Abatement Procedures
San Diego Municipal Code § 54.0506
in effect§54.0506 Abatement Procedures
(a) The City shall not commence any proceedings to abate a public pay telephone constituting a public nuisance unless the Chief of Police:
(1) has notified the pay phone owner and the local public pay phone trade associations, such as the San Diego Payphone Owners Association; and
(2) has made a reasonable effort to work with the property owner upon whose property the public pay telephone is located or the public pay telephone owner, or both.
(b) The City shall work with the property owner or public pay telephone owner to eliminate the activities constituting a public nuisance by utilization of the appropriate voluntary measures from the following list:
(1) blocking incoming calls;
(2) removing the ringer on the phone;
(3) shutting off the key pad after the initial number is dialed to eliminate “beeper” use;
(4) making the telephone inoperative for designated time periods;
(5) removing hand sets;
(6) adding lighting;
(7) changing the type of enclosure of the telephone; or
(8) removing any or all of the telephones.
(c) Whenever the Chief of Police determines that any public pay telephone constitutes a public nuisance within the meaning of Section 54.0501, and further determines that the procedures in subdivision (a) and (b) of this section are not effective, an Abatement Notice and Order may be sent to the pay telephone owner directing abatement as outlined in the notice.
(d) The Chief of Police shall follow the Administrative Abatement procedures for time frame I as provided in Municipal Code Section 12.0603.
(e) If the responsible person does not comply with the Abatement Notice, the Chief of Police may proceed to abate the subject public pay telephone and recover all costs pursuant to the procedures found in Division 6, Article 2 and Division 3, Article 3 of Chapter 1 of this Code.
(f) The Abatement Notice issued under Section 12.0603 shall specify that abatement will require removal of the public pay telephone, and will prohibit its replacement on the same parcel or any contiguous parcel owned by the same property owner for a period of up to one year from the date of removal.
(g) Any decision of a hearing officer ordering abatement shall specify that it is unlawful for any public pay telephone owner to install a replacement public pay telephone on the same parcel or on any contiguous parcel owned by the same property owner for a period of up to one year from the date of removal.
(“Abatement Procedures” added 1–29–1996 by O–18254 N.S.)
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/MuniCodeChapter05/Ch05Art04Division05.pdf#page=4Fetched: 10/28/2026