What an adorable city right next to San Diego! Home to some of the most beautiful beaches! Downtown Encinitas is adorable.. small business, restaurants.. everything you could want! Come check out this adorable town! read more

City of Encinitas - The sign - Public Services & Government Near Me - Encinitas, California

I love San Diego and this is one of my favorite places to visit in North County between Carlsbad and Solana Beach. It is a smoke free city and no vaping or smoking of any kind is allowed which is amazingly healthy. The beaches are pristine! The restaurants are fantastic and so is everyone I have met here. A+++ read more

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Beautiful city but insanely expensive. No one can afford this place except people making a ton of money, it feels like.

We've been traveling throughout SoCal during these pandemic times looking for new towns to hang out. This was our first time here and we really enjoyed the Main Street area where all the shops and restaurants were located. The town and people had a nice vibe and even though it was crowded we were able to locate a parking spot with ease. read more

City of Encinitas - May gloom 2021 - Public Services & Government Near Me - Encinitas, California

I moved to Cardiff in Jan. 1978 and have enjoyed this area for 40+ years. It is not so easy to like it here anymore, especially with the most recent changes. While I understand the need for revenue to run a city, developing the most beautiful properties, as they are about to do to Quail Gardens, is shameful (And I don't live there). There has been one thing I always commented in favor or the city, the beautiful stretch of 101 from Leaucadia to The Kraken at the south end, has been mostly unchanged since I arrived here. Until now! Then came Covid, who's nasty effects weren't just medical. Every city in SoCal seemed to jump on the bandwagon to develop and build every pet project, in many cases without input from citizens, spending ludicrous amount of $$$ to paint streets hoping to pacify special interest minorities and force people out of their beloved autos, and building roundabouts that mostly are ineffective. WORST of all, sending the majority of all law agencies to protect the beaches from would-be maskless invaders, while residents were forced to mostly stay home and endure whatever crazy rules were imposed, like closing hiking trails and parks. A field day for thieves and burglars-knowing police, rangers, highway patrol, and sheriffs would be consolidated in one place, and not watching most of the rest of the city. Golden opportunities, while residence still endured going to work, and other "approved" short trips from home. And No beach access-surfers might contaminate CA if they had a cough while in the water (insanity!) Wearing masks that did little to control spread of the virus, and creating panic/paranoia to the point where people still worn them on hiking trails, while driving solo (germs can fly down the highway!), etc. I am glad I chose not to buy in Socal (with astronomical price gouging on real estate, utilities, short term rentals, and corporations buying up land/houses). I will be 65 in 2 months, and it makes it easier to make a very heart-breaking decision to leave San Diego County. I know some will adapt to the new, 14 lane freeways, with little parking ANYWHERE cause the city stoled most spaces for 10 different special-interest groups, but, so far, no pink spaces! It was paradise while it lasted, but a giant Disneyland is not a community! Should they rename this area Sandy Ghetto?! It was nice knowing y'all! read more

Came here to support my friend's artwork being shown at the Seaside Bazaar. It's a little festival with booths, foods, drinks and music entertainment in the heart of the city. Mostly street parking be sure to read the signs in certain areas and lots. The surrounding areas have bars, stores and restaurants. Street traffic was not too bad for a Friday night. Overall a nice little friendly town. I'd go back again. read more

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Encinitas just plain rocks. What else is there to say? Sure, we have some kooky zoning laws and we bring every little thing up to citywide vote, but hey - it's *our* kooky little town and we love it! From Leucadia down to Cardiff-by-the-Sea, through Old Encinitas and New Encinitas all the way to bucolic Olivenhain you won't find a cooler and, dare I say, hipper town in California. To get an idea of folks it attracts, just look at a list of some of our current Encinitas residents: skateboarders such as Bucky Lasek, Danny Way, Mike McGill - surfers like Rob Machado and others - the one and only 2-time gold medalist Shaun White - actor Richard Dreyfuss - classic rocker Joe Walsh - the list goes on and on... Former residents, you ask? Well, how about Charlie Chaplin, Eddie Vedder, Ravi Shankar, Dr. Jerry Buss, Tony Hawk, and "The Beaver" - that's right, Jerry Mathers from Leave It to Beaver used to call Encinitas his home. Now that's truly legit. read more

