Carpinteria HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Carpinteria’s short-term rental rules took effect July 1, 2017, under Ordinance No. 708. A short-term rental is a stay of 30 consecutive days or less, and every one in a residential zone needs a city license. In commercial zones, a bed and breakfast or similar rental needs a permit.

Only owners can apply for a license. The city’s rules do not mention homeowners associations, so a license does not override your CC&Rs. California Civil Code section 4741 does not stop an association from prohibiting rentals of 30 days or less.

Ordinance No. 778, adopted July 8, 2024, rewrote Municipal Code chapter 8.52. Its multi-unit housing rules took effect July 1, 2025. They cover any property with two or more units, and the definition names condominium complexes. Mobile home parks and single-family homes, even with an ADU or junior ADU, are excluded.

• Smoking is prohibited in all units and common areas, including private balconies, porches, decks and patios.
• Common areas are defined broadly: courtyards, parking lots, pools, playgrounds and landscaped areas all count.
• Smoking includes tobacco, cannabis and electronic smoking devices such as vapes.
• There is a narrow exception for smoking medical cannabis inside a unit with a doctor’s recommendation.

An association may set up a designated outdoor smoking area on its property, but only if it is clearly marked and signed, well lit and has ash cans. It must be at least 25 feet from doorways, openings and access ways, or no less than 15 feet where space is tight. The area cannot stay if consistent secondhand smoke complaints are filed with the city.

The ordinance gives associations real duties. Under section 8.52.090, associations and landlords must give each unit a copy of the chapter and written notice, and sellers of condo units must give one to buyers. An association that learns of a violation must investigate and follow through with written notice. Condo sales contracts made on or after July 1, 2025 must disclose the rules.

The City Council approved its current ADU ordinance, Ordinance No. 758, on January 23, 2023, after a Coastal Commission action letter in December 2022. It took effect February 22, 2023.

• The city offers two prototype plans for a new detached ADU, at 400 and 480 square feet.
• Even with a prototype plan, the city says an ADU needs a Coastal Development Permit and a building permit.
• Architects and designers can also submit plans for city preapproval, and owners can buy those preapproved plans.

For an association, the practical questions are where the unit goes, whether it touches common area and how it affects parking and utilities. Expect owners to ask, and make sure your architectural review process can handle an ADU application on a reasonable timeline.

Code Compliance and the Sheriff’s Department share parking enforcement, and the Sheriff’s Department contracts with Duncan Solutions to process tickets. Report parking concerns to the city at (805) 755-4418 on weekdays or (805) 755-4413 on weekends, both 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or through the online contact page. The city’s parking page does not set a separate size limit for RVs on the street.

On private association streets and lots, your own parking rules and state towing law do most of the work.

Section 15.16.170 sets the hours for any construction work that needs a city permit:

Section 15.16.180 allows after-hours or emergency permits. These hours are generous, so many associations write shorter working hours into their own rules and vendor contracts, especially for roofing and paving in attached communities. The city code’s street tree chapter (12.28) covers trees, shrubs and plants in the public right-of-way.

The Carpinteria Valley Water District serves the city. Its board lowered the drought condition to Stage 0 under Ordinance 24-1, effective April 26, 2024. That was still the stage listed when we checked. The district gets most of its water from the Cachuma Project, plus State Water and the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin.

Stage 0 still comes with rules that hit association landscaping directly:

The district requires pre-approval for its residential turf rebate and says the program is not retroactive. The lawn must be living, irrigation must be upgraded and at least three water-wise plants are needed per 100 square feet. Weather-based irrigation controllers can earn up to $80 each, up to 10 for commercial accounts. Rebates run through the California Water Efficiency Partnership’s Smart Rebate program, and questions go to the district at (805) 684-2816, ext. 116.

Civil Code section 4735 stops an association from banning low-water plants or artificial turf on an owner’s lot. AB 1572 (2023) bars the use of drinking water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas starting January 1, 2029, but CVWD’s Stage 0 rule already reaches decorative grass in common areas.

The Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District’s wildfire prevention guidance covers points every association should check:

• Remove all flammable vegetation within 30 feet of structures, and thin or remove more between 30 and 100 feet.
• Stack firewood and combustibles at least 30 feet from structures, and keep branches at least 10 feet from chimneys.
• Clear rain gutters, and remove dead branches over roofs and piles of debris near buildings.
• Driveways need 13 feet 6 inches of overhead clearance for fire trucks.
• Gates need fire district access, such as a key switch or padlock the district approves.
• Address numbers must contrast with their background and be at least 4 inches tall.

The gate rule matters most for gated communities. If your gate or access system has changed, confirm the fire district can still get in. The district’s Community Risk Reduction Division also offers defensible space inspections.

CAL FIRE’s Office of the State Fire Marshal released new local fire hazard severity zone maps in four phases ending March 24, 2025. Its online viewer shows the zone for any address. We did not find a city or fire district page explaining how the new maps apply inside Carpinteria, so look up each address and ask the fire district. When a home in a high or very high zone is sold, state law can require the seller to give the buyer documentation of defensible space compliance, or to sign an agreement for the buyer to get it, depending on whether the local agency has an inspection ordinance or offers inspections (Civil Code section 1102.19).

These charges appear as line items on the property tax bill and are separate from association dues. In 2026 the city held a Proposition 218 ballot on replacing both, and we could not confirm the result, so check the city’s assessment districts page. The existing districts are:

The city says costs have risen far faster than the assessments, with the General Fund covering the gap. Check a recent tax bill or ask the city which assessments apply to your parcels.

The city’s rules are in Municipal Code 8.08.800. Under SB 1383, all residents, businesses and multifamily properties must recycle organic waste, including food, paper, cardboard and yard waste, and multifamily properties must take part in a recycling and organics collection program. E.J. Harrison is the city’s hauler.

• The city offers free tenant posters on food waste recycling and sorting guides in English and Spanish.
• Property managers can ask for a city pop-up event to teach residents how to sort.
• Free kitchen collection pails are available at City Hall.