Is a Del Mar 92014 Address Actually in the City of Del Mar?

by Zach Arrington

Updated October 2026

Often it is not. A Del Mar, CA 92014 mailing address can sit in the City of Del Mar, the City of San Diego, the City of Solana Beach or unincorporated San Diego County. When I counted the land parcels that carry a 92014 site address in the public SanGIS parcel layer, about 53 percent were in the City of San Diego and only about 34 percent were in the City of Del Mar. The city a parcel sits in, not the ZIP code on the mail, decides who sets the rules, who provides services and which fees land on the property tax bill.

I'm Zach Arrington, Broker Associate with Real. I work the coastal corridor from Carmel Valley to Cardiff by the Sea, and I watch the 92014 market closely. This is the first thing I check when a client is looking at a "Del Mar" listing, because the answer changes what they are actually buying into.

How 92014 splits between four jurisdictions

The City of San Diego holds the largest share of 92014, followed by the City of Del Mar, unincorporated county land and a sliver of Solana Beach. Here is my count from the SanGIS parcel layer published through SANDAG, retrieved October 19, 2026.

Jurisdiction (SanGIS code)	Land parcels with a 92014 site address	Share
City of San Diego (SD)	2,608	53.2 percent
City of Del Mar (DM)	1,689	34.5 percent
Unincorporated San Diego County (CN)	411	8.4 percent
City of Solana Beach (SO)	193	3.9 percent
Total	4,901	100 percent

Method: I queried every parcel record whose site ZIP begins with 92014 and grouped them by the situs jurisdiction field, using SANDAG's municipal boundary layer to translate the codes. SanGIS parcels are "stacked," meaning each condo unit is its own taxable parcel drawn on the same piece of ground, so I counted each distinct parcel polygon once. That keeps a 40 unit condo building from counting as 40 lots. One record coded to Oceanside was left out as an apparent data error. Parcel counts are not the same as homes or sales, but they show clearly where the ground is.

Where the City of San Diego part of 92014 is

Most of the San Diego portion is the Torrey Pines community planning area, which includes the neighborhood people call Del Mar Heights. When I placed each of the 2,608 San Diego parcels against the City's community plan boundaries, 2,356 fell inside Torrey Pines and 216 inside the Via de la Valle planning area, with a few dozen scattered elsewhere. The City of San Diego describes Torrey Pines as bounded by Interstate 5 on the east and "the city of Del Mar and the Pacific Ocean to the west."

The line can run right through a familiar street. Of the distinct parcels addressed on Del Mar Heights Road with a 92014 ZIP, 42 are in the City of San Diego and 5 are in the City of Del Mar. The unincorporated county parcels cluster along streets such as Sun Valley Road and El Camino Real, and the Solana Beach parcels along streets such as Avocado and Highland.

What actually changes with the city line

Services, fees and rules follow the jurisdiction, so two homes a few blocks apart with the same ZIP can live under different systems. These are the differences I walk clients through.

Trash and the San Diego trash fee. The City of San Diego's new trash fee "applies to each property owner who receives service from the City," and it is billed on the annual county property tax bill. The City of Del Mar is served by EDCO, which took over residential service there starting July 1, 2022. I covered the San Diego fee in detail in my post on the trash fee.
Short term rentals. In the City of San Diego, a short term residential occupancy license is required, and whole home licenses (Tier 3) are capped at 1 percent of the city's housing units outside Mission Beach. The City of Del Mar runs its own program: the Coastal Commission approved its short term rental regulations in February 2026, existing operators had a set window to apply, and permits must be renewed every two years.
Police and fire. The City of Del Mar, incorporated in 1959 and covering about 2.2 square miles, contracts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement and shares fire administration with Encinitas and Solana Beach.
Permits, zoning and remodel rules. Plans go to the city that has jurisdiction, under that city's code. If you are buying with a remodel or an ADU in mind, the right rulebook depends entirely on which side of the line the parcel sits.

Does the city line change the property tax rate?