City of Encinitas - Public Services & Government Near Me - Encinitas, California

Encinitas is pretty cool from the surfers to the down town scene. When I'm in Encinitas I spend most of my time in Leucadia which is a small community of Encinitas which is right on the coast. My favorite spots are Lou's Records, J Street view point, Karina's Mexican food and Chuao chocolate. The vibe in Leucadia is different from the vibe in Encinitas. People from Leucadia seem so laid back and have a fun funky attitude just like surfers. read more

I have had limited interaction with the building department so far but..... so far so good. I was having trouble figuring which permit to apply for and made the wrong choice. They quickly contacted me and helped me out. Particularly Nina who walked me through the online portal and helped me to find the correct selection. The website is fairly easy to navigate and when it isn't they help out. read more

Encinitas city planning is a pitiful excuse for an organization. While most local businesses have innovated to get through and survive COVID - not the city permitting and planning department. We had plans submitted beginning of April for a simple deck expansion amd repairs to ensure safety, and they continue to push the date with no remorse, with maybe approval in August. This city is going backwards. Where housing is limited and they should be doing all they can to expedite an efficient process to get permits approved, bureaucracy prevails - antiquated, incompetent, it will keep our city in the dark ages. Why is no one fired for incompetence? Sad excuse for city governance working for its people. read more

5-9-17. Just had the best government experience yesterday about contact info for the owner of Ohana's car wash in Encinitas. They damaged by car and the mgr or owner wouldn't contact me. A legal-surfer friend couldn't find any ownership details on government websites. So I sent a email to the City of Encinitas regarding securing the business/corporate info and Mark Delin responded with full details WITHIN 5 HOURS. This is the best government experience I have ever had as a San Diego native resident. Hope and pray all others receiving such professional service and information. Dave McIntyre San Diego read more

Love Encinitas! Great restaurants, gorgeous beaches, cool vibe. Definitely a fan!

While the Civic Center isn't sexy architecturally, what's unique about it is that it was a former supermarket. The change of use for an existing building is a cool thought. Staff moved in from the former location of City Hall on Westlake Street to this location in the mid-90s. Encinitas old-timers probably can recognize where produce, meats, and frozen food was located inside. Goofy cool read more

The City planning Dept was very helpful and were able to pull up paperwork on their computers to meet my needs.

The City of Encinitas Parks and Recs Department is a mess. Parks Director Jennifer Campbell and their Management Analyst Crystal Roff told us that they had no intention of re-opening the Surfing Madonna Surf Camps for Special Needs Children that were put on every summer. These camps were free and paid for by the Surfing Madonna organization each year. They included 1 on 1 surf instruction for 200 special needs children each year. My child received 2 hrs of free special instruction each year from the Surfing Madonna organization. I since contacted the City Manager and was told that the City will be putting on camps each year, however they will be charging $190 per child for 2hrs of instruction. Thanks a lot City of Encinitas Parks and Recs, way to ruin a wonderful free surf camp that had been winning awards since 2013. It's pretty evident the City of Encinitas is looking at solely making money from these surf camps and doesn't care about the community. Such a shame. I wrote Mayor Catherine Blakespear and council and still have not received a response. read more

I'm currently working on a project at Encinitas Beach Hotel and the General Contractor is Suffolk. There have been over 2+ people (more waiting on test results) working at job site that have been tested positive for Covid - 19 but they refuse to shut the job site down. It shows how much they care about our safety and surrounding neighbors. Just a head up, be careful when you are close to the area. read more

Incredible team here, super helpful and knowledgeable, made a fact checking job I had to do for work fast and efficient. Highly recommend verifying city plans of Encinitas here, thank you ladies you were awesome read more

