City
Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa is a city record. City or town offices may handle local rules inside their limits, while county offices still handle records, taxes, courts, and many services.
Starting point
Confirm the address is inside local limits first.
If the address is inside Costa Mesa, city or town offices may handle local permits, code, and services. If it is outside limits, county routing may be the better first stop.
A mailing city is not always the same as city government jurisdiction.
2025 population
108,881
Land area
15.806 sq mi
Water area
0.009 sq mi
Directory notes
Local layers to keep on the same page.
Confirm city or town limits.
A mailing address can use a nearby place name. If the address is outside limits, county offices may handle permits, code, and land-use routes.
County still matters.
Orange County can still matter for assessor, tax collector, recorder, court, public health, social service, and election records.
Some layers are separate.
Water, sewer, fire, school, utilities, coast, earthquake maps, wildfire zones, parks, and trails may point outside city hall.
County layer
County shown for Costa Mesa
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Costa Mesa
Place note · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 5, 2026
Costa Mesa business plans should check both license and planning
Costa Mesa has online business license steps, but a real location also needs the right use, zoning fit, and planning question answered before opening.
Place note · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Costa Mesa 311 is the simple door for city service requests
Costa Mesa 311 lets residents submit, track, and view city service requests online or by app, including graffiti removal, pothole repairs, and other city service needs.
Place note · Home and property · Reviewed July 3, 2026
Costa Mesa projects usually start in TESSA
Costa Mesa uses TESSA for building permit applications, licensing, inspections, and project updates, so it is the first place to check before a local project.
Place note · Outdoors · Reviewed June 30, 2026
Fairview Park mixes Costa Mesa trails with rare habitat care
Fairview Park is a 208-acre Costa Mesa park where public use, cultural resources, biological resources, vernal pools, and restoration planning all meet.
County layer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 6, 2026
Anaheim resort-area shuttle plans changed after ART ended
Anaheim Transportation Network announced the end of ART service on March 31, 2026, so resort-area trips need a fresh provider check.
County layer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 6, 2026
Fullerton downtown parking is posted lot by lot
Downtown Fullerton has many free public parking spaces, but lots near downtown and the Transportation Center are individually posted with their own time limits.
Almanac notes
Stories and local context near Costa Mesa
Place note · History and culture
The OC Fairgrounds give Costa Mesa a year-round gathering place
OC Fair & Event Center started with Orange County's early fair tradition and now works as a 130-acre public gathering place with the fair, Centennial Farm, Heroes Hall, concerts, markets, and events.
Place note · History and culture
Estancia Park keeps Costa Mesa's old adobe layer in view
Estancia Park pairs a regular neighborhood park with the Diego Sepulveda Adobe, a restored 1820 structure tied to the area's old cattle-ranch layer.
Place note · History and culture
Costa Mesa's arts district grew out of lima bean fields
South Coast Plaza and the nearby arts district sit on a story that reaches back to the Segerstrom family's lima bean ranch.
County layer · Outdoors
Mason Regional Park gives Irvine lake shade and easy breathing room
William R. Mason Regional Park gives Irvine 339 acres of trees, trails, picnic areas, a 9-acre lake, playgrounds, and calm outdoor space.
County layer · History and culture
Pearson Park Amphitheatre keeps Anaheim's summer stage tradition close
Pearson Park Amphitheatre has been part of Anaheim entertainment since 1933, giving the city an outdoor stage apart from its theme-park image.
County layer · History and culture
Santa Ana's public art makes downtown easier to read
Santa Ana's public art and self-guided tours help show the city's culture, history, artists, and neighborhood energy outside museum walls.
County layer · Outdoors
Shipley Nature Center is Huntington Beach's quiet habitat pocket
Shipley Nature Center adds an 18-acre native-habitat stop inside Huntington Central Park, away from the pier-and-surf image.
County layer · Outdoors
Florence Joyner Olympiad Park carries Mission Viejo's Olympic thread
Florence Joyner Olympiad Park in Mission Viejo connects everyday fields, playgrounds, picnic tables, a lake loop trailhead, and the city's Olympic history.