{"id":361391,"date":"2026-06-15T13:59:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/361391\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T13:59:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T13:59:15","slug":"californias-new-law-for-del-mar-beachgoers-comes-with-up-to-1000-fines-for-breaking-this-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/361391\/","title":{"rendered":"California’s New Law For Del Mar Beachgoers Comes With Up To $1,000 Fines For Breaking This Rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some beach rules make perfect sense. You know, like don’t litter\u00a0on the oceanfront (or anywhere, for that matter). Don’t disrupt\u00a0wildlife. Don’t\u00a0blast music on your portable speaker. Don’t bring your pups onto the sand. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit controversial. But in Del Mar, a coastal\u00a0Southern California city\u00a0just outside of San Diego, local lawmakers have taken things up a notch.\u00a0Del Mar’s City Council unanimously approved an ordinance in February 2026 banning the digging of holes<\/a> deeper than 2 feet, along with several other beach restrictions.<\/p>\n

The new law took effect on March 25, 2026.\u00a0City officials said in a statement\u00a0that the ban is\u00a0aimed at reducing safety hazards and preventing accidents on the shoreline, noting that “large holes can create trip-and-fall risks, hinder access of emergency vehicles and equipment, and cause injury or suffocation.” Anyone who breaks the rule\u00a0\u2014 including parents or guardians of minors who do the digging \u2014 could face hefty fines, which increase with each violation. Violators can be fined\u00a0up to $100 for the first offense,\u00a0$200 for the second offense,\u00a0$500 for the third, and\u00a0up to $1,000\u00a0for each additional infraction.<\/p>\n

Needless to say, the new ordinance has drawn mixed reactions from locals and visitors alike. “Wouldn’t have to pass such laws if people would fill in their holes,” one person commented on a Facebook<\/a> post. “Wish they were that concerned about the holes in the streets for our cars,” another countered.\u00a0A third person wrote that they understood the safety concerns and had previously tripped over holes dug in the sand. “But people should be allowed to dig a hole at the beach and have fun,” they said.<\/p>\n

Read more: Think Twice Before Swimming In These Dangerous US Lakes<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s what else Del Mar’s new ordinance prohibits at the beach\"Child<\/p>\n

Child digging a hole on the beach – Cavan-Images\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Del Mar’s luxury resort-lined pristine beaches<\/a> welcome more than 2 million<\/a> visitors each year. Those flocking in to enjoy the sands should be aware that the new ordinance goes beyond banning what the city described<\/a> as “hazardous holes” on the public beach.\u00a0For starters, any holes dug must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult and filled before leaving the beach, regardless of size.<\/p>\n

Beachgoers are also prohibited from burying anyone in the sand “in a manner that may endanger the person’s health or safety, pose a danger to other beach users, public safety personnel, or public safety equipment,” according to the ordinance<\/a>. Carving out a hole to bury waste or other discarded items is also prohibited, with any violations subject to the aforementioned fines. Before heading out to the beach, be sure to read up on Del\u00a0Mar’s other rules<\/a>, which include restrictions on open fires or fire rings, charcoal barbecues, tent canopies, and bringing alcohol during the peak season, which spans from March 1 until the day after Labor Day.<\/p>\n

Similar bans on digging\u00a0beyond 2 feet along public shorelines have been passed at some of Southern California’s other best beaches<\/a>, including Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach, which also require beachgoers to fill any holes before leaving them unattended.\u00a0Newport Beach, a dazzling coastal escape with iconic surfing<\/a>, likewise restricts digging in the sand deeper than waist level.<\/p>\n

Ready to discover more hidden gems and expert travel tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter<\/a> and add us as a preferred search source<\/a> for access to the world’s best-kept travel secrets.<\/p>\n

Read the original article on Islands<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some beach rules make perfect sense. You know, like don’t litter\u00a0on the oceanfront (or anywhere, for that matter).…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":361392,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8,8504,146981,1009],"class_list":["post-361391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news","tag-del-mar","tag-digging-a-hole","tag-southern-california"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=361391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/361391\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/361392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=361391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=361391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=361391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}