Orange County HOA Guide
Anaheim Hills HOA Guide: Fire Zones, Slopes and Hillside Rules
Anaheim Hills is part of the City of Anaheim, a city of an estimated 341,008 residents, so city rules apply here as they do everywhere else in Anaheim. Anaheim Fire & Rescue handles fire safety, and Anaheim Public Utilities offers the water and wildfire rebates. What sets the hills apart are the canyons, the slopes and the fire risk.
This guide collects the hillside rules an Anaheim Hills board runs into most often, and points you to the How2HOA guide that explains what to do about each one. Citywide rules on short-term rentals, parking and construction hours are in our Anaheim guide.
Local rules on this page were checked against the City of Anaheim’s website and municipal code, Anaheim Public Utilities, Anaheim Fire & Rescue, the State CEQA database, the Orange County Fire Authority and the State Water Resources Control Board on November 3, 2026. The main online municipal code would not open for us, so the code sections cited here come from the publisher’s mirror copy, and only parts of the hillside grading chapter would open. We did not find a city page that sets the boundaries of Anaheim Hills itself. This page covers only what we could confirm on official pages. Confirm the current rule before you act on it. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
At a glance
Anaheim Hills HOAs at a glance
The city does not publish a count of Anaheim Hills associations or a typical dues figure, so we do not quote one. Its own code and planning documents do show where hillside associations carry extra duties:
Local rules
Rules that apply in Anaheim Hills
Three layers of rules apply to an Anaheim Hills association. State law comes first, mainly the Davis-Stirling Act. City ordinances apply to every property, whether or not it is in an HOA. Your governing documents can then be stricter than the city in most areas, and state law limits them in a few. On the hillsides, the conditions attached to your tract when it was approved can matter too. The city’s hillside grading procedures, for example, use them to assign trail upkeep to the association.
Fire hazard zones and the wildland edgeThe city says the wildfire threat is greatest in east Anaheim.
CAL FIRE maps land as moderate, high or very high fire hazard, and the city says CAL FIRE updated the zones in spring 2025. The city’s fire page says the threat is particularly present in east Anaheim. A June 2025 city environmental report for an Anaheim Hills project adds two points worth knowing:
- All areas of the city east of SR-55 and south of SR-91 are part of the city’s wildland-urban interface.
- Santa Ana winds are strong, dry downslope winds that can exceed 75 miles per hour and often arrive at the end of the dry season.
Look up each common-area address on the zone map, online or at Anaheim West Tower, 201 S. Anaheim Blvd. The city’s Wildfire Mitigation Specialist takes questions at (714) 765-4039.
What to do about it: Wildfire Defensible Space for Foothill HOAs, and for coverage questions, Rising HOA Insurance Costs in California and the FAIR Plan. For what the association’s insurance has to cover, see California HOA insurance requirements.
Defensible space and home hardeningThe city describes two defensible space zones, and APU pays rebates for fire-resistant upgrades.
The city’s fire safety page describes defensible space in two zones:
Anaheim Public Utilities offers wildfire rebates, including $350 for ember-resistant attic vents and $0.35 per square foot, up to $750, for fire-resistant attic insulation. The city’s page also points to TreePower for free fire-resistant shade trees, and residents can book a one-on-one consultation with the city’s Wildfire Mitigation Specialist.
A seller of a home in a high or very high zone must give the buyer proof of defensible space compliance, under Civil Code section 1102.19. Anaheim handles its own inspections, at (714) 765-4040. As general good practice, decide in writing which parts of each zone the association maintains and which belong to owners, because on a hillside lot the 100 feet often crosses into common area.
What to do about it: How to Minimize Homeowners Association Liability and Exclusive Use Common Area Explained for sorting out who maintains what.
City brush clearing in the canyonsIn September 2026 the city filed notice of a fuel reduction project in Anaheim Hills.
