Community facts, address checks, school districts and local rules for owners, each with its source.
Tierrasanta is a community inside the City of San Diego, about 11 square miles in size, in City Council District 7. Mission Trails Regional Park covers about half of the planning area, and most developed land is residential, built mainly from the 1970s through the 1990s. Before you make an offer, check the exact address for fire and flood zones, an airport influence area, the Mission Trails Design District overlay and assigned schools. Almost all of Tierrasanta is in San Diego Unified, and a small northeast edge is in two other districts.
General information only, not legal advice. See the note near the end of this page.
Karina Somenzari, REALTOR®, can go through these address checks with you before you write or accept an offer on a Tierrasanta home. She also works 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 community of the City of San Diego, not a separate city. The City places it in Council District 7. |
| Size | About 11 square miles, according to the City's planning page. |
| ZIP codes | Addresses are mostly in 92124 and 92123. ZIP boundaries do not match community boundaries. |
| History | Residential development began in 1960, after the federal government declared part of Camp Elliott surplus. Much of the land was then privately developed from the 1970s through the 1990s. The Tierrasanta Community Plan was adopted July 27, 1982. |
| Land and terrain | Mission Trails Regional Park covers about half of the planning area, and the San Diego River roughly forms the southern boundary. Canyons run through the community between the developed areas. The rugged section east of the park, called East Elliott, remains undeveloped. |
| Land use | The vast majority of developed land is residential, with several small commercial centers and light industrial land near Interstate 15 and State Route 52. |
| Coastal zone | Tierrasanta is inland. You can confirm any address on the Coastal Commission map. |
| Special taxes | No Mello-Roos district for Tierrasanta on the County's FY 2025-2026 list. |
The City's plan describes Tierrasanta as mostly residential, and most homes were built from the 1970s through the 1990s. Keep that era in mind when you walk a house, and read the inspection report closely.
The City does not publish a count of houses, condos or townhomes for Tierrasanta, and this page does not guess at one. Whether a home belongs to a homeowners association (HOA) is a question for each address. Ask early, because the documents decide a lot about monthly cost and rules.
Each check depends on the exact address. Several arrive with the seller's disclosures, but 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.
CAL FIRE's 2025 map places much of Tierrasanta in the Very High fire hazard severity zone, with High, Moderate and non-wildland areas also mapped. Look up the address on the City of San Diego fire zone map, and ask your insurance agent early, before your contingencies end.
A small part of Tierrasanta is in a FEMA flood zone. Check the address on FEMA's Flood Map Service Center. If a home is in a mapped zone, ask what that means for insurance.
Much of Tierrasanta lies in the airport influence area of Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, MCAS Miramar, or both. An influence area is a planning boundary, not a flight path or a noise map. When a home in an influence area is sold, the seller's Natural Hazard Disclosure report includes a "Notice of Airport in Vicinity" under California Civil Code 1103.4. The airport land use compatibility plans explains the airport plans.
A Mission Trails Design District overlay applies to land along the edge of Mission Trails Regional Park. It adds design rules for development on those properties. Whether it affects a given home or a planned remodel depends on the address and the project, so check the City's map and Table 132-12A of the municipal code before you plan an addition.
If you buy a resale home in an HOA, California Civil Code 4525 lists what the owner must give you before closing, including the governing documents, the budget, current assessments and any rental limits. Even without Mello-Roos, a home can carry other special taxes or assessments. Read the preliminary title report and the property tax bill, which lists each charge and the agency behind it.
Almost all of Tierrasanta is in San Diego Unified. A small northeast edge falls in the Santee School District for elementary grades and the Grossmont Union High School District for high school. School assignment depends on the exact address, and district lines do not follow community lines. Check the address with each district's tool, then confirm with the district:
This page does not rate or compare schools.
Because Tierrasanta is in the City of San Diego, City rules apply to anyone who plans to rent out a home or add to it. They change, so check the links below before you rely on them.
The City's short-term residential occupancy ordinance requires a license for rentals of less than one month. A license does not transfer from one host or property to another, the number of licenses is capped, and licenses expire two years after issue. The City's code does not allow ADUs to be used as short-term rentals. See the City Treasurer STRO page for current rules.
