San Diego Lifts Moratorium On Summer Beach Construction: Traffic May Worsen In Beach Towns

SAN DIEGO, CA — San Diego city leaders Monday lifted an annual moratorium on public and private construction activity near the beach during the summer in an effort to speed up construction.

For years, construction in beach communities was stopped between Memorial Day and Labor Day to allow for the busy tourism season.

"For decades, projects were stalled during the summer, delaying improvements for residents," said Mayor Todd Gloria. "Now we can get streets paved and infrastructure improvements completed faster. The removal of this restriction is one way we're cutting red tape and finding creative solutions across city departments to improve service to residents."

During Gloria's 2025 State of the City address, he questioned the benefits of the tradition of halting street resurfacing during summer months, suggesting that lifting the prohibition could save taxpayers money.

City staff will evaluate projects in beach communities to find ways to make construction less impactful, such as splitting work into smaller phases to reduce impacts to street traffic, parking lots, and sidewalks.

Additionally, Gloria said the city will work with local businesses, residents and visitors to get feedback on the lifted prohibition.

The announcement comes with a caveat, projects within the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission are still required to comply with the commission's permitting conditions -- which may include summer construction limitations as well.

"In those cases, the public project manager and/or private applicant are encouraged to request a waiver from the Coastal Commission for any potential restrictions, as applicable, to achieve the desired efficiency in construction completion," a city statement read.

For questions, residents can contact the Development Services Department at 619-446-5000, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.