Jurisdiction: City of Del Mar. For canyon-edge homes in Del Mar Heights (City of San Diego), see Del Mar Heights foundation repair.
The mapped hazard areas
The County’s 2023 hazard annex for Del Mar, drawing on the City’s Community Plan, identifies:
- North Bluff and South Bluff, subject to coastal bluff erosion.
- North Hills and South Hills, subject to inland bluff erosion.
- Crest Canyon, a very high fire hazard severity zone, for which Council received an evacuation plan in March 2022.
The same annex rates erosion as a high hazard and landslide as medium. It also notes that the City’s land use policies, in its Community Plan and certified Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan, prohibit development within 40 feet of a coastal bluff edge, and that real-estate disclosure is required for properties in the Coastal Bluff Overlay.
On the coast itself, Del Mar’s sea cliffs are a geologic reference point: the Delmar Formation, a dusky yellowish-green sandy claystone interbedded with sandstone, is named for exposures here, with a type section about 2 kilometers south of the Del Mar railroad station. Torrey Sandstone also forms bluffs in the region.
SANDAG and NCTD have reported that Del Mar’s bluffs eroded up to about six inches per year on average over the past 25 years (KPBS, June 2022). The February 2021 collapse beneath the rail line, and the emergency repairs that followed through June 2022, are well remembered. SANDAG and NCTD’s Phase 5 bluff stabilization, with soldier piles, tiebacks, drainage, and seawalls along about 1.6 miles from Coast Boulevard to Carmel Valley Road, is under way (City of Del Mar project page). That public work is aimed at the railroad corridor; it does not change conditions on private lots.
North and South Hills: the mapped inland hazard
The annex maps the North Hills and South Hills for inland bluff erosion. Going by the city’s era mix, many homes there may date from the 1960s and 1970s, though that is not verified street by street. On sloped lots they may use stepped footings, tall downhill stem or cripple walls, and retaining walls; we confirm what is there on site. The soils may include clay-bearing material. Your geotechnical report is the authority.
What we evaluate
- Crack patterns, especially where they widen toward the slope or the ocean.
- Floor elevations, to find a trend toward the downhill or seaward side.
- Downhill foundations, piers, and cripple walls.
- Retaining walls: tilt, drainage, and what they support. See retaining wall repair.
- Water: roof discharge, irrigation near edges, and runoff from uphill. See foundation drainage.
Repairs for the house
Work on the structure usually concentrates on the side that faces down the slope or toward the ocean. Additional piers or underpinning, drawn by an engineer, can carry the house to firmer material, with concrete beams linking them so they act together. Tall downhill cripple walls may be braced and bolted (seismic retrofit). Water that reaches the slope from roofs and irrigation is redirected, and a retaining wall that has begun to endanger the house is repaired.
We coordinate with licensed engineers as needed; on bluff and hillside lots, a geotechnical report almost always informs the design. Work on the bluff face or a seawall is its own project, with separate engineering and permits, covered under bluff stabilization and seawall work. We do not describe any bluff as safe, and we do not promise outcomes that no structure can deliver.
Permits
The City prohibits development within 40 feet of a coastal bluff edge. Whether and how that prohibition applies to a particular repair is for the City to determine. Planning reviews the proposal and decides which approvals apply, such as a coastal development permit, a Land Conservation Permit, or Design Review. See Design Review and coastal permits.
Owner questions
Our house is within 40 feet of the bluff edge. Can it be repaired?
The prohibition covers development within 40 feet of the bluff edge. Whether it reaches your particular repair, and on what terms, is the City’s decision. We help you describe the scope clearly and prepare for that review, and we don’t predict the outcome.
Does the railroad stabilization affect our property?
Phase 5 addresses the rail corridor. Private property conditions are separate and should be assessed on their own.
How do we know whether our lot is in the Coastal Bluff Overlay?
City maps show the overlay, and it carries a disclosure requirement. Your purchase documents may note it.
Is a hillside home in the North Hills treated like a coastal bluff home?
Different mapped hazard, different considerations. Both call for geotechnical input.
Arrange a Free Quote
Share the address, any geotechnical reports, and what you’ve observed. We’ll begin with an inspection.