Encinitas has pretty much everything you expect in SoCal. They have locally owned restaurants and shop, a small town vibe and beaches all within a short drive. The downtown area is a must see if you want to get the true flavor of San Diego living. New shops are constantly opening up in the downtown area and palm trees line the 101. It's a great stop if traffic is backed up on the five and you're looking out to get away from it all! read more

Worst idea ever! New "traffic calming" / SPEED BUMPS on Urania, rattling electronics in all new cars. Repair shops love them. Car owners hate them. Get with the program Encinitas and do a study in the latest and most effective speed bumps (call them what you want). There are NEW ways to slow traffic without tearing up the electronics in our modern day, electronics driven vehicles. We believe in slowing traffic in neighborhoods too BUT - Once again your 'action' is driven by 'reaction', not by educating yourselves beforehand. #dinosaurs JUST FIX IT! Get CURRENT!!!! read more

This is solely based on their Planning and Engineering. It all started when my passive aggressive neighbor, who ran an imaginary homeowner's association on our street called them during a remodel that I was doing. Naturally, I wanted to resolve said situation, but since someone made them drive a whole mile up Encinitas Blvd, they clearly wanted a pound of flesh. Now if you're ever in the market to find small people with "big" jobs, look no further. I was condescendingly informed that the false soffet I had knocked out of my kitchen was somehow "demolishing a building" and therefore required blueprints of my ENTIRE HOUSE (which the County Recorders Office didn't even have) to be drawn up under California Building Code 105.1. That code was neither on their website at the time, nor even mentioned to someone else I sent in to inquire as to what permits/planning would be required for my ENTIRE PROJECT. I was also condescendingly told by the same person that archetectual plans could have been drawn up as to the joists in my ceiling without removing the drywall because 'potato'. I'm kidding, he said it was because he "Knows what's in there". Let's also talk about the threats of fines I recieved for violations regarding moving plumbing in the house (Spoiler Alert: I wasn't). Plus, it took them two tries to get the name of who even owned the house correct (cut first, measure later). Long story short, I sold the house to an investor, bought another house, and said investor to my knowledge needed ZERO permits to finish the remodel I started. So, if you plan on owning a home in Encinitas, don't go for a fixer-upper, and if you do; tell no one. Otherwise you will deal with a capricious brand of incompetence that will insult the intelligence of anyone with an IQ north of 49 to no end read more

I want to thank Trish Douglas and Tod Hunter in City of Encinitas compliance department with their assistance in making my residential street a safer place to live. I am sight impaired and was having a very difficult time navigating my own street. Residents were double parking vehicles all over our street, blocking sidewalk access and making it necessary for pedestrians to walk out in the middle of the street, night and day. I filed a complaint on line, then sent some emails to Trish and Todd. Both she and Todd were very helpful in taking care of this problem, returning communications very quickly, and having the street policed both during the day and at night by our Sheriff's Department. They were very professional, and quick to get the problem addressed. The parking issues on our street seem to have been cleared up for now, and I will not hesitate to ask them for their help again. We are lucky to live in a community that employs such caring individuals. read more

Encinitas is indeed paradise. I have lived here for almost 20 years. I called City Hall today to ask a question about a local business, and the staff was incredibly helpful. In this day of impossible bureaucracy and inattention, Encinitas once again stood out as a model for others to follow. Bravo! read more

I'm glad to read here on Yelp that 12% of parents do not vaccinate. That immediately gives it five stars. There is no question that vaccines cause Autism and Aspergers. A similar city to Encinitas is Ashland, Oregon. A key difference is that Encinitas has a dark skies ordinance. Ashland, does not, to accomodate students at SOU, visitors to Shakespeare, and hikers and cyclists in their park at night. I bring this up since I have an older Jeep with dim lights, and we cannot see pedestrians that well at night. Some improvement in lighting, especially along the business district near the railroad tracks, would make things safer for pedestrians. Also glad to see that The City does not ban displays of flowering plants and art in public. It is not like HOA communities like Carlsbad or those in south orange county, like Aliso Viejo, although I'd give them five stars as well, for their schools and public safety, and other reasons. read more