Parks & Recreation
On Tuesday, Aug. 18 Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer signed an Executive Order allowing gyms and religious institutions to operate in city parks where physical distancing is made easier.
The mayor’s order eases permitting for fitness studios and houses of worship that wish to safely operate outside in one of the City of San Diego’s nearly 340 parks. The directive, which goes into effect Monday, Aug. 24, defers park permit fees for 60 days.
Outdoor religious services and outdoor fitness classes are all eligible under the executive order.
Activities that require a permit include outdoor religious services, gym and physical fitness facilities and outdoor recreation, fitness or athletic activities in which professional instruction or coaching is provided.
The number of permits available for each park depends on the total available spaces. Availability of park sites is not guaranteed and is based on demand.
Permits for these activities will be granted for a duration not to exceed one month. Entities who hold permits with a month-long duration can reserve space on a recurring basis during the month-long permit period without having to make multiple one-day reservations.
Parks authorized for outdoor religious and fitness instruction-oriented activities are listed below:
Mission Bay | Balboa Park | Other Parks |
---|---|---|
|
|
Applicants can telephone the recreation center nearest to the park they would like to use in order to inquire about space availability. Please visit the City's Recreation Center page for locations and phone numbers.
NOTE: All recreation centers remain closed to the public, but staff can be reached via telephone or email for assistance. |
Hours of use are from 7 a.m to dusk and are subject to change based on season.
The following locations are not eligible to be permitted at this time:
To be considered for a permit, applicants must abide by the following requirements:
Permits must be applied for in advance via the Parks and Recreation Department.
After contact with the Permit Center (or applicable recreation center) has been made, applicants will be asked to do the following:
Permits will go into effect as of the date of approval apprearing on the permit and end of the permitted end date or as soon as the Public Health Order allows these organizations to resume indoor operations (whichever comes first). These temporary permits will be canceled immediately upon reinstated approval of indoor spaces for religious services and fitness operations by the County of San Diego. At that point, the group or organization can continue to operate outdoors if they pay the regular fees associated with that site and location. Future permits will be issued based on the order listed above and availability of space.
The City of San Diego has requirements that must be met prior to and during use of outdoor parkland for these activities. Failure to meet and maintain these requirements will be cause for a permit application to be rejected or permit to be canceled.
All requirements, terms and conditions outlined in the "Parks and Recreation Department Fee Schedule (effective December 20, 2017)" remain in effect.
For more information on park rules and regulations, please visit our "Rules and Regulations for Use of City Parks and Recreation Sites" page.