Should you ever find yourself on the central coast of the Pacific, namely in California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea, it’s best to leave your stilettos at home. In the celebrity enclave, where Clint Eastwood once reigned as mayor and residents include Brad Pitt, who purchased the iconic DL James House on the cliffs of the Carmel Highlands in 2022, it is actually illegal to walk down the street in high heels taller than two inches and narrower than one square inch.

The law dates back to 1963 and was ordained in the effort “to maintain” the “character” and “charm and appeal of the City to residents and visitors alike” due to “its urban forest character.”

Citing the town’s surrounding Monterey pine, oak tress and shrubs, the law notes that because of the lack of urban lighting and the uneven and irregular “surfacing of street and sidewalk areas,” wearing high heels “involves greater risk to those wearing high heeled shoes more adaptable to formal city life.” Even today, there are no street lights in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Rather than updating its city lighting and strict ordinance to reflect modern times, however, the city has adopted both. A visit to Carmel-by-the-Sea’s website touts both the lack of street lighting and the high heel ban as a “fun fact” about the city, along with “no chain restaurants” and “no street addresses.” (For those in search of a specific building, there are only hints such as “fifth house on the east side of Torres Street, green trim, driftwood fence” or the legendary names adorning most houses, such as “Hansel” or “Sea Urchin,” Carmel-by-the-Sea’s website states.)

When asked whether or not the city has considered lifting the high-heel-banning Ordinance No. 87, Nova Romero, MMC, City Clerk, City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, told FN that the current City Council hasn’t discussed reviewing or repealing the law.

There is a loophole, though. The city willingly issues permits to any residents or visitors seeking permission to wear high heels — as long as they agree “that upon the issuance of such permit s/he thereby relieves the City from any and all liability for damages to her/himself or to others caused by her/his falling upon the public streets or sidewalks of the City while wearing such shoes.”

“Anyone is free to get one, it allows anyone to get a permit from the City Clerk,” Romero stressed, when asked if the city council has talked about repealing the 1963 high-heel ordinance in light of modern standards of gender equality and inclusivity. “It simply acknowledges that the wearer understands the risk and releases the City from liability… If concerns were raised about a law being outdated or exclusionary, the City would take them seriously.”

Romero also emphasized that anyone can challenge the law, residents or not. “Carmel regularly updates its Municipal Code to reflect the evolving needs of the community,” Romero explained. “While most changes are initiated by City staff or Council, any member of the public is welcome to suggest an ordinance be amended or repealed. Ultimately, it’s up to the Mayor and City Council to decide whether to agendize a discussion, though community support often plays a significant role in that decision.”

As for what that process would look like, Romero said, “the first step would be to place it on a future Council agenda for discussion under the rules of the Brown Act. Then it would require a majority vote of the Council to move forward with direction to amend or repeal the Ordinance. If they decide to proceed, the ordinance could then be amended or repealed through the usual legislative process: an ordinance first, reading an introduction during a public hearing, a second reading and potential adoption at a second public meeting, and then would go into effect 30 days from adoption.”

For now, though, these permits become an in-the-know tourist souvenir — and to Romero’s knowledge, no one in high heels has ever suffered consequences without one. “To our knowledge, since the ordinance was adopted in 1963, no citations have ever been issued under this ordinance,” Romero said.

“The high-heel ordinance today is mostly a fun bit of Carmel history,” Romero added. “Permits are issued to anyone who asks. They’re free, and just require presenting a photo ID to obtain one. For many visitors, getting a high-heel permit has become a quirky, light-hearted souvenir from their trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea.”