City facts, address checks, schools, local rules and transit, each with its source.
Chula Vista is an incorporated city in San Diego County, on San Diego Bay, with its own city government and Police Department. It had 275,487 residents at the 2020 Census, the second most of any county city after the City of San Diego. Its main ZIP codes are 91910, 91911, 91913, 91914 and 91915. Before you make an offer, check the exact address for HOA documents, Mello-Roos and other special taxes, fire, flood and coastal zones, airport influence areas, and assigned schools in two districts.
General information only, not legal advice. See the note near the end of this page.
Want a Chula Vista real estate agent to look at a specific home with you? Karina Somenzari, REALTOR®, works with buyers and sellers in Chula Vista and across San Diego County, in English or Portuguese; contracts and escrow documents are in English.
| Topic | What the official record shows |
|---|---|
| City status | Voters approved incorporation on October 17, 1911. Chula Vista is a charter city with a council-manager government and its own Police Department. The City Council is the Mayor plus four councilmembers, elected by geographic district since the 2016 election. |
| Population | 275,487 at the 2020 Census, the second-largest city in San Diego County after the City of San Diego. |
| ZIP codes | The main ZIP codes are 91910, 91911, 91913, 91914 and 91915. Small parts also overlap ZIP 91902 and 92154. Census ZIP areas are approximations, so use the USPS ZIP Code Lookup. |
| Setting | On San Diego Bay. The city's bay edge is the Chula Vista Bayfront, covered by a 535-acre Master Plan from the Port of San Diego and the City. |
| Planning | The City Council approved an updated General Plan on December 13, 2005, and the plan looks out to the year 2030. Its housing programs are guided by the 2021-2029 Housing Element. |
The MTS Blue Line trolley has three stops in Chula Vista: Bayfront / E Street (750 E St.), H Street (745 H St.) and Palomar Street (1265 Industrial Blvd.). The Blue Line runs between San Ysidro Transit Center and UTC Transit Center near UC San Diego, by way of downtown.
MTS Rapid 225 is a limited-stop bus from Otay Mesa Transit Center to downtown San Diego. MTS says it serves east Chula Vista via SR-125 and East Palomar Street. Drivers reach the bay refuge's Sweetwater Marsh Unit from I-5 at the E Street exit. Routes and times change, so check MTS first.
The zoning code (Chula Vista Municipal Code, Title 19) includes single-family, one- and two-family, apartment, mobile home park and planned community zones. The zone for a specific address is on the City's ZoneFinder map. The City also has a Mobilehome Permits page.
Each check depends on the exact address. You can look most of them up before you write an offer. A free property report pre-checks fire, flood and fault zones for any San Diego County address.
If you're buying a resale home in a homeowners association (HOA), California Civil Code 4525 requires the owner to give you the governing documents and other listed items as soon as practicable before the transfer of title or the signing of a real property sales contract. Request them early, so you can read them while you can still change your mind.
A Community Facilities District (CFD), commonly called Mello-Roos, adds a special tax to the property tax bill of each owner inside it. Many Chula Vista properties sit in one. In September 2025 the City said its Council approved a refinancing in four CFDs in eastern Chula Vista: CFD 07-I, CFD 12-I, CFD 13-I and CFD 2001-1 Improvement Area B.
The City also administers 36 Open Space Districts, and its Open Space page lists maintenance districts such as CFD 11M Rolling Hills Ranch and CFD 13M Otay Ranch Village 2. Never assume an address has no special tax. Read the current bill through the San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector and ask for the seller's notice under Civil Code 1102.6b, which covers Mello-Roos and certain other assessments.
The bayfront part of the city is in the California coastal zone. In the coastal zone, Public Resources Code 30600 requires a coastal development permit for development, in addition to any other permit required by law.
CAL FIRE's 2025 Local Responsibility Area map lists 8,939 acres of Very High fire hazard severity zone in Chula Vista, plus High and Moderate zones, all in the local responsibility area. No state responsibility area is listed for the city. Check an address with the State Fire Marshal's fire hazard severity zone lookup.
The seller's natural hazard disclosure report states the zones (Civil Code 1103.2). For a home in a High or Very High zone, Civil Code 1102.19 also has the seller give the buyer defensible-space compliance documentation, or sign an agreement that the buyer will get it.
Parts of Chula Vista are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas. Look up the address at the FEMA Flood Map Service Center. If a home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area and your mortgage comes from a federally regulated lender, flood insurance is required.
Parts of Chula Vista fall inside airport influence areas, including those of Brown Field Municipal Airport. Zones for NAS North Island and Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach also reach parts of the city. If a home is in one, the seller's hazard report includes a "Notice of Airport in Vicinity" (Civil Code 1103.4).
