Big Bear Lake HOA Guide: Water, Vacation Rentals and Fire

The city calls short-term rentals vacation rentals and runs a license program. A county Registrar of Voters analysis written for a 2022 ballot measure described the rules then in place: about 2,600 licenses issued, up to two licenses per owner, each unit of a duplex, triplex or fourplex licensed separately, and a vacation rental defined as a lease of 28 or fewer consecutive days.

That analysis is from 2022. A citizen initiative to change the rules was on that ballot, and the page we read does not say what became of it. We therefore cannot tell you what the license cap or contract limits are today.

The city’s registration page lists what applicants must do:

• A new application needs proof of ownership, identification of everyone behind an LLC, trust or corporation, and proof of liability insurance.
• Renewals are submitted within 60 days of expiration. A license expires one year from payment.
• A new home must be ready for inspection within 30 days of payment, and the inspection checklist applies for the whole license period.
• The owner must name a Check-In Agent and a 24/7 Complaint Response Agent who lives within 15 miles of the city boundaries.
• The owner must remit TOT and TBID amounts that booking platforms do not collect.

The page shows no fee amounts and does not mention HOA permission. Whether your CC&Rs allow rentals is a separate question, so check your governing documents.

DWP’s Water Conservation Program policy (Resolution 2014-02, last amended April 27, 2021) includes these rules:

• No outdoor watering from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. between April 1 and November 1, unless you use non-potable water or hold a DWP permit.
• No watering within 48 hours of measurable rain.
• Alternate days by address: even addresses on even days and odd addresses on odd days.
• Irrigation systems are shut off and winterized from November 1 through April 1.
• No runoff. Irrigation leaks must be fixed within 30 days. No hosing paved surfaces, and hoses need shutoff nozzles.
• No turf on slopes steeper than 25% or in parkways under 10 feet wide. Sprinklers only on turf or high-water groundcover, with drip or bubblers for other plantings. Decorative fountains must recirculate.

Penalties can include termination of service. The policy also describes a misdemeanor (the policy lists $1,000 and 30 days as the limits) or civil liability of up to $10,000 plus $500 for each extra day. Water shortage stages are set in a separate plan that we did not read.

The Big Bear City Community Services District serves Big Bear City. Its business line is (909) 585-2565, after hours (909) 585-2567, at 139 East Big Bear Boulevard. We did not read its conservation rules, so do not assume the DWP policy applies there.

DWP’s customer service page lists these rebates:

The page does not say whether HOAs or commercial accounts qualify. Call DWP at (909) 866-5050 before you buy anything or tear out turf.

A state law passed in 2023, AB 1572, limits the use of drinking water on nonfunctional turf, including in HOA common areas. We state no start date here. Confirm with your water provider when and how it applies to your common areas.

San Bernardino County Land Use Services runs a Fire Hazard Abatement program under County Code Sections 23.0301 to 23.0319. It covers unincorporated areas and contracting cities and fire districts. Owners get 30 days to abate after a notice, and mountain regions get one survey in the summer.

The county’s page does not say whether the program covers the City of Big Bear Lake. The county’s June 2025 mountain inspection announcement lists other mountain communities and does not list Big Bear.

The Big Bear Fire Department’s website would not open for us, so we could not confirm which agency does abatement inspections or sets defensible space dates inside city limits. Ask the city before you schedule slope or vegetation work. The county’s Fire Hazard Abatement office is at (909) 387-8311.

We did not reach an official page on snow removal, winter parking or snow storage. The city’s website blocked our research tool, and our searches returned rules from other states, which we did not use.

These rules affect plowing contracts and towing, so ask the city before your board writes or enforces a winter parking rule. As general good practice, not a legal requirement, put snow removal and snow storage into your vendor contract and your budget.

Our research found nothing on an official page for the following. Ask the city before you rely on any of them:

• Tree permits and protected tree rules.
• Noise and construction hours.
• Community facilities districts and assessment districts.
• Phone numbers for Code Enforcement and Planning, and the police contact for parking.