ddPCR test gives same-day results. Questions: (619) 338-2073 or beachandbay.deh@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Sources: the County's FAQ, advisory explanation and closure explanation. The County also posts outfall warning signs next to storm drains, creeks, rivers and lagoons and advises staying out of runoff and water within at least 75 feet of where it enters the ocean or bay. It notes that water can look and smell clean and still exceed State bacteria standards.

• Seeing a sewage spill. The City's Public Utilities customer support page says to call 619-515-3525 to report a sewer spill, and 619-235-1000 or Get It Done for storm drain pollution. Our sewer spills guide explains how the City notifies the County when sewage reaches the water.
• Going in when a beach is closed. Asked whether people get cited for entering closed water, the County answers that it depends on the location and local ordinance, and to check with the local lifeguard.
• After rain. Runoff carries whatever is on streets to the beach through storm drains; see our storm drains guide.

The lifeguards' rip current page calls rip currents the most threatening of all hazards on San Diego's coast. Their safety page asks beachgoers to report hazardous conditions to lifeguards or other beach management personnel and to stay clear of coastal bluffs, which can collapse.

• Caught in a rip current. The City's advice: relax and stay calm, swim parallel to shore rather than against the current, float or tread water if needed, and wave to a lifeguard. If you see someone in distress, alert the nearest lifeguard, or call 911 and ask for lifeguards. Throwing something that floats can help.
• Cliff falls and people stranded on bluffs. Lifeguard responsibilities include coastal cliff rescue. Call 911.
• Broken beach stairs, railings or access ramps. As of October 31, 2026, Get It Done has no report type specifically for beach stairs or access ways. If it is a hazard, tell a lifeguard or call the lifeguard information line. You can also use the Other option, but the City says Other reports are not automatically processed and may take longer to review. A cracked public sidewalk next to the beach is covered in our sidewalk repair guide.
• Before you go. Recorded beach weather, surf and dive conditions: 619-221-8824.

The two bays are run by different agencies. Mission Bay is a City park, patrolled on the water by the lifeguards. San Diego Bay and its surrounding tidelands are run by the Port of San Diego and patrolled by its Harbor Police.

• Mission Bay. The lifeguard Boating Safety Unit, based at Quivira Basin, handles harbor patrol, boater rescue and boating enforcement, and staffs the 24-hour Lifeguard Communications Center. Municipal Code section 63.20.6 designates these lifeguards as Harbor Police for Mission Bay. The lifeguards' boating regulations page lists a 5 mph limit on Mission Bay from sunset to sunrise, and at all times within 100 feet of shore or another vessel, near bridges and where buoys are posted; overnight anchoring only in Mariners Basin, limited to 72 hours; and no boat beaching on the north end of Fiesta Island.
• San Diego Bay. The Port says its Harbor Police patrol the bay and its tidelands by vehicle, vessel and on foot, 24 hours a day. Its contact page lists emergency 619-223-1133 or 911, and non-emergency 619-686-6272. Trash, graffiti, damage and pollution on Port tidelands can be reported through the Port Service Portal; its pollution page also lists a stormwater hotline, 619-686-6254, and Harbor Police after hours.
• Maritime emergencies and spills. The Port lists U.S. Coast Guard San Diego at 619-295-3121 or VHF channel 16 for anyone causing, observing or discovering an emergency on the water, and for illegal spills in or near San Diego Bay.

These are the rules as written in the San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC) as of October 31, 2026. The Code authorizes lifeguards and designated Parks and Recreation employees to enforce beach rules (sections 63.20.1 and 63.20.8). Non-emergency violations can be reported with the Get It Done Park Enforcement form.

Sources: SDMC Chapter 5, Article 6 (alcohol), Chapter 4, Article 3, Division 10 (smoking), Chapter 6, Article 3, Division 00 (beach areas) and Division 1 (parks). The City's beach dog page adds that outside the restricted hours dogs must be on a leash, and that leash and hours violations can be cited by Park Rangers, police, San Diego Humane Society or lifeguards. Some places, including the Children's Pool and Point La Jolla in La Jolla, have additional rules in SDMC 63.0102; follow the posted signs. Amplified sound limits in parks and on beaches are covered in our noise complaints guide.

For problems away from the beach, see our guide to reporting a problem to the City of San Diego.