Del Mar Municipal Code Ch. 4.08 Animals on Beaches and in Parks

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to leave or hitch any horse in a public park or public beach except in areas designated by the City for that purpose.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person to ride or permit any horse upon the public beach south of a point 2,079 feet (first house at rivermouth) south of the intersection of the northerly boundary of the City with the mean high tide line of the Pacific Ocean.

(Ord. No. 468; Ord. No. 883)

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to bring, allow or permit any dog upon any of the beaches or in any of the waters within the City unless such dog is restrained by a leash not in excess of six feet except as stated in Subsection B. Notwithstanding the exceptions in Subsection B., every owner of a dog shall restrain his dog from running at large on any of the beaches or waters in the City.

B. Provided such dogs are under the immediate voice command and control of their owners or keeper, this Subsection shall not prohibit off leash dogs in the following instances:

1. Dogs may be off leash on the beaches or waters located northerly of a line being an extension of 29th Street from the day after Labor Day through June 15th, and from dawn to 8:00 a.m. year-round.

2. Dogs may be off leash on the beaches or waters between an east-west line which is the westerly prolongation of the center line of 25th Street and an east-west line which is the westerly prolongation of the center line of 29th Street from dawn to 8:00 a.m. from the day after Labor Day through June 15th.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person to bring, allow or permit any dog upon the beach or in any adjacent waters between an east-west line perpendicular to the northern end of the Powerhouse Park property and an east-west line which is the westerly prolongation of the center line of 29th Street during the period of June 15th through Labor Day, except as stated in Subsection B. Every owner of a dog shall prevent his dog from being in the area prohibited by this Subsection, whether on a leash or running at large or otherwise, except as stated in Subsection B.

D. It shall be unlawful for any person to bring, allow or permit any animal upon the Tot Lot playground or southern turf (grass) portion of Powerhouse Park. Animals are permitted on all walkways and sidewalks but must be restrained by a leash not in excess of six feet and must be restrained so that the animal does not enter the prohibited areas. The prohibited area shall be posted with signage indicating the animal free zone(s).

1. For the purpose of this Subsection, the Tot Lot playground also includes the landscape surrounding the play equipment including but not limited to: play sand or dirt, sand boxes, grass, brush, plants, trees, benches, tables, fences, ropes barriers, and concrete hardscape.

Any person that allows an animal to excessively bark, harass, create a nuisance, or injure a person within the areas covered in this Section, even if the animal is restrained by a leash, shall be in violation of this Section.

(Ord. No. 684; Ord. No. 787; Ord. No. 883; Ord. No. 940, § 1, 9-4-2018)

A. It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having custody or control of an animal to flee the scene without immediately providing personal identification to the victim if they know, or had reason to know, that the animal bit another person or animal, injured another person or animal, or has caused property damage to another's property.

B. For the purpose of this Subsection, an animal bite is defined when the skin of a person or animal is broken, punctured, scratched, or bruised. Animal incidents include contact between an animal, including animals on a leash, and another animal and/or person when either party immediately brings to attention that the bite, injury, or property damage has occurred.

C. It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having custody or control of an animal involved in an incident to refuse to provide the following information to the victim, lifeguards, City staff, animal control, or law enforcement who are on-scene of an animal incident:

1. Identification indicating full name and date of birth.

2. Mailing address.

3. Phone number and email.

4. Name and license number of animal.

5. Animal vaccine information.

D. A charge under this Chapter may be prosecuted either as a misdemeanor or an infraction.

(Ord. No. 940, § 2, 9-4-2018)

A. Each violation of this of this Chapter constitutes a separate offense.

B. A charge under this Chapter may be prosecuted either as a misdemeanor or an infraction.

C. Any person, firm or corporation convicted of a misdemeanor for violating this Chapter may be punished by imprisonment in the County Jail for a period of time not exceeding six months or by a fine not exceeding $1,000.00 or both.

(Ord. No. 940, § 3, 9-4-2018)