The City allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) under its ADU program. In general, a single-dwelling-unit zone allows one primary home plus an ADU, and the owner does not have to live on site. An ADU of 1,200 square feet or less qualifies under the program's basic size test, and an ADU may not be leased for fewer than 31 consecutive days. The municipal code was amended again effective July 15, 2026, so read Information Bulletin 400 and the code.
The City has its own just-cause and relocation rules on top of California's tenant law, in San Diego Municipal Code sections 98.0701 through 98.0709. If you are buying a home to rent, read the City tenant protections guide first. The City also charges a Rental Unit Business Tax to owners who rent residential property.
The City of San Diego has its own real property transfer tax ordinance alongside the County's. See the ordinance and ask the escrow officer for the exact charge on your sale or purchase.
Interstate 15 and State Route 52 meet near the community, and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard is a main road in. MTS bus routes 25 and 928 serve Tierrasanta and connect to Fashion Valley Transit Center and Kearny Mesa Transit Center. No trolley station is inside the community; the nearest ones are outside it. Check the MTS trip planner for a specific trip, and confirm current routes at sdmts.com.
Mission Trails Regional Park spans over 8,000 acres about eight miles northeast of downtown San Diego. The City's park page lists about 60 miles of trails, boating on Murray Reservoir, camping at Kumeyaay Lake and a visitor center, and the park is home to the historic site of the Old Mission Dam. The Tierrasanta Library is at 4985 La Cuenta Dr., and the Tierrasanta Recreation Center is at 11220 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. The Tierrasanta Community Council and Planning Group meets at the recreation center; see the City's Tierrasanta page for current details.
If you own in Tierrasanta, several of the checks above are part of your disclosure package: the Natural Hazard Disclosure report (which includes the airport notice where it applies) and HOA documents if you have an HOA. They go along with the other forms California requires, so this isn't a complete list. 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. For a Tierrasanta purchase, she can pull the fire, flood and airport checks, the school-district lookups and any HOA documents together before you decide. For a sale, she can help you line up the disclosure package. She speaks English and Portuguese; contracts and escrow documents are in English.
To start, tell her about your plans, call 619-369-4598 or, if you're selling, ask what your Tierrasanta home is worth. If you'd rather talk in Portuguese, read about working with a Portuguese-speaking real estate agent.
No. Tierrasanta is a community of the City of San Diego, not a separate city. The City treats it as a planning area of about 11 square miles and places it in City Council District 7. Because it is in the City of San Diego, City rules on short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units, tenant protections and transfer tax apply to homes there.
Tierrasanta addresses are mostly in ZIP codes 92124 and 92123. ZIP boundaries do not match community boundaries, so a ZIP code alone does not tell you whether an address is in Tierrasanta. Ask for the full street address and check it with the City.
Almost all of Tierrasanta is in San Diego Unified. A small northeast edge falls in the Santee School District and the Grossmont Union High School District. Districts assign students by address, so check the exact address with each district's locator, then confirm with the district.
The County Auditor's FY 2025-2026 list of Mello-Roos districts shows none for Tierrasanta. A property can still carry a special tax or assessment, so read the preliminary title report and the property tax bill for the specific home.
No. MTS bus routes 25 and 928 serve Tierrasanta, but no trolley station is inside the community. The nearest trolley stations are outside it, so use the MTS trip planner for a specific trip. Confirm current routes at sdmts.com.
Use the City of San Diego's fire zone map and the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the exact address. CAL FIRE's 2025 map places much of Tierrasanta in the Very High fire hazard severity zone, and a small part of the community is in a FEMA flood zone. The seller's Natural Hazard Disclosure report also states the zones, and the free property report on this site pre-checks fire, flood and fault zones for any San Diego County address.
Checked October 20, 2026.
Karina offers a free, no-pressure conversation in English or Portuguese, whether you're buying or selling in Tierrasanta (contracts and escrow documents are in English). Bring an address, and she'll go over these checks with you.