Del Mar City Beach stretches from 15th Street near Seagrove Park and Powerhouse Park northward to the cliffs at North Beach, also called Dog Beach. It’s a great place for swimming, surfing, walking, and jogging with a sandy base and scattered cobblestones, all backed by the area’s signature expensive homes lining the bluffs.

The dog rules here are pretty detailed and change with the seasons, so you’ll want to check the signs when you arrive since things shift. From the day after Labor Day through June 15, you’ve got the most off-leash freedom—dogs can run free between 29th Street and the Solana Beach border. Between Powerhouse Park and 29th Street, dogs need to be leashed during most hours, though there’s a dawn-to-8 a.m. window between 25th and 29th Streets where off-leash is allowed. From Powerhouse Park down to 6th Street, dogs must stay leashed year-round.

Come June 16 through Labor Day, things tighten up. Dogs aren’t allowed at all between Powerhouse Park and 29th Street during peak beach season. North of 29th Street toward Solana Beach, you get an early morning off-leash window from dawn to 8 a.m., then leashes required the rest of the day. The 6th-to-Powerhouse section remains leash-only.

At Powerhouse Park itself, dogs are completely off-limits in the children’s Tot Lot and the adjacent grass south of the beach path, but leashed dogs can use the walkways and sidewalks around the perimeter.

Throughout the beach, your dog needs to wear a license collar, leashes can’t exceed six feet, and in off-leash areas they need solid voice control. Cleanup is mandatory everywhere. Leash law violations start at $285, so it’s worth taking a minute to confirm which zone you’re in before letting your dog loose.