Chula Vista Elementary School District serves the lower grades and Sweetwater Union High School District serves the upper grades. Assignment depends on the exact address, so use each district's lookup. Small edges of the city may fall in other districts.
| District | Grades | Address lookup |
|---|---|---|
| Chula Vista Elementary School District | Lower grades | School boundary tool (district site: cvesd.org) |
| Sweetwater Union High School District | Upper grades | Find My School, on the enrollment page |
This page doesn't rate or rank schools.
These rules change, so confirm the current text before you buy a home to rent out or before you list one.
Chapter 5.68 of the Chula Vista Municipal Code (CVMC) is the Short-Term Rentals Ordinance. A short-term rental is a rental for less than 30 consecutive calendar days. A permit holder's Primary Residence must be in the City, and the City describes the limit as one primary residence plus one non-primary residence, a maximum of 2 per Chula Vista resident. Living there a minimum of 275 days a year makes a home a Primary Residence.
Some dwellings are not eligible, including an ADU or junior ADU with a construction permit applied for on January 1, 2020 or later, and deed-restricted affordable units. Applicants also need a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate; the City lists a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax for lodging operators. See the City's short-term rentals page.
CVMC Chapter 9.65, the Residential Tenant Protection Ordinance, requires just cause to end residential tenancies and sets greater tenant relocation assistance in specified circumstances. It has exemptions, such as an owner-occupied home that rents no more than two units or bedrooms. The chapter remains in effect until January 1, 2030, unless the City Council extends it.
Chula Vista has an ADU program with City standard plans: the City worked with SnapADU to provide 12 ADU plan options. The City says ADUs and JADUs may be subject to Development Impact Fees, and a JADU requires owner occupancy. Confirm current rules for an address with Development Services at DSD@chulavistaca.gov.
CVMC 3.28.020 sets a city real property transfer tax at $0.275 for each $500.00 or fractional part. That is one half of the county rate allowed by state law (Revenue and Taxation Code 11911), and the county tax is credited for any city tax, so the city amount isn't added on top. Ask your escrow officer for the total.
If you own in Chula Vista, several checks above are part of your disclosure package: the natural hazard report, fire zone steps, HOA documents and any Mello-Roos notice. They go along with other California forms, starting with the Transfer Disclosure Statement. See selling a house in San Diego for the disclosure list, costs and timing, or request a free home value estimate.
Karina Somenzari, REALTOR®, is a real estate agent licensed in California (DRE# 02248263) with eXp Realty of California, Inc. She represents buyers and sellers in Chula Vista and across San Diego County. You can work with her in English or Portuguese; contracts and escrow documents are in English.
To start, tell her about your plans or call 619-369-4598. To talk in Portuguese, read about working with a Portuguese-speaking real estate agent.
Chula Vista is its own city in San Diego County, separate from the City of San Diego. Voters approved incorporation on October 17, 1911, and the city has its own Police Department. At the 2020 Census it had 275,487 residents, the second most of any county city after the City of San Diego.
Public schools in Chula Vista are run by two districts: Chula Vista Elementary School District for the lower grades and Sweetwater Union High School District for the upper grades. Assignment depends on the exact address, so use each district's address lookup, then confirm with the district.
Some properties do. The City has formed Community Facilities Districts, including four in eastern Chula Vista that were refinanced in 2025, and it runs 36 Open Space Districts that charge for maintenance. Don't assume an address has no special tax. Check the property tax bill and the seller's Mello-Roos disclosure notice.
Yes. The MTS Blue Line stops at Bayfront / E Street, H Street and Palomar Street in Chula Vista. The Blue Line runs between San Ysidro Transit Center and UTC Transit Center, through downtown. MTS Rapid 225 also connects east Chula Vista to downtown San Diego by bus. Check MTS for current times.
Only with a City permit, and with limits. Chula Vista's short-term rental ordinance (CVMC Chapter 5.68) restricts permits to a resident's primary residence plus one non-primary residence, with a maximum of two per Chula Vista resident. A short-term rental is a stay of less than 30 consecutive calendar days. Read the chapter before you buy a home to rent short-term.
Use CAL FIRE's fire hazard severity zone lookup and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the exact address. The seller's Natural Hazard Disclosure report states the zones for that home, and it says whether the home is in an airport influence area. The free property report on this site pre-checks fire, flood and fault zones for any San Diego County address.
Karina offers a free, no-pressure conversation in English or Portuguese, whether you're buying or selling in Chula Vista (contracts and escrow documents are in English). Bring an address, and she'll go over these checks with you.