Local rules, address checks, school districts and getting around, each with its source.
Del Mar Heights is a coastal mesa neighborhood in the City of San Diego, west of Interstate 5, even though its mailing address says Del Mar and its ZIP code is 92014. Buying or selling here comes down to a few address checks: a 30-foot coastal height limit, the Coastal Overlay Zone for permits, a Very High fire hazard zone on most of the mesa, and Del Mar Union and San Dieguito school districts instead of San Diego Unified.
General information only, not legal advice. See the note near the end of this page.
Karina Somenzari, REALTOR®, works with buyers and sellers in Del Mar Heights and across San Diego County's cities and communities, in English or Portuguese; contracts and escrow documents are in English.
| Topic | What the official record shows |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | A neighborhood of the City of San Diego. It is not part of the separate City of Del Mar, and the Census has no place of its own for it. The City places it in City Council District 1. |
| ZIP code | 92014. The post office name for that ZIP is Del Mar, so many addresses read "Del Mar, CA" even though the home is in the City of San Diego. |
| Community plan | Del Mar Heights is the residential part of the Torrey Pines planning area. The City lists the Torrey Pines Community Plan as adopted on March 6, 1975, and the plan document on the City's site is an October 2014 posting. The City Council adopted a comprehensive update on January 10, 1995, and the Coastal Commission certified it in 1996. The City describes the planning area as about 2,600 acres. See the City's plan page. |
| Boundaries | There is no official boundary for "Del Mar Heights." In plain words, it is the mesa between Interstate 5 and the City of Del Mar, with the San Dieguito Lagoon to the north and Carmel Valley Road to the south. Across the freeway to the east is the Carmel Valley plan area, which is a different neighborhood. |
| History | The City's plan says the area was annexed in 1958 and that a 760-lot subdivision called Del Mar Heights was recorded in 1887. |
The City's plan describes a low-density area of single-family detached homes on lots of about 5,000 to 6,000 square feet, plus single-family attached homes and a few condominium and apartment projects. The Del Mar Heights Fire Safe Council's 2026 wildfire plan says the area has 2,602 homes and that the median home was built in 1974. Those are the council's own figures, not City statistics. Each check below depends on the exact address. Karina's free property report can screen a specific address for several of these zones.
Del Mar Heights is west of Interstate 5, so it sits inside the City's Coastal Height Limitation Overlay Zone. The Municipal Code says no building or addition can go higher than 30 feet there. San Diego voters approved this limit in 1972. Homes east of the freeway, in Carmel Valley, are outside it. If you want to add a second story, ask the City how the limit applies to your lot.
The whole neighborhood is inside the City's Coastal Overlay Zone. A Coastal Development Permit can apply to additions and many other projects, and it is separate from the height limit. Ask the City early whether a coastal permit applies to a remodel or addition. See the City's Coastal Overlay Zone map shows the zone.
Most of Del Mar Heights is in CAL FIRE's Very High fire hazard severity zone on the 2025 maps. The City adopted its own map in Ordinance O-21992, effective August 30, 2025; the City can only add to or raise the State's levels. Check the address on the City's fire zone map. The City's code requires brush management on premises within 100 feet of a structure that have native or naturalized vegetation. The Fire Safe Council's plan names Del Mar Heights Road and Carmel Valley Road to the freeway as the primary evacuation routes. When a home is in a mapped zone, the seller's Natural Hazard Disclosure report says so.
Almost all of the mesa is in FEMA's minimal flood hazard zone, but low-lying edges near the San Dieguito Lagoon and canyon bottoms can be in flood zones. Look up the parcel in FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. Federally regulated lenders generally can't make a loan on a building in a Special Flood Hazard Area unless it carries flood insurance.
Steep canyon edges and habitat areas can bring extra City review for additions. The City also reviews a home for historical significance before a construction permit if the home is 45 years old or older, which can reach many remodels in an area where the Fire Safe Council puts the median home's build year at 1974.
Del Mar Heights is not in MCAS Miramar's mapped review areas on the City's layer, but that layer omits some airports' influence areas, so it doesn't settle the question. The Airport Land Use Commission publishes the maps on the Airport Authority's land use page.
The area includes condominium and townhouse communities. If you're buying in an HOA, California Civil Code 4525 lists what the seller must give you, including the governing documents and a written statement of current assessments. Ask for them early.
The City of San Diego itself runs no Mello-Roos district in this neighborhood. School districts can, though. Del Mar Union and San Dieguito Union High each have special tax districts, and public records don't tie them to particular Del Mar Heights homes. Look up the address on Del Mar Union's CFD tool and the County's special assessments site, and read the tax bill.
