Huntington Beach HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Huntington Beach defines a short-term rental as a home rented for 30 or fewer consecutive nights. Ordinance No. 4224 added Chapter 5.120 to the Municipal Code, and it took effect February 19, 2021. No one may advertise, rent or operate a short-term rental without a city permit. The city’s rules include:

• Two zones: hosted rentals, where the owner lives in the home, are allowed citywide. Unhosted rentals are allowed only in Sunset Beach, and only for owners who obtained a permit by March 1, 2022.
• Limits per property: one rental per single-family home, duplex, triplex or rental property. Ownership properties with four or more units, such as condos and townhomes, may have up to three, if the CC&Rs allow it.
• No events: no commercial parties, weddings, fundraisers or conferences.
• Local contact: someone must be available around the clock and respond to complaints within one hour.
• Fees and taxes: the city’s page lists a $639 application fee for the first two years and a $332 annual renewal. Operators collect the 10% Transient Occupancy Tax and a 6% Tourism Business Improvement District assessment.

Here is the part that matters most for boards. The city’s FAQ says a short-term rental in an association is allowed only if the CC&Rs allow it, that a rental must follow the association’s rules and that the city will not issue a permit if the use is not allowed by the CC&Rs. A clear rental rule in your documents gives owners and the city a straight answer.

The city’s page lists a fine of $1,000 per day for each violation, and three violations in 12 months lead to revocation of the permit. Report a suspected unpermitted rental to Code Enforcement at (714) 375-5155. Permit questions go to the Planning and Zoning counter at (714) 536-5271.

On private lots, the city’s planning FAQ says RVs, campers, trailers and boats on trailers may be parked on the paved driveway or on a paved area between the driveway and the nearest side property line, as long as they do not project over a property line and the area is kept free of trash. Commercial oversized vehicles are not allowed in any yard. Your CC&Rs can be stricter.

The city pages we read cover public streets. They do not say whether the city enforces parking on private association streets, so we could not confirm it. Parking and Traffic Control at (714) 536-5663 handles oversized vehicle permits and abandoned vehicles.

The city’s Utilities Division supplies water in Huntington Beach. The city is a member of the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC) and receives State Water Project water through the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Its Water Conservation Ordinance (Municipal Code Chapter 14.18) sets these rules:

New and rebuilt landscapes also fall under the Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (Chapter 14.52). Rebates come through MWDOC. Its commercial rebate page lists turf replacement at $2 per square foot plus $100 per tree for up to five trees, smart irrigation controllers at $35 per station and rotating nozzles at $2 each, subject to funding. Artificial turf does not qualify, and the spray-to-drip rebate is open only to Irvine Ranch and Moulton Niguel customers. The page does not mention HOAs, so ask MWDOC at (714) 593-5036 whether your common areas qualify.

Under AB 1572, the 2023 state law, HOA common areas must stop using drinking water on nonfunctional turf by January 1, 2029. MWDOC says nonfunctional turf is grass kept only for looks, such as parkways and medians, while grass used for recreation or as a community space is functional. Residential lawns and areas watered with recycled water are exempt. Associations with more than 5,000 square feet of irrigated common area must self-certify every three years starting June 30, 2031.

CAL FIRE published updated fire hazard severity zone maps for local responsibility areas on March 24, 2025. The Huntington Beach Fire Department says the city has areas in the Moderate and High zones and no areas in the Very High zone. Its page links to the zone map but does not name neighborhoods, so check each common-area address on the map.

• Defensible space zones: Zone 0 is the ember-resistant zone within 5 feet of a building, Zone 1 the lean, clean and green zone up to 30 feet and Zone 2 the fuel reduction zone up to 100 feet.
• Small lots: many Huntington Beach parcels are less than 100 feet deep, and the department says defensible space is considered only to the parcel boundary there.
• Home sales: a defensible space inspection is required for real estate transactions in the High zone. California Civil Code section 1102.19 sets the state disclosure rule. Request an inspection through the department’s form, using the parcel number from the property tax bill.

The department says the new maps’ effect on private insurance is unknown, and that insurers use their own risk tools. Questions go to the city at (714) 536-5511.

Huntington Beach has a certified Local Coastal Program. Its Coastal Element was first certified by the Coastal Commission in 1985 and last comprehensively updated in 2001. The city’s page lists eight specific plan areas in the coastal zone:

• Certified: Downtown, the Huntington Harbour Bay Club, part of Holly Seacliff, Seacliff, Magnolia/Pacific and Palm/Goldenwest.
• Not certified: Brightwater and Sunset Beach.

In Huntington Harbour, Coastal Commission permits we reviewed for docks and decks say work seaward of the mean high tide line is in the Commission’s retained permit jurisdiction, with the city’s coastal program used only as guidance. Our Huntington Harbour guide covers those rules.

Before a common-area project near the coast, ask Planning at (714) 536-5271 whether it needs a coastal development permit.

These hours come from the city’s noise FAQ. Write them into your landscape and maintenance contracts so the crew’s schedule matches. Report a problem through the city’s Report an Issue page or call (714) 536-5511.