A Walmart store just north of the Carlsbad border wants to launch drone deliveries that would reach most of the city by next year.
Representatives of the Walmart on Marron Road in Oceanside have asked the city to install 12 take-off and landing pads in the store's parking lot for drones that would deliver lightweight purchases within a six-mile radius, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. That radius covers most of Carlsbad, along with large parts of Oceanside, Vista and San Marcos.
The service, operated by Alphabet's Wing drone subsidiary, would make North County one of the first areas in California to receive retail drone delivery. Walmart needs a conditional use permit from the Oceanside City Council before flights can begin, and deliveries could start in 2027.
"We are still in the preliminary discussions with Walmart for drone deliveries," Brian Thomas, Oceanside's acting development services director, said in an email to the Union-Tribune on Wednesday, Aug. 19. Thomas said the talks have covered logistics, FAA requirements, police concerns and broader city issues.
What it would look like
The proposed drone "nest" would occupy 28 parking spaces on the southern side of the store's 12.47-acre property, just west of College Boulevard near state Route 78. An eight-foot-tall coated aluminum fence would surround the pad, which includes a storage container and battery supply.
Wing's drones weigh 17.2 pounds, carry loads up to five pounds and cruise at speeds up to 60 mph. They fly above 150 feet, transition between airplane-like and helicopter-like flight, and lower purchases on a tether to a designated spot such as a front yard. A typical delivery flight takes five minutes or less, with average order-to-door time of 23 minutes.
Items available include food, over-the-counter medicine and household goods. Deliveries are free for Walmart+ members on a trial basis; non-members pay $19.99 per delivery.
Permit hurdles ahead
Under Oceanside's municipal code, the commercial drone hub requires a discretionary conditional use permit and environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. Walmart has scheduled a meeting with Oceanside city planners for the week of Aug. 25 to review the proposal, according to the Union-Tribune report.
The FAA allows Wing drones to operate below 400 feet. Oceanside police and fire departments have additional restrictions during emergencies such as fires.
Not every community has welcomed the idea. In July, the Castle Rock Town Council in Colorado enacted a moratorium on retail drone-delivery applications after Walmart requested a similar Wing launch site, citing zoning gaps around land use and neighborhood noise.
National expansion hits California
Walmart has partnered with Wing since 2023. The company reached 1 million drone deliveries from 66 stores in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas as of May and is approaching 2 million total, according to Fortune. In June, Walmart announced it would expand Wing service to seven new metro areas including San Diego, building toward more than 270 drone delivery locations by 2027.
No drone delivery service currently operates in California. Amazon briefly tested its system in Lockeford, in the Central Valley, in 2024 but has not flown in the state since.
A Walmart spokesperson declined to comment on the company's California plans as of Aug. 19.
Carlsbad residents who want to weigh in on the proposal can monitor Oceanside's development services agenda for the conditional use permit hearing date, which has not yet been scheduled.