Only slightly. In the County's fiscal year 2025 to 2026 table of tax rates by tax rate area, the main City of Del Mar area (TRA 11001) is 1.06384 percent, the two San Diego areas with the most parcel records in 92014 (TRAs 08005 and 08145) are 1.06884 percent, and the main Solana Beach areas I checked (TRAs 18004, 18031 and 18077) are 1.06109 percent. On a home assessed at $2,000,000, the gap between the Del Mar and San Diego rates works out to about $100 a year. The bigger differences tend to be fixed charges listed separately on the bill, such as San Diego's trash fee, so read the whole bill, not just the rate.

Why ZIP code market stats can mislead here

A "Del Mar 92014" median blends several cities and very different housing. San Diego MLS market statistics for ZIP 92014 show 5 single family closed sales in September 2026 at a median of $4,450,000, and 5 condo or townhome sales at a median of $1,099,900. With fewer than 10 sales in each category, I would not draw a trend from that month. For comparison, the countywide single family median that month was $1,075,000. When I price a home in 92014, I build comparables from the same side of the city line and the same kind of street, not from the ZIP code.

How to check a specific address

Do not rely on the mailing city or a listing headline. Look up the parcel's jurisdiction and tax rate area with the County's tax rate area search or ask the city's planning counter, and confirm school assignments with the district for that exact address, because school boundaries do not follow city lines either. When I represent a buyer, I pull the parcel record, the tax bill and the jurisdiction before we write an offer, so there are no surprises about fees or rental rules later.

If you are weighing a home anywhere in 92014, Zach Arrington can tell you which city it is really in and what that means for your costs and plans.

FAQ

Is Del Mar Heights part of the City of Del Mar?

No. Del Mar Heights is a neighborhood in the City of San Diego, within the Torrey Pines community planning area, even though its homes use Del Mar, CA 92014 mailing addresses. In my count of SanGIS parcels, 2,356 City of San Diego parcels in 92014 fall inside the Torrey Pines planning area.

Is 92014 in the City of San Diego?

Partly. About 53 percent of land parcels with a 92014 site address are in the City of San Diego, about 34 percent are in the City of Del Mar, about 8 percent are unincorporated county land and about 4 percent are in Solana Beach, based on the SanGIS parcel layer in October 2026.

Is Del Mar a separate city from San Diego?

Yes. The City of Del Mar was incorporated in 1959 and covers about 2.2 square miles with roughly 4,200 residents. It contracts with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department for law enforcement rather than using the San Diego Police Department.

Do homes with a Del Mar address pay San Diego's trash fee?

Only if the property receives trash service from the City of San Diego. The fee applies to property owners who receive City service and appears on the county property tax bill. Homes inside the City of Del Mar are served through the city's arrangement with EDCO instead.

Is the property tax rate different in Del Mar than in Del Mar Heights?

Slightly. For fiscal year 2025 to 2026, the main City of Del Mar tax rate area is 1.06384 percent and the main City of San Diego areas in 92014 are 1.06884 percent. That is about $100 a year on a $2,000,000 assessed value, before fixed charges.

Can I run a short term rental at a Del Mar address?

It depends on the city. The City of San Diego requires a short term residential occupancy license and caps whole home licenses at 1 percent of its housing units outside Mission Beach. The City of Del Mar has its own permit program that the Coastal Commission approved in February 2026, with permits renewed every two years.

How do I find out which city a 92014 address is in?

Look up the parcel's jurisdiction and tax rate area with the County's tax rate area search, or ask the planning department of the city you think it is in. Do not rely on the mailing city or the listing description.

Why do Del Mar median home prices swing so much month to month?

The sample is small and mixed. In September 2026, San Diego MLS statistics for ZIP 92014 counted 5 single family sales and 5 condo or townhome sales, and those sales come from more than one city and very different streets. Compare the same month year over year and use nearby comparable sales instead.

Looking at a home in Del Mar or Del Mar Heights? Call or text Zach Arrington at (619) 374-5339 or email zach@zarealtygroup.com.

General information only. Verify jurisdiction, taxes, school assignments and rental rules for any specific property. Zach Arrington, DRE 02135675, Real Broker, LLC.