Folsom HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Folsom taxes short stays, and we found no separate short-term rental permit program. FMC Chapter 3.14 sets an 8% tax on stays of 30 consecutive days or less, and operators must register. The business and zoning titles have no short-term rental chapter, but FMC 17.27 requires a use permit for a bed and breakfast inn, and the city says a tax certificate does not authorize an unlawful rental. Confirm with Planning. Accessory dwelling units can be rented only for 30 days or longer (FMC 17.105.070). Civil Code 4741 lets an association prohibit rentals of 30 days or less.

Folsom rewrote its ADU chapter in 2026 (FMC 17.105, Ordinance 1361). Standard ADUs can be up to 850 square feet with one bedroom or 1,000 with two or more, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks. Attached ADUs are also capped at 50% of the primary home. Junior ADUs are capped at 500 square feet. Civil Code 4751 voids CC&R terms that prohibit or unreasonably restrict ADUs on single-family lots.

RVs and utility trailers cannot be stored on a street, and the section covers public and private streets (FMC 10.20.280). Stored means not moved at least one mile within 72 hours. Fines are $50, $100 and $300 within a year. No vehicle may be parked on a lawn, front yard or side yard except on a paved driveway or approved pad, and a new driveway must leave at least 40% of the front setback landscaped or permeable (FMC 10.20.470). A guest may sleep in an RV in a driveway for up to ten days in a calendar month (FMC 9.100.040).

Sprinklers may not run between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. at any time of year (FMC 13.26.050). Drip irrigation is exempt. The same section treats runoff as waste and requires leaks to be fixed within five working days. The city offers rebates for smart irrigation controllers and other water-saving upgrades. Civil Code 4735 bars an HOA from banning low-water plants or artificial turf, and AB 1572 ends potable water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas on January 1, 2029.

A permit is needed to remove or heavily prune a protected tree, including on HOA land (FMC 12.16). Native oaks are protected at 6 inches in diameter for a single trunk or 20 inches combined for a multi-trunk tree. Heritage trees (species on the city’s master tree list, over 30 inches) and street trees within 12.5 feet of a street or sidewalk are also covered, even when privately owned. Cutting a branch or root 2 inches or larger counts as major pruning. Topping is prohibited. Removal usually requires inch-for-inch replacement or an in-lieu fee. The penalty for unpermitted removal is at least twice that fee.

Weeds and dry growth must be cleared by June 1 each year (FMC 8.37.100). The Fire Department inspects vacant lots and Code Enforcement inspects residential property. The local fire code calls for 30 feet of clearance around buildings on or next to grass or brush land, and up to 100 feet where the fire code official finds extra hazard. The official may also require at least 10 feet cleared on each side of a public or private road (FMC 8.36.080). If the city does the work, the cost becomes a lien.

Construction noise is exempt from the noise limits only from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends (FMC 8.42.060). Residential property maintenance is exempt from those start times until dusk.