Authority
San Diego Municipal Code § 12.0803
in effect§12.0803 Authority
(a) Any person violating any provision of the Municipal Code or applicable state code may be subject to the assessment of civil penalties pursuant to the administrative procedures provided in Sections 12.0804 through 12.0810 of this Division.
(b) Each and every day a violation of any provision of the Municipal Code or applicable state code exists constitutes a separate and distinct violation.
(c) Civil penalties may be directly assessed by means of a Notice and Order issued by the Director or affirmed by a City Manager’s Enforcement Hearing Officer. Civil penalties may be recovered by assessment of a Code Enforcement Lien pursuant to Division 2 of Article 3 of Chapter 1 or subsequent legal action brought by the City Attorney.
(d) Civil penalties for violations of any provision of the Municipal Code or applicable state codes shall be assessed at a daily rate determined by the Director or Enforcement Hearing Officer pursuant to the criteria listed in Section 12.0805 of this Division. The maximum rate shall be $10,000 per violation. The maximum amount of civil penalties shall not exceed $500,000 per parcel or structure in a calendar year for any related series of violations. These amounts shall be updated annually based on the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, for the San Diego area, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and shall include an additional five percent administrative fee for associated cost recovery.
(Amended 5–20–2003 by O–19177 N.S.) (Amended 2-3-2017 by O-20788 N.S.; effective 3-5-2017.) (Amended 6-15-2026 by O-22109 N.S.; effective 7-15-2026.)
[Editors Note: Amendments as adopted by O-22109 N.S. will not apply within the Coastal Overlay Zone until the California Coastal Commission certifies it as a Local Coastal Program Amendment. Click the link to view the Strikeout Ordinance highlighting changes to prior language http://docs.sandiego.gov/municode_strikeout_ord/O-22109-SO.pdf ]
Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter01/Ch01Art02Division08.pdf#page=1Fetched: 10/28/2026