If you’re walking a dog in the City of San Diego, it’s important to be in the right place at the right time. Because if the clock isn’t in your favor, it could cost you $150. That may be a surprise to many, who see America’s Finest City as one of the most dog-friendly in the nation.
Since the 1970s, the city’s municipal code 63.20.12(a) mandated that:
“...it is unlawful for any person owning or having charge, care, custody, or control of any dog, whether leashed or unleashed, to be upon any public beach, any public park adjacent to a public beach, or any sidewalk adjacent to any public beach between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. from April 1 through October 31, and between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. from November 1 through March 31.”
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The law is printed clearly on signs along boardwalks in Mission Beach and Ocean Beach, in most areas of Mission Bay Park, and many more places. Despite that, NBC 7 Investigates spoke with several people walking dogs within that window or enjoying the beach who told us they weren’t aware of the law and disagreed with its existence.
“That’s crazy because they’ve always been welcome here my whole life,” Stephanie Sass told us, while out walking a friend’s dog in the middle of the afternoon along Sail Bay (at a time when dogs are banned on the trail and beach). “I’m a native here and it’s crazy. It’s the beach!”
“That was actually something that made it really fun and like warming and, I guess, outgoing for San Diego,” Dustin Campbell said. “Taking away the dogs from down here just basically takes away from that atmosphere that originally had brought everyone down here.”
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In a statement, the city’s Parks and Recreation Department said, “dog hours are in place to ensure that dog owners have sufficient time to bring their dogs to the beach or nearby parks and recreation, while balancing the comfort and safety of these environments for other users.”
But anyone who’s taken a stroll in these spots between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. would likely notice many dog walkers don’t seem to be deterred by the law.
“I don’t think anyone is taking it too seriously,” Sass said.
Other locals, like Jeff Purchin, are pushing for change.
“It’s a ridiculous law,” Purchin told us. “It's stupid. Sorry. It is.”
Purchin created an online petition to repeal the law, and allow leashed dogs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So far, his petition has more than two thousand signees.
“I’m not gonna stop. I’m not gonna stop. I’m gonna keep going.”
Purchin says he’s never been ticketed himself, but NBC 7 Investigates found hundreds of others have. From the beginning of 2018 through the end of October 2023, San Diego police officers, park rangers, and humane society officers handed out 543 tickets for having a dog at the right place at the wrong time.
The Mission Beach boardwalk was the hottest spot for tickets, followed by Mission Bay trail, the Pacific Beach boardwalk, and Ocean Beach. Tickets aren’t cheap. If the officer writes the citation up as a misdemeanor, dog walkers are on the hook for $150.
“People are afraid to walk their dogs out here because of the potential of getting that expensive ticket,” Purchin said. “That’s not right.”
Purchin says ticket numbers don’t tell the whole story. He says rangers intimidate dog owners, pushing them out of parks and beaches almost daily.
“It’s a waste of our taxpayer dollars,” Purchin said. “It really is. They have other things to do.”
NBC 7 Investigates noticed something interesting when breaking down the data by year. It appears the city all but stopped ticketing the last three years.
The bulk of these dog ban tickets were issued by San Diego Police. We asked them why officers drastically cut back on ticketing three years ago. We were told there’s no way to actually find out how many tickets are being issued, because officers can also write up violations under a different municipal code for not obeying signage rules. That umbrella law includes alcohol, smoking, littering, glass containers, fires, camping, and dogs. Nearly 6,700 tickets have been handed out since 2018.
SDPD says there’s been no policy change for enforcing the dog walking ban.
Purchin says his efforts to change the law haven’t been easy.
“I’m still far away,” Purchin told us. “I feel there’s a brick wall right in front of me.”
NBC 7 Investigates requested interviews with city officials and lawmakers on-camera about the law. The San Diego Humane Society declined our request for an interview, but sent us a statement that said, in part, "San Diego Humane Society is contracted by 13 cities in San Diego County to provide animal services, including enforcement of their written animal-related laws. We do not write the laws or set the fine amounts."
And even though we asked them about the dog ban, the statement addressed leash laws, "Leash laws are in place for the safety of both animals and people. Due to the high volume of dog ownership, San Diego Humane Society’s Humane Law Enforcement responds to citizen complaints for off-leash violations. San Diego Humane Society’s officers only cite people who are not following the law. To avoid a citation, residents should utilize designated off-leash parks in the city. For a list of those locations in the City of San Diego, please visit sdhumane.org/dogparks."
Interviews were also declined by the Parks & Rec Department and Councilmember Jennifer Campbell, whose district covers some of the highest ticketed areas.
“I think that sends a terrible message to the public,” Councilmember Joe LaCava told us. “The assumption is you’re hiding. You’re scared to talk.”
LaCava‘s district also encompasses some heavily- ticketed areas. He was the only city official willing to talk on-camera about the law, and disappointed that was the case.
“I want to make sure people know that they do have a path in changing something they don’t like, or fighting to make sure something they do like is kept in place,” LaCava said.
His office has met with Purchin several times, and he has encouraged Purchin to get in front of the Mission Beach and Pacific Beach planning groups, Pacific Beach Town Council and recreation group.
Not everyone wants to see leashed dogs allowed at all hours. LaCava said as Purchin’s online petition has gained popularity, he’s heard from constituents who like the way things are currently. Though, he admits the number of people who expressed they want the dog ban to stay has been small.
Should Purchin gain enough support from neighborhood groups, and a greenlight from Parks and Rec, LaCava said repealing the dog ban is something that could happen within the next two years.
While the removal of the ban won’t happen overnight, some changes could. LaCava says the city council could consider whether to allow dogs on beaches and boardwalks after 4:00 pm year-round, instead of extending ban hours to 6:00 pm during warmer months. He anticipates that will be up for discussion as early as January or February.
“Represent the people that voted for you,” Purchin said, referring to the city officials and leaders who, unlike LaCava, haven’t responded to his requests to meet. “Change this law. And change it soon.”
