Lincoln HOA Guide
Sun City Lincoln Hills HOA Guide for Owners and Buyers
Sun City Lincoln Hills is a 55+ community of 6,703 single-family homes and 80 condominiums on 2,992 acres in Lincoln, with about 11,000 residents according to the association. It opened for sales in February 1999 and has been under homeowner control since April 1, 2005.
With 6,783 homes, it is a very large association, and it runs very differently from a typical neighborhood HOA. This independent guide explains how it works, for owners, buyers and anyone thinking of volunteering on a committee or the board. How2HOA is not affiliated with the association.
Facts on this page were checked against the association’s public website and City of Lincoln documents on October 9, 2026. Figures the association posts can change, so confirm current numbers with the association. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
At a glance
The association at a glance
The association posts key financial figures publicly, which is useful for buyers. When we checked, it listed an assessment of $188 a month, billed quarterly at $564, as of January 2026. It listed a projected 2025 operating budget of $20.1 million and a projected 2025 reserve fund budget of $3.9 million, and reserve cash and investments of $13.5 million at the end of 2024. The public page does not state a percent-funded figure for reserves, so ask for the current reserve study summary.
Read next: HOA Financial Reports: Learn the Different Parts and Understanding HOA Reserve Studies explain what these numbers mean and what to ask about them.
The age rule
The association describes the community as exclusively for adults 55 or older, and new residents show identification for age verification when they register at Orchard Creek Lodge. The association’s public pages do not spell out the detailed occupancy rules, such as who else may live in a home or how long guests may stay. Those details are in the governing documents, which buyers can order through the document service the association names on its website. Read them before you make plans, especially if a younger spouse, an adult child or an heir may live in the home.
What the association maintains
In most newer Lincoln neighborhoods, the city maintains the open space and charges for it through a zone of its Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District. Sun City Lincoln Hills is different. The city’s trails and