Brea HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Brea’s zoning code has barred rentals of less than 30 consecutive days since 2018. On January 20, 2026, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1270, which added Chapter 5.32 to the City Code and created a limited pilot program. It runs until December 31, 2029, unless the Council extends or changes it. The rules include:

• Cap: 100 licenses citywide: 25 in the Northwest sector, 50 in the Southwest and 25 in the East. Licenses are given out by lottery within each sector, with a waitlist, and applications are taken in phases.
• Who can apply: the property owner, not a renter. Single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes, condominiums and other multifamily units can qualify. ADUs, junior ADUs and RVs cannot, and neither can a property with an active code case.
• Stays and guests: a two-night minimum, and the city’s page says renters must be at least 25. Overnight occupancy limits go up with the number of bedrooms.
• Parking: one on-site space for every four overnight guests. Overnight street parking is not part of the license.
• Local contact: available 24 hours a day, answering by phone or text within 15 minutes and coming in person when a complaint calls for it.
• Fee and tax: a $1,000 license fee, set by Resolution No. 2026-03, plus the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax.

Here is the part that matters most for boards. If a property is governed by a homeowners association, Section 5.32.040 asks the applicant to show that the association’s rules do not prohibit short-term rentals, and the city’s page lists HOA approval, if applicable, as a condition of eligibility. A clear rental rule in your documents gives owners a straight answer before they apply.

Licensing questions go to Economic Development at (714) 990-7788. Loud parties go to the Brea Police Department at (714) 990-7911, and other problems to Code Enforcement at (714) 990-7764.

Brea has its own fire department. Its weed abatement program generally runs one clearing cycle a year, covering property lines, road frontages and buildings, and owners get a notice telling them what to clear. The most recent letter we found, dated April 1, 2025, told hillside owners that Brea is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and set these terms:

• Remove weeds, rubbish and other combustible material by May 1, and keep the property clear the rest of the year.
• Fire Prevention inspections start May 1 and repeat through the year.
• Inspection fees begin with the third failed inspection, at $100, then $200 and $300. The city may also clear the property and bill the owner.

We did not find a 2026 letter, so call Fire Prevention at (714) 990-7787 to confirm this year’s date. The city’s Annual Brush Clearance and Safety Guide gives this checklist:

• Cut grass and weeds to 3 inches or less across the whole property.
• On trees 18 feet or taller, trim lower branches to 6 feet off the ground, and keep branches 10 feet from chimneys.
• Remove dead trees, branches and bushes, and clear leaves and needles from roofs and gutters.
• Keep vegetation 3 feet back from the road edge and 13 feet 6 inches clear above the roadway.
• Keep 3 feet clear around fire hydrants, and post reflective address numbers at least 4 inches tall.

The guide also advises against clearing brush between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. or on Red Flag days, and says all fireworks are prohibited in Brea. On April 25, 2026, the Carbon Fire started near Carbon Canyon Road and Olinda Road in Brea, under a unified command of OCFA, the Brea Fire Department and Brea Police.

When a home in a High or Very High zone is sold, Civil Code section 1102.19 requires the seller to provide documentation that the property meets defensible space rules, or the buyer agrees to get it within a year of closing. OCFA’s disclosure page sends Brea owners to the city’s fire department at (714) 990-7655 for these inspections.

Brea’s outdoor watering rules come from its Water Shortage Contingency Response Ordinance, Ordinance 1221, adopted June 1, 2021. The city’s page lists:

Report water waste to Public Works at (714) 990-7691 with the address and the date and time you saw it. The Yorba Linda Water District also serves portions of Brea, and its page says it has no watering-day limits right now, so check the bill for each common-area meter to see whose rules apply.

Brea’s Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, Ordinance 1179, adopted December 15, 2015, applies to new landscapes of 500 square feet or more and rehabilitated landscapes of 2,500 square feet or more when the project needs a building or landscape permit, plan check or plan review. A large common-area renovation could fall under it, so ask the city before you sign a landscape contract.

Under AB 1572, the 2023 state law on nonfunctional turf, HOA and common interest development common areas must stop watering nonfunctional turf with drinking water by January 1, 2029. The State Water Board says functional turf is mowed grass in a recreation area or community space, and owners’ own residential yards are not covered. Associations with more than 5,000 square feet of irrigated common area must self-certify compliance by June 30, 2031.

MWDOC says rebate amounts may vary by participating agency, and its page does not say how HOA common areas are treated. Call its turf program at (714) 593-5036 before you start work.

Vehicles that break these rules can be cited or towed at the owner’s expense. Permit questions go to (714) 671-4406, and the Police Department’s non-emergency line is (714) 990-7911.

The city’s page points to City Code Chapter 10.36, Motor Vehicles on Private Property, for parking off the street. We did not find that chapter’s text, so we could not confirm whether the city enforces parking on private HOA streets. Ask the Police Department before you plan around it.