Census school district maps show Del Mar Union School District for elementary grades and San Dieguito Union High School District for grades 7 to 12 across the residential mesa. San Diego Unified does not serve it. The south end of the planning area, near Del Mar Terrace and Sorrento Valley, is different, and Del Mar Union has option areas, so confirm any address. This page doesn't rate or rank schools, and it doesn't say which school any home goes to.
| District | Address lookup |
|---|---|
| Del Mar Union School District (elementary) | School boundaries and option areas, with a school locator. District office: 858-755-9301 |
| San Dieguito Union High School District (grades 7 to 12) | Boundaries map. The district says to contact the school directly to confirm attendance boundaries. |
Because Del Mar Heights is in the City of San Diego, the City's rules on short-term rentals, ADUs, tenant protections and the Rental Unit Business Tax apply here, and the City of Del Mar's rules do not. They are the same across the City, so the Carmel Valley guide covers them in full. Two points are specific to this neighborhood.
The City requires a building permit for any ADU or junior ADU, and one can't be rented for fewer than 31 consecutive days. Because every Del Mar Heights lot is in the Coastal Overlay Zone, a Coastal Development Permit is also required for ADUs that are not completely inside the existing home. Some newer City ADU rules don't take effect in the coastal zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies them. Read the City's Information Bulletin 400, and see our ADU pricing page.
A stay of less than one month needs a City Short-Term Residential Occupancy license, and operating without one has been unlawful since May 1, 2023. Licenses don't transfer to a new owner. HOAs may also ban short rentals, and the City license may not be the only requirement in the coastal zone. Start with the City's STRO page.
Interstate 5 runs along the east side of the mesa. Inside the neighborhood, the City's plan names Del Mar Heights Road as a four-lane major street, and Carmel Valley Road forms the southern edge. Camino Del Mar runs along the west side toward the City of Del Mar. The City's plan sets aside a shopping center site at Interstate 5 and Del Mar Heights Road.
We found no MTS bus or trolley stop on the mesa in MTS's stop data generated October 27, 2026, and we couldn't confirm any NCTD stop there either. Service changes, so check the MTS and NCTD trip planners for any address.
Crest Canyon Open Space Park is 134 acres of open space plus ten acres set aside as a neighborhood park, according to the City's plan. It runs north from Del Mar Heights Road to the San Dieguito Valley, and the City publishes a Crest Canyon trail map. To the north is the 110-acre San Dieguito Lagoon Ecological Reserve, part of the San Dieguito River Park, which stretches inland to Volcan Mountain. To the south are Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and Torrey Pines State Beach. State Parks closed the main Reserve to visitors on September 22, 2026 for a utility and accessibility project and plans to reopen it in March 2027; the beach and its parking lots stay open. Check State Parks for current closures.
If you own here, several checks above become part of your disclosure package: the Natural Hazard Disclosure report and any HOA documents. Buyers will also ask about the coastal height limit, coastal permits and any past additions. The selling a house in San Diego guide has the full disclosure list, costs and timing. To see what your home may be worth, request a home value from Karina.
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 Del Mar Heights and across San Diego County. She works in English or Portuguese, and contracts and escrow documents are in English.
To start, tell her about your plans or call 619-369-4598. If you'd rather talk in Portuguese, read about working with a Portuguese-speaking real estate agent.
No. Del Mar Heights is a neighborhood of the City of San Diego. Its mail uses the post office name Del Mar and ZIP code 92014, which is why people confuse it with the separate City of Del Mar next door. The City places it in City Council District 1.
Census school district maps show Del Mar Union School District for elementary grades and San Dieguito Union High School District for grades 7 to 12 across the residential mesa. San Diego Unified does not cover it. Confirm an address with each district's lookup tool. This page doesn't rate or rank schools.
Del Mar Heights is west of Interstate 5, inside the City's Coastal Height Limitation Overlay Zone. The San Diego Municipal Code says no building or addition can be taller than 30 feet there. Voters approved the limit in 1972.
Most of it is. On CAL FIRE's 2025 maps, most of the mesa is in the Very High fire hazard severity zone, and the Del Mar Heights Fire Safe Council's 2026 wildfire plan says the community falls within that zone. Check the exact address on the State and City maps.
Possibly. The whole neighborhood is inside the City's Coastal Overlay Zone. A Coastal Development Permit can apply to additions, and the City says one is required for ADUs and junior ADUs that are not completely inside the existing home. Some newer City ADU rules are not yet in effect in the coastal zone, so ask the City about your lot.
Public records don't tie any Mello-Roos district to a Del Mar Heights address. School districts run special tax districts that cover parts of this area, and only an address lookup can say whether a home carries one. Search the address on Del Mar Union's district tool and the County's special assessments site, then read the tax bill.
Karina offers a free, no-pressure conversation in English or Portuguese, whether you're buying or selling in Del Mar Heights (contracts and escrow documents are in English). Bring an address, and she'll go over these checks with you.