On September 8, 2026, the City of Anaheim filed a notice with the state for an Anaheim Hills Hazardous Fuels Reduction project. It covers fuel management of invasive and fire-prone plants, including giant reed, palms, pampas grass, mustard and ladder fuels, next to residential neighborhoods and very high fire hazard areas. The notice lists ZIP code 92807 and nearby features including SR-91, SR-241 and the Santa Ana River.
The notice does not say which parcels are public or private, so do not assume the city’s crews will clear association land. The city’s 2025 environmental report also notes that goat grazing has been used in recent years to reduce fuel near Deer Canyon Park Preserve. Questions about the project go to the city’s project planner at (714) 765-4463.
What to do about it: Managing Outside Vendors for Your HOA for coordinating your own brush crews, and Planning Your HOA Budget to price the work.
Specimen trees in the Scenic CorridorRemoving or heavily trimming a large oak, pepper or sycamore needs a permit.
Chapter 18.18 of the Municipal Code protects specimen trees in the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone, to preserve the natural beauty of the Santa Ana Canyon. Section 18.18.020 places the zone east of the SR-55 and SR-91 interchange, west of the county line, south of the railroad and north of the city’s south limits, except the Anaheim Canyon Specific Plan area.
- What counts: an oak with a trunk of 25 inches or more around, or a pepper or sycamore of 50 inches or more, measured 4 feet above the ground.
- What needs a permit: destroying a specimen tree, which includes cutting, removing, topping or pruning it to a harmful degree as a City Arborist decides.
- Simpler cases: dead or dangerous trees and trees removed on a Fire Department order can get an administrative permit, with an arborist report. Other requests go to the Planning Commission.
- Replacement: generally a 36-inch box tree, and one to three replacements depending on the trunk size of the tree removed.
- Penalty: a violation is a misdemeanor.
One exemption matters for associations. Trees a homeowner planted as part of an original landscape plan are exempt only if they cannot be seen from a public or private street and are not on a commonly viewed slope. So a large tree on a visible common-area slope is likely covered. Ask Planning before any big pruning job.
What to do about it: How to Hire a Contractor for Your Homeowners Association covers what to require of a tree service before work starts. For architectural review of owners’ projects, see California HOA architectural review and owner rights.
Who maintains the slopesThe hillside grading code hands slope care to the community association.
Chapter 17.06 of the Municipal Code covers grading, excavations and fills in the city’s hillside areas. Section 17.06.138 says planted slopes must be kept healthy. The developer waters and weeds them until the homes are sold or leased, and then a mandatory community association takes over as the tract’s CC&Rs provide.
- Maintenance includes restoring any slope disturbed by walls, fences, swimming pools and similar work.
- The landscape architect must prepare a brochure on watering and caring for the slopes, for buyers, renters and landscape companies.
- The city’s hillside grading procedures say an equestrian or hiking trail shown on a tract map is maintained by the homeowners association when the map’s conditions of approval require it.
As general good practice, find the slope brochure and the tract’s conditions of approval for your community, and give them to your landscape contractor. When an owner wants a pool or wall near a slope, your architectural review should cover how the slope will be restored.
What to do about it: Understanding HOA Reserve Studies for slope and drainage components, and How to Propose Changes to Your Property in an HOA. For who maintains what under state law, see California HOA maintenance and repair responsibilities.
Water and turf on the hillsidesHOA common areas must stop watering nonfunctional turf with drinking water by 2029.
Under AB 1572, HOA common areas must stop watering nonfunctional turf with drinking water by January 1, 2029. Anaheim Public Utilities offers HOAs a free one-hour landscape design consultation and planting concept for areas where turf will be replaced, at (714) 765-4218. Turf rebates through Metropolitan pay $2 per square foot, up to 50,000 square feet, with approval required before any grass comes out.
On a hillside, switching from grass to low-water plants changes how a slope drains and holds together. As general good practice, ask your landscape architect to check the slope brochure and drainage devices before you convert. The full water rules are in our Anaheim guide.
What to do about it: put the conversion in your numbers with Planning Your HOA Budget, then compare landscape bids with the Vendor Comparison Worksheet. For the California rules, see California HOA reserves.
