City facts, housing, address checks, school districts and local rules, each with its source.
Imperial Beach is its own city in San Diego County's South Bay, incorporated in 1956 and using ZIP code 91932. It covers 4.5 square miles, had 26,137 residents at the 2020 Census and has 3.5 miles of beach. Before you make an offer, check the exact address for the Coastal Zone (about 87 percent of the city), the airport influence area of the Navy's landing field, FEMA flood zones and fire hazard zones. Schools are assigned by address in two districts.
General information only, not legal advice. See the note near the end of this page.
Karina Somenzari, REALTOR®, helps buyers and sellers with homes in Imperial Beach and the rest of San Diego County, in English or Portuguese. Contracts and escrow documents are in English.
| Topic | What the official record shows |
|---|---|
| City status | Incorporated July 18, 1956, as a General Law City, with a council and manager form of government. The mayor is elected at large and council members by district; district elections began in 2020. It is one of San Diego County's 18 incorporated cities. |
| Size | 4.5 square miles. The city's housing element calls it almost entirely built out, with a few vacant parcels. It has 3.5 miles of beach. |
| Population | 26,137 at the 2020 Census. |
| ZIP code | Imperial Beach uses ZIP code 91932. City Hall is at 825 Imperial Beach Blvd, Imperial Beach, CA 91932. |
| Police and fire | The city contracts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement. Fire service is a city function. |
The city's 2021-2029 housing element counted 10,146 housing units in 2020. About 58 percent were attached units, such as duplexes, triplexes, apartments and townhomes, and detached single-family homes were 40 percent. The housing element describes the city as almost entirely built out, with a few vacant parcels.
Each check below depends on the exact address. A free property report pre-checks fire, flood and fault zones for any San Diego County address.
The housing element says 87 percent of Imperial Beach lies in the Coastal Zone, and the Coastal Act requires the city to have a Local Coastal Program certified by the state Coastal Commission. In practice, a coastal permit can apply to projects such as a new ADU or a garage-to-junior-ADU conversion. The city's parcel viewer has a Coastal Zone Jurisdiction layer that shows which agency handles a parcel.
Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach is inside the city. The Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the field, adopted October 15, 2015, names Imperial Beach as one of the local agencies it applies to. The plan defines an Airport Influence Area where real estate disclosure is required, and it says sellers and their agents must disclose to buyers of residential property inside it. Ask for the disclosure early and read the plan for the address.
Parts of the city are in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas. Search the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center, and ask your lender and insurance agent what a zone means for that home. The city's 2016 Sea Level Rise Assessment is a modeled scenario, not a flood map. It estimated that with 6.5 feet of sea level rise, about 30 percent of all parcels could be exposed to coastal hazards.
CAL FIRE's Local Responsibility Area map dated March 24, 2025 is the one in use for the city. It shows 84 acres of Very High, 62 acres of High and 67 acres of Moderate fire hazard severity inside Imperial Beach, a small share of the city. Look up the address on the City of Imperial Beach fire hazard page and CAL FIRE map viewer.
If you're buying a resale condo, townhome or other home in an HOA, California Civil Code 4525 requires the owner to give you the governing documents and a statement of assessments and fees before closing. Ask for them early and read them before your contingencies end. Don't assume a given home has an HOA or doesn't.
The County Auditor's FY 2025-2026 list of active Mello-Roos districts shows no city-levied district for Imperial Beach. The list does include Sweetwater High CFD entries under schools, and no source we found says which homes they cover. Check the property tax bill and the title report for any special tax on a specific home.
Sewage flows in the Tijuana River have affected Imperial Beach's beach. The city's FAQ, revised June 26, 2026, said the beach was closed because flows in the river remained exceptionally high. That is a snapshot, not today's status. Before you rely on the beach for a home you're considering, read the city's Tijuana River page and check the County's beach water quality page.
Public school boundaries in Imperial Beach fall in South Bay Union School District, the elementary district, and Sweetwater Union High School District. Each district assigns schools by address, so don't assume from the city name.
This page doesn't rate or rank schools. Confirm each assignment with the district before you make an offer.
The municipal code defines a short-term rental as renting residential property for fewer than 30 consecutive calendar days. The land use table for the commercial and mixed-use zones C/MU-1, C/MU-2 and C/MU-3 lists it as expressly permitted. The city's guide for new businesses says short-term rentals are not permitted in residential zones and are allowed only in commercial and mixed-use zones, with HOA approval where one applies. Operators owe a 14 percent transient occupancy tax and need an active business license.
The city adopted ordinances in January 2026 that amend several of these zoning chapters. Confirm the current rules with Community Development before you count on short-term rental income.
