HOA & Resources
Get oriented with how our HOA works — and the rights every California homeowner has.
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Preview — still coming together. Everything here is general California law and standard HOA practice, not legal advice and not specific to any current community matter. Spot an error? Tell me in the group chat.
Know your documents
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CC&Rs — the rulebook that runs with your deed
Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions: what you can and can't do with your property, what the HOA maintains, and how assessments work. You agreed to these when you bought — worth actually reading once.
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Bylaws — how the association itself runs
Board size, terms, officer roles, meeting and election mechanics. This is the document to check when you wonder "can the board even do that?"
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Architectural guidelines & operating rules
Paint palettes, landscaping standards, parking rules, and the approval process for exterior changes. Submit the request before the work — retroactive approvals are the hard way.
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Where to get them
They're in your escrow/closing packet, and every owner is entitled to copies from the association (California Civil Code 5205) — request them through the management company. Buying or selling? The seller must provide them.
Your rights under California law
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Board meetings are open to you Civil Code 4900–4955
The Open Meeting Act: members may attend board meetings, agendas are posted in advance, and there's an open forum where any member can speak. Boards can only handle limited topics (like personnel or litigation) in closed executive session.
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You can inspect the records Civil Code 5200–5240
Budgets, meeting minutes, vendor contracts, reserve studies, and more — put the request in writing and the association must produce them. This is how "where do our dues go?" gets answered with documents instead of rumors.
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You can speak up and organize Civil Code 4515
Peacefully assembling, canvassing neighbors, distributing flyers about community matters, and criticizing the board are all protected — the association can't retaliate or charge you a fee for it.
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Elections have real rules Civil Code 5100–5145
Director elections use secret ballots with independent inspectors of elections, and members can inspect the voter list and ballots afterward.
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Improvements they can shape but not ban
California protects solar panels (Civil Code 714), EV chargers (4745), drought-tolerant landscaping (4735), and even clotheslines (4750). The HOA can apply reasonable aesthetic standards — it can't say no outright.
Section numbers refer to the California Civil Code (the "Davis-Stirling Act"). Always read the actual text — linked below — before acting on it.
If you disagree with the HOA
- Start a paper trail. Write to the management company — email is fine — and keep it factual: what happened, what you're asking for, by when. Most issues end here.
- Ask for IDR — "internal dispute resolution." A free, informal meet-and-confer between you and a board member. The association must participate if you request it (Civil Code 5910).
- ADR before court. For most enforcement disputes, California requires an offer of alternative dispute resolution (mediation or arbitration) before anyone can sue (Civil Code 5930).
- Small claims still works. For money disputes up to the small-claims limit, you can go directly — no lawyer needed.
Worth knowing: California has no state agency that regulates HOAs — the Davis-Stirling Act is enforced by members, through exactly these steps. That's why the paper trail matters.
The productive path — get involved
- Show up once a quarter. A board meeting with members in the room runs differently than an empty one. Bring one clear question.
- Read the minutes. Fifteen minutes of minutes beats an hour of group-chat speculation about what the board decided.
- Run for the board. Boards are volunteers from this community — if you have opinions and a spreadsheet habit, that's the qualification.
- Bring an agenda item. One with real money attached: Firewise USA recognition can earn every home here a 5–15% insurance discount and builds directly on the brush-clearance work.
📬 Who to contact: every owner receives the management company's contact info in their welcome packet and billing statements. We'll list the confirmed contact here once it's verified — until then, check your closing documents or ask in the community chat.