Beach Regulations

Beach Regulation Ordinances

12.60.005. Lifeguards - Authority

The City Manager may delegate authority for the enforcement of the provisions of this chapter to a lifeguard or police officer of the City. It is unlawful for any person, without lawful authority, to:

• Refuse to follow or comply with any lawful order, signal or lawful direction of a lifeguard or police officer of the City; or
• Deface, injure, tear down or remove any sign or warning placed for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of the chapter; or
• Deface, injure, destroy, tear down, break into, or climb or hang onto any lifeguard structure or building placed in the beach areas of the City.
• Willfully resist, delay or obstruct any lifeguard in the discharge or attempt to discharge any duty of his/her position.
• Block access to any lifeguard structure or building placed in the beach areas of the City.
• Cause a false rescue or call for help when it is not needed, or to cause a lifeguard to enter the water upon a false rescue, or to leave his/her tower or to have his/her attention drawn to a false alarm.
• Willfully use a mirror, glass, or any similar object to cause the sun to reflect thereon so as to interfere with the vision of any lifeguard. (Ordinance 2003-1005 Section 1, 2003)

9.04.010. Alcohol Consumption Prohibited

It is unlawful for any person to consume any spirituous, vinous, malt or other intoxicating liquors or possess an open container of alcoholic beverage, on any of the streets, sidewalks, alleys, municipal pier, public beach, parking lot, public parks, public playgrounds, public buildings, or public lavatories within the city.

12.60.010. Littering Prohibited

It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to leave, discard, deposit or throw any glass container, tin can, waste, food, dead terrestrial or marine animal, papers or other refuse or rubbish upon any beach area in the City.

12.60.40. Fires - Outside Rings Unlawful

It is unlawful for any person or persons to start, assist or attend any fire on the beach in the City unless such fire is contained in the fire ring provided by the City.

12.60.050. Warning Signs - Compliance Required

It is unlawful for any person to bathe, swim, surfboard ride, row, canoe, and/or operate any sailboat or power boat or other device on or upon water when warning signals have been placed, except for the purpose of making a rescue.

12.60.100. Animal Restrictions

Dogs are allowed in the beach area of the City if they are fastened or led by chains or leashes of suitable strength which are not more than six feet in length, and as long as the dogs are not in any beach area from Imperial Beach Boulevard to Palm Avenue.

12.60.110. Airplane, Vehicle, & Surfboat Restrictions

It is unlawful to bring or drive any motor-propelled or non-motor propelled vehicle, boat or airplane upon the beach area within the City.

12.60.120. Glass Containers Prohibited

It is unlawful for any person to have, possess or use any cup, tumbler, jar or container made of glass and used for carrying or containing any liquid for drinking or any other purpose upon any beach or adjacent sidewalk area, on the municipal pier or in the municipal pier parking lot in the City.

12.64.010. Interference with Wildlife or Structures Prohibited

No person shall remove any marine growth, mussels or marine wildlife, or in any other way meddle with the groins or jetties in the City.

12.68.010. Prohibited Acts on Pier

It is unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to do or cause to be done any of the following acts upon the public fishing pier or pier plaza in the City:

• To operate a bicycle, skateboard, roller skates or to ride a bicycle or other vehicle on the deck of the pier, pier plaza or adjacent walkways to the pier and pier plaza;
• To dive, jump or enter the water from the pier or to push, shove or cause any person to fall, dive or jump from the pier; 
• To possess, bring onto or have a surfboard on the deck, rail or any portion of the pier;
• To cast any fishing line or pole using above-rail casting or allow any lure, hook, or weight to pass inboard of the pier railing while casting;
• To cast in the water adjacent to the pier or on the pier, a fishing line, lobster trap, crab trap, any mussel hook, or any other such device in such a manner as to create a hazard to any other person;
• Set up or cast a fishing line in areas on the pier that have been closed to fishing.

12.68.015. Swimming Near the Pier

Swimming, wading, surfing, skin diving or using self-contained underwater breathing apparatus shall be prohibited at all times under and within twenty feet of all sides of the pier.

12.68.050. Restriction on Removal of Sea Life

It is unlawful to remove mussels, clams, barnacles or other sea life from the pier piling with grab hooks or other objects which might cause injury to the piling.

Additional Ordinances

For a complete list of city ordinances, please see the City of Imperial Beach Municipal Code. Those pertaining to the beach and other related areas are listed under Title 12. Streets, Sidewalks and Public Places.