The beach stairs at Agate Street in Laguna Beach are closed to the public following a rockslide Tuesday morning, Sept. 29, just below the viewing area.
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Fire and Marine Safety crews responded and closed the area after the slide was reported to city officials on Tuesday morning.
Chunks of what used to be the hillside sit below a staircase after it gave way collapsed at the Agate Street staircase in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The rock slide happened Tuesday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chunks of what used to be the hillside sit below a staircase after it gave way collapsed at the Agate Street staircase in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The rock slide happened Tuesday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chunks of what used to be the hillside sit below a staircase after it gave way collapsed at the Agate Street staircase in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The rock slide happened Tuesday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Chunks of what used to be the hillside sit below a staircase after it gave way collapsed at the Agate Street staircase in Laguna Beach on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The rock slide happened Tuesday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
No injuries were reported, and the stairs were undamaged. The staircase, including the viewing deck, has been closed because the rockfall was so close to the stairs, said Tom Perez, the city’s acting director of public works.
“In an abundance of caution, we closed it,” he said.
A city geologist inspected the location on Wednesday and looked for cracks, Perez said, but didn’t find any.
The next step is to compare the structures to the construction drawings.
“We’ll look at the drawings to see if there are any damages to the caissons,” he said.
The stairs — along with several others in the city’s HIP District — were closed in 2015 for three years after strong surf and wave action caused the lower part of the staircase to cave in.
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They reopened in 2018 after renovation. The stairs are wider and include an ADA-accessible viewing area, making them a popular place for looking out at the wildlife, surfers, and the ocean landscape.
Perez said the rockfall is likely related to the recent monster waves that hit the Orange County coastline in the wake of Hurricane Marie. The waves at Agate Street were so high, Perez said, that they were washing over the beach viewing area.
The Agate Street renovations were part of a seven-project effort by the city to improve beach access for residents and visitors. The combined projects cost $1.8 million.
The city has also closed down the nearby Pearl Street beach stair access because it is just a block away from Agate. The geologist also looked at those stairs on Wednesday and noted erosion around the steps and the riprap. Other access points in Laguna Beach’s midtown will also be reviewed, Perez said.
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