Is this a lot for a volunteer board to track?
City rules, state law and your own documents all change, and someone has to keep up. If your Anaheim Hills board is deciding between managing itself and hiring help, start with Self-Managed vs. Professional HOA Management, or tell us about your community and we will send you options from affiliated management companies.
Compare HOA management optionsQuick answers
Questions Anaheim Hills board members ask
Is Anaheim Hills its own city?
No. It is part of the City of Anaheim, so Anaheim’s ordinances, fire department and utility apply. See our Anaheim guide for the citywide rules.
Is our community in a fire hazard zone?
Check each address on the city’s fire hazard zone map, online or at Anaheim West Tower. The city says the threat is greatest in east Anaheim. Call the Wildfire Mitigation Specialist at (714) 765-4039 with questions.
Do we need a permit to trim a big oak on our slope?
If it is a specimen tree in the Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone and the work would harm it, yes. A visible tree on a common-area slope is not covered by the homeowner exemption. Ask Planning before the work starts.
Who maintains the slopes in our tract?
The hillside grading code says a mandatory community association takes over slope watering and weeding after the developer, as the CC&Rs provide. Your CC&Rs and tract conditions decide the details.
Will the city clear brush on our common area?
Do not assume so. The city’s 2026 fuel reduction notice does not say which parcels are private. Call the city’s project planner at (714) 765-4463.
Do sellers need a fire inspection?
In a high or very high zone, the seller must give the buyer proof of defensible space compliance. Anaheim handles its own inspections at (714) 765-4040.
Calendar
An Anaheim Hills board’s year
The 2029 turf date is a legal requirement from the State Water Board, and the slope duty comes from the city’s hillside grading code. The seasonal items are general good practice, not legal requirements.
Keep the year on track: use the Board Meeting Checklist and the Annual HOA Budget Checklist.
Who to call
Anaheim Hills contacts for HOA boards
| Office | Phone | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim 311 | (714) 765-4311 | General city questions |
| Wildfire Mitigation Specialist | (714) 765-4039 | Fire hazard zones, home hardening and consultations |
| Anaheim Fire & Rescue inspections | (714) 765-4040 | Defensible space inspections for home sales |
| City project planner | (714) 765-4463 | The Anaheim Hills Hazardous Fuels Reduction project |
| Anaheim Public Utilities | (714) 765-3300 | Water service and billing |
| APU landscape programs | (714) 765-4218 | HOA design assistance and nonfunctional turf questions |
| Planning (landscape design) | (714) 765-5139 | Approval of front yard and parkway designs |
We did not find a phone number for specimen tree permits on the pages we reviewed. Ask Anaheim 311 to connect you with Planning. For emergencies, call 911.
Keep going
Where to go next on How2HOA
Sources for this guide
These sources open in a new tab.
City of Anaheim: Fire Hazard Severity Zones; Be Fire Safe rebates and defensible space; Anaheim Hills Festival Specific Plan Amendment draft EIR, section 4.20 wildfire (June 2025); Hillside Grading Plan Procedures; Municipal Code chapter 18.18, Scenic Corridor tree preservation; Municipal Code section 18.18.020, Scenic Corridor boundaries; Municipal Code section 17.06.010, hillside grading; Municipal Code section 17.06.138, slope planting maintenance; turf replacement for commercial properties and HOAs; CII and HOA Landscape Design Assistance Program; water conservation FAQ.
Other agencies: State CEQA database, Anaheim Hills Hazardous Fuels Reduction notice (September 2026); Orange County Fire Authority, defensible space disclosure; U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Anaheim.
California law: State Water Resources Control Board, nonfunctional turf (AB 1572) FAQ; Civil Code section 1102.19.
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Compare HOA management optionsBrowse all HOA topicsThis page is general educational information, not legal, financial or insurance advice. City ordinances and state law change, and your association’s governing documents control many of these questions, so check the current code and talk with your association’s attorney or another qualified professional about your situation.