French Valley HOA Guide: County Rules for Boards and Owners

In unincorporated Riverside County, a Short-Term Rental Certificate is required before anyone advertises a short-term rental. The Planning Department issues it after Code Enforcement passes an inspection of the property. Certificates are per property, renew every year and do not transfer on a sale.

Operators also need a separate transient occupancy tax certificate under Ordinance 495, which does not replace the rental certificate. Complaints go to the County’s 24-hour hotline at (951) 955-2004. The County has proposed further changes in a draft Ordinance 927.3, so check the Planning Department’s page before you rely on these terms.

The County’s rental pages do not mention HOAs, so a County certificate does not mean the association has agreed. Your CC&Rs can be stricter, and Civil Code section 4741 does not stop an association from prohibiting rentals of 30 days or less. Civil Code section 4740 adds one limit: a rental ban adopted after an owner bought generally does not apply to that owner.

Ordinance 413.31 is the County’s recreational vehicle ordinance, and most violations are infractions. On private association streets, your own parking rules and state towing law do most of the work. Your CC&Rs can also prohibit RV storage in driveways.

Riverside County Code Enforcement handles code violations in unincorporated areas. It accepts anonymous complaints, though giving contact details helps the officer follow up. Its list of most common violations includes:

• Junk and outside storage. Trash, old appliances and scrap must be removed, and salvage materials stored out of public view.
• Fences. A fence up to 7 feet tall in common materials such as wood or chain link needs no County permit. Call Code Enforcement before building a block wall. Your architectural rules may still require approval.
• Garage sales. No more than three in any 12 months, none longer than three days in a row and none between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• Animals. Dogs and cats fall to County Animal Control. Livestock is governed by Land Use Ordinance 348, by zoning and acreage.
• Unpermitted work. Buildings must be sound, and unpermitted additions may need permits.

Code Enforcement’s regional offices are by appointment only. For building permits, call County Building and Safety at (951) 955-1800.

The County’s noise rules are in Ordinance 847. Its Code Enforcement guide explains the main points:

• Audio equipment may not be audible inside another occupied home between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m., or more than 100 feet away at any time.
• Noise is generally measured in decibels with a sound level meter.
• The first two violations within 180 days carry minimum fines of $500 and $750. A later violation in the same 180 days is a misdemeanor, with a minimum fine of $1,000, up to six months in jail or both.
• Construction, single events and recurring events can get an exception through the Building and Planning departments.

For short-term rentals, quiet hours run from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and Ordinance 924 addresses loud or unruly parties. Your association’s noise rules can be stricter than the County’s, so check your own rules before you send a violation notice.

EMWD’s permanent water use rules, in Title 5, Article 6 of its Administrative Code, apply at all times:

• Landscape watering only between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., with exceptions such as hand watering, new landscapes and brief repairs.
• Unattended potable irrigation limited to 15 minutes a day per station, with some exceptions for efficient equipment.
• No watering during rain or within 48 hours after measurable rain, no runoff and leaks fixed within 48 hours.
• No hosing down driveways and hard surfaces except for health or sanitary reasons. Decorative fountains must recirculate.

EMWD has been in Stage 1 of its Water Shortage Contingency Plan since April 19, 2023, which asks for a voluntary 10% cut. It requires a dedicated meter for landscape areas of 2,500 square feet or more and a water budget for new landscape accounts. Programs that fit HOA common areas include:

Regional rebates are first come, first served and depend on funding. An application does not guarantee payment. EMWD sends turf questions to the SoCal Water$mart commercial program, so confirm current terms before you sign a contract.

A state law passed in 2023 (AB 1572) bars the use of drinking water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas starting January 1, 2029. On owners’ lots, Civil Code section 4735 prevents an association from banning low-water plants or artificial turf.

The State Fire Marshal maps fire hazard severity zones. Its State Responsibility Area maps took effect April 1, 2024, and its Local Responsibility Area maps were released in phases from February to March 2025. Look up each common-area address on the State Fire Marshal’s map viewer.

Weed abatement in unincorporated areas runs under County Ordinance 695:

• County Fire Prevention Technicians inspect unimproved parcels in the unincorporated county every year.
• Owners of record get an Order to Abate with 30 days from the notice to comply, and they can appeal it.
• Parcels still not cleared go to County contractors. The owner is billed for the work plus a $254 administrative fee, and unpaid costs go on the property tax roll.

The Board of Supervisors set a June 23, 2026 hearing to confirm liens for 2025 abatement costs on 197 parcels countywide. County Code Enforcement says tall dry grass and dead vegetation are fire hazards and refers weed abatement to the local fire department. A seller of a home in a high or very high hazard zone must give the buyer documentation of defensible space compliance where the local agency requires it, or sign an agreement for the buyer to get it (Civil Code section 1102.19).

Some homes pay special taxes or assessments on top of the 1% base property tax. These are separate from association dues. The County Assessor explains how to read them:

• The Assessor has no control over the amount or placement of special assessments on tax bills.
• Mello-Roos charges are labeled CFD (Community Facilities District), with a fund number and amount. They can be levied only as long as needed to repay the bonds.
• The tax bill lists a phone number for each district that has an assessment on it. Call the district named on the bill with questions.

We could not confirm on an official page which County districts, if any, cover a particular French Valley tract. If your community has a County maintenance district, its annual report shows what the County maintains, which helps a board avoid paying twice for the same work.