Citrus Heights HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

The city allows short-term rentals with a license, and tells hosts to check their CC&Rs and HOA rules first. A Short-Term Rental Business License is required before any stay of 30 days or less (Chapter 22, Article IV). Between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., occupancy is capped at two people per bedroom plus two. Hosts owe the 12 percent transient occupancy tax. Our copy of section 22-453 lists townhomes and condominiums as eligible and says the chapter does not supersede association rules. Civil Code 4741 lets an association prohibit rentals of 30 days or less.

Rented condominiums are covered by the city’s Rental Housing Inspection Program. The city defines a rental as any dwelling unit not occupied by the owner of record. Section 50-247 requires registration every year, with annual fees. Units built in the past five years, or inspected by another agency, can apply for an exemption. Our copy of section 50-248 caps routine inspections at once every three years. Confirm with the program. Registration is the unit owner’s duty.

The city allows ADUs under Zoning Code section 106.42.015 and does not require added off-street parking for them. A detached ADU may be up to 1,200 square feet and generally 18 feet tall, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks. ADUs built after January 1, 2020 may not be rented for 30 days or less. Civil Code 4751 stops CC&Rs from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting ADUs on single-family lots.

On public streets, no vehicle may stay parked for more than 72 consecutive hours (section 94-267). Motor homes and boat trailers have the same limit in residential districts, and moving one less than 300 feet does not reset the clock. Section 94-281 bars commercial vehicles from parking on city streets except to load and unload. On residential lots, section 50-146 allows a registered, working RV, boat or trailer in the front yard only on a paved driveway or required parking space.

Rules depend on your water provider. Citrus Heights Water District reports a Normal stage with restrictions removed as of April 20, 2023. It asks customers to water between dusk and dawn and has no lawn-removal rebate now. California American Water recommends watering three days a week (odd addresses Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, even addresses Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and lists turf rebates starting at $2 per square foot. Confirm Sacramento Suburban Water District’s schedule with the district. Under AB 1572, HOA common areas may not use potable water on nonfunctional turf from January 1, 2029. Civil Code 4735 bars banning low-water plants or artificial turf.

Removing or pruning a protected tree needs a city Tree Permit. Zoning Code Chapter 106.39 and the city’s tree pages protect native oaks of 6 inches or more in diameter, other mature trees of 19 inches or more, and trees the city required to be planted or preserved. City sources differ on detail. The code says any pruning needs a permit, while the city’s tree page exempts branches of 2 inches or less. The city also says lots under 10,000 square feet are exempt, which the code limits to single-dwelling parcels. Ask Planning before work on a common-area tree.

Owners must clear dry grass and brush at least 30 feet from structures, combustible fences and vehicles (section 102-161). The city treats a severely overgrown front lawn as a violation, and our copy of section 50-146 sets the line at half the lawn over 12 inches. The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District inspects from May through November.

Citrus Heights has an interior noise limit written for attached housing. Section 34-87 limits noise measured inside a neighboring apartment, condominium or townhome unit between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., with 55 dBA as the ceiling at any time. Construction noise is not allowed between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weekdays, or between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekends (section 34-88). Property maintenance is allowed from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.