El Cajon HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

The only official El Cajon page we found on short-term and vacation rentals is the Finance Department’s Transient Occupancy Tax page. It says short-term rentals are subject to the same tax as hotels: 10% of the rent, under Municipal Code Chapter 3.44. The operator must also hold an active City business license. Returns and payments go through the HdL online portal. HdL’s Lodging Tax Processing Center is at (619) 393-7108, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We could not find an official page on whether zoning allows short-term rentals, or whether there is a permit, a cap or a ban. We also found no city rule about HOA permission. The city’s code site and Code Compliance page would not open. Ask the city before you tell owners anything, and read your own CC&Rs, which can restrict rentals on their own.

• RV and trailer parking on city streets requires a free permit, applied for online. Each permit is valid for one day. A resident can hold up to three active permits at once and up to 52 a year. The city page cites Municipal Code 10.28.070.
• Commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds may not park on a street or alley for more than one hour in total between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The page references Municipal Code 10.28.080.

Abandoned vehicles, 72-hour violations and other parking problems go to the Police Traffic and Parking line at (619) 441-1632.

We could not open the code text for these sections, and we did not confirm the 72-hour section number. We also could not confirm whether the city enforces parking on private HOA streets.

Parkway trees, the ones in the strip between the curb and the sidewalk, are managed by the city. Owners must not trim or remove them. Owners water parkway trees and maintain trees behind the sidewalk. A free parkway tree is available after a planting agreement.

The city’s Requests and Issues page says trees on private property are the property owner’s responsibility. Public Works Parks and Urban Forestry is at (619) 441-1658.

We could not confirm whether El Cajon has a protected-tree ordinance for private property.

Heartland’s defensible space page says:

• Remove dead and dying material on all properties, and trim foliage at least 10 feet from chimney openings.
• Zone 0 (0 to 5 feet, ember-resistant) is required for new construction in very high fire hazard zones. For existing structures, the page says the state requirement starts in 2027.
• Zone 1 (5 to 30 feet) and Zone 2 (30 to 100 feet) apply in very high zones.
• Inspections under AB 38 apply to existing homes in high and very high zones at sale.

CAL FIRE released updated hazard maps on March 24, 2025, and Heartland posts them. We could not confirm whether or when the city adopted them by ordinance. Heartland also links an El Cajon Vegetation Management and Wildfire Mitigation Plan, which we did not read in full. We did not find an annual weed abatement deadline. Fire Prevention is at (619) 667-1355.

Helix Water District’s permanent rules apply at every level:

• No runoff onto hardscape, streets, structures or neighbors. Overspray and low-head drainage count as waste.
• No watering for 48 hours after one-quarter inch or more of rain.
• No watering turf on public street medians.
• No hosing down pavement except for safety or sanitation.
• A positive shut-off nozzle for car washing, and recirculated water in fountains.

Helix lists commercial rebates: turf replacement at $2 per square foot up to 5,000 square feet, with $100 for each qualifying tree up to five. Enroll before you remove any grass. Synthetic turf is not eligible. Other rebates cover soil moisture sensors from $35 a station, large rotary nozzles, spray nozzles, toilets and urinals. Funding is first come, first served. The page does not say whether HOA or multifamily accounts qualify. Water Conservation is at (619) 667-6226 for rules and (619) 667-6233 for rebates.

The city’s Requests and Issues page says loud TVs, stereos and parties are best handled by local police. The non-emergency line is (619) 579-3311. Barking dogs go to the San Diego Humane Society complaint form.

We could not confirm the construction-hour limits, the general noise ordinance or any leaf blower rule, because the code text would not open. Ask the city before you set contractor hours around a city rule.