The city has pre-approved a set of ADU plans. Its ADU page lists detached new-construction ADUs of up to 1,200 square feet, attached ADUs of 50 percent of the main home or up to 800 square feet, junior ADUs of up to 500 square feet, and 4-foot rear and side setbacks. In the Coastal Zone, which covers most of the city, the handout says new ADUs and garage-to-junior-ADU conversions need a coastal permit; the parcel viewer shows whether an address is in it. The city's handout lists a $1,000 developer fee and a 30-day review time, and says more fees may be due. Fees change, so check the city's page.
Owners who rent homes need a city business license. The city's just cause ordinance (Chapter 9.90 of the municipal code, adopted February 19, 2025) says that after a tenant has lived in a unit for 12 months, the owner can't end the tenancy without just cause. The chapter has exemptions, including owner-occupied single-family homes where the owner rents no more than two units or bedrooms, and it repeals itself on January 1, 2030 unless the council extends it. State law, including Civil Code 1946.2, also applies. Read the chapter before you end a tenancy.
MTS bus routes 933 and 934 run between Iris Avenue Transit Center and Imperial Beach, via Imperial Beach Boulevard or Palm Avenue, with stops that include the Imperial Beach Pier. Trolley connections are at Iris Avenue and Palm Avenue on the UC San Diego Blue Line. MTS Rapid 227, an electric route, connects Otay Mesa, Nestor and Imperial Beach to the Blue Line at Iris Avenue Transit Center. Timetables change, so check MTS for current routes.
The Imperial Beach Pier is off Evergreen Avenue and is open for public walking and fishing. The city's other parks include Dunes Park (790 Seacoast Drive), Veterans Park (1075 8th Street) and Circles Park (975 Iris Avenue). The Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center is at 301 Caspian Way. Border Field State Park, at 1500 Monument Road, lies partly in Imperial Beach and partly in the City of San Diego.
If you own here, several checks above become part of your disclosure package: the Natural Hazard Disclosure report, the airport influence area notice, any HOA documents and the fire zone information. This isn't a complete list. San Diego County charges a documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value, which is $1.10 per $1,000. See selling a house in San Diego for the disclosure list, costs and timing, or request a free home value estimate.
Karina is licensed in California (DRE# 02248263) with eXp Realty of California, Inc. Many Imperial Beach questions come down to the address: coastal permit area, airport influence area, flood and fire zones. She can walk through those checks with you before you write an offer or list a home, and she works in English or Portuguese.
To start, tell her about your plans, call 619-369-4598 or, if you're selling, ask what your Imperial Beach home is worth. If you'd rather talk in Portuguese, read about working with a Portuguese-speaking real estate agent.
Imperial Beach is its own city in San Diego County, separate from the City of San Diego. It was incorporated on July 18, 1956, is a General Law City and has a council and manager form of government. The mayor is elected at large, and council members are elected by district. The city covers 4.5 square miles and had 26,137 residents at the 2020 Census.
Most of it is. The city's housing element says 87 percent of Imperial Beach lies within the Coastal Zone, and the city has a Local Coastal Program certified by the California Coastal Commission. A coastal permit may be needed for projects such as a new ADU. The city's parcel viewer has a Coastal Zone Jurisdiction layer, so you can check an address before you plan any work.
Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach is inside the city, and the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan adopted on October 15, 2015 covers Imperial Beach. State law requires sellers and their agents to tell buyers when a home is inside an airport influence area. Ask for that disclosure early, and read the plan's maps and policies for the address.
The County Auditor's FY 2025-2026 list of active Mello-Roos districts shows no city-levied district for Imperial Beach. The list does include Sweetwater High CFD entries under schools, and no source we found maps them to individual homes. Check the property tax bill and the title report for any special tax on the specific home.
Public school boundaries in the city fall in South Bay Union School District, the elementary district, and Sweetwater Union High School District. Both assign schools by address. South Bay Union publishes boundary maps, and Sweetwater has an online school locator. Confirm with the school before you rely on an assignment.
The city's guide for new businesses says short-term rentals are not permitted in residential zones and are allowed only in commercial and mixed-use zones, with HOA approval where one applies. The city adopted ordinances in January 2026 that amend those zoning rules, so confirm the current rules with Community Development before you count on rental income. Rentals under 30 days also owe the city's 14 percent transient occupancy tax.
Karina offers a free, no-pressure conversation in English or Portuguese, whether you're buying or selling in Imperial Beach (contracts and escrow documents are in English). Bring an address, and she'll go over these checks with you.