Castaic HOA Guide: County Rules for Boards and Owners

The county’s annual report on Castaic for fiscal year 2023-24 lists “nine current and one proposed” Landscape Maintenance District zones. Their services include irrigation, pruning, weed control, litter and debris pickup, v-ditch and bench drain cleanup, backflow testing, tree maintenance and brush clearance.

The county’s engineer’s report for fiscal year 2026-27 describes these zones as located in the unincorporated community of Castaic:

The two county documents count the zones differently, nine in the annual report and seven in the engineer’s report, so check your property tax bill to see which zone, if any, applies to your parcels. In 2026 the Board set a July 28 public hearing on the annual assessments, and the levy takes effect when the Board adopts the confirming resolution after that hearing.

Several zones have cut service for lack of money. If a slope next to your community is in one of them, find out exactly what the county still maintains before you assume it is covered, or before your landscaper starts work on it.

Mello-Roos. Public Works says the William S. Hart Union High School District formed Community Facilities District No. 2021-1 to finance public facilities for the Williams Ranch development, about 497 homes planned north of Hasley Canyon Road near Del Valle Road. We did not find a full list of Mello-Roos districts in Castaic, so check the special taxes on your property tax bill.

In unincorporated Los Angeles County, a host who rents out a primary residence, or rooms in it, for stays of 30 days or less needs a registration certificate from the Treasurer and Tax Collector. The county’s October 2024 FAQ says:

• Fee. Registration took effect October 7, 2024, with an annual fee of $914. Confirm the current amount with the county.
• Primary residence only. The host must live on the property at least 275 days a calendar year. Accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs cannot be used.
• Guests. No more than two people per bedroom, plus two, with a cap of 12 per booking.
• Tax. Hosts charge a transient occupancy tax of 12% of the rent.
• HOA rules. Registration is allowed only if any homeowners association, condominium, lease or rental agreement does not prohibit short-term rentals. The ordinance does not override those restrictions or grant any right to rent.

The zoning side is now settled too. The Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance No. 2024-0054 on October 8, 2024, effective November 7, 2024. It adds short-term rentals to the county zoning code with the same two-per-bedroom-plus-two limit and 12-guest cap, and bars their use in ADUs, garages, sheds, vehicles and temporary structures such as tents.

The county can fine hosting platforms up to $1,000 a day for listing unregistered properties. Its registration page also notes that some short-term rental restrictions have been suspended to house people affected by the fires, so ask the Short-Term Rentals Unit at (213) 974-2011 whether that affects your area. Complaints go to the 24-hour hotline at (213) 371-1070.

The Sheriff’s Santa Clarita Valley Station covers Castaic, Hasley Canyon and Val Verde. Its parking enforcement team takes requests by email through the station’s parking page. The Sheriff’s Parking Enforcement Detail says:

• It issues red tags, a 72-hour notice to move a vehicle, and answers emailed requests within 24 hours.
• Urgent problems, such as a blocked driveway or fire hydrant, go to the station by phone at (661) 260-4000.
• Citations are paid or questioned at (866) 561-9744.

The county’s annual report says the Santa Clarita Valley Station had two parking control officers and issued 2,229 parking citations in fiscal year 2023-24.

Oversized vehicles. County Code section 15.64.075 bars vehicles more than 8 feet wide, 7½ feet tall or 20 feet long from public roads without a permit, but only inside designated districts. Public Works says there are eight existing districts, and a Sheriff’s fact sheet says the Board adopted an expansion to more communities on March 3, 2026. None of the district lists we read names Castaic or any other Santa Clarita Valley community, so check your address on the Public Works district map before you rely on this rule.

The Sheriff’s and Public Works documents do not address private streets. If your community has private streets, ask the station how it handles them before your board writes a parking rule that depends on county enforcement.

Oak trees in unincorporated areas fall under the Oak Tree Permit Ordinance, Chapter 22.174 of the county zoning code. Regional Planning’s 2025 overview of the current ordinance says:

• A protected oak is any living oak with one trunk 8 inches in diameter, measured 4½ feet above natural grade. For a multi-trunk oak, the two largest trunks together must total 12 inches.
• Oaks planted as a requirement of a county permit or code are protected at any size.
• The protected zone runs 5 feet past the dripline, or 15 feet from the trunk, whichever is greater.
• A permit needs an application, an oak tree report, an oak tree protection plan, a counseling meeting with Planning and fees. It may also require mitigation and a public hearing. The county tracks three kinds of impact: pruning, encroachment and removal.

Regional Planning is updating the ordinance. Its program page says a public draft is planned for “this fall/winter,” with no date set. Call the Oak Tree Program at (213) 974-6476 or email oaktree@planning.lacounty.gov before anyone prunes an oak, removes one or works near its roots.

The Castaic Area Community Standards District. The Board of Supervisors adopted it on November 30, 2004, effective December 30, 2004. The county’s map shows area-specific standards for Castaic Creek, Hasley Canyon, Val Verde, Violin Canyon, a trucking district and the Northlake and Newhall Ranch specific plan areas, and a separate map marks significant ridgelines. The county’s 2003 environmental notice said the district would protect the area’s rural character, significant ridgelines, locally native plants and oak trees, and would cover signs and development standards. The ordinance text would not open for us, so ask Regional Planning how it applies before an architectural or landscape project.

SCV Water was created January 1, 2018 under Senate Bill 634, which merged three Santa Clarita Valley water agencies. Its 2019 water report refers to the “former Castaic Lake Water Agency.” Inside Castaic, more than one system serves homes:

Your water bill tells you which one serves your community. SCV Water’s page for HOA and large-landscape customers lists turf replacement at $5 per square foot, smart irrigation controllers at $50 per active station, drip conversion at $1 per square foot, nozzles at up to $12 each and 80% of the cost of pressure regulation. It also offers a free landscape irrigation survey at (888) 987-9473. Public Works says District 36 customers should check the separate eligibility rules for its grass replacement rebate. Confirm amounts before you plan around them.

A 2023 state law, AB 1572, bars using drinking water on nonfunctional turf. The State Water Board says HOA common areas must stop by January 1, 2029. Associations with more than 5,000 square feet of irrigated common area must certify compliance by June 30, 2031 and every three years after that until 2040. Trees can still be watered, and the homes themselves are not covered.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Defensible Space Unit enforces brush clearance on improved parcels in unincorporated areas. Castaic is served by Fire Station 149 on Ridge Route, with parts served by Station 143 on Hasley Canyon Road and Station 76 in Valencia. The department’s 2026 annual notice sets these rules:

If work is not done 30 days after an Official Inspection Report, the notice says the owner faces a $500 administrative fine and a $1,647 assessment on the property tax bill. The 2026 inspection fee is $151, billed on the 2027 tax bill. The 5-foot “Zone Zero” rules under AB 3074 were not final, and the notice says the State Board of Forestry expects to decide them in 2026.

Landscape district Zones 37 and 38 include brush clearance acreage, while Zone 55 will no longer get it. Ask the county what it clears near you, and make sure your own contract covers the rest. To check a parcel’s fire hazard severity zone, use the county GIS viewer the department points to, or call the Defensible Space Unit at (626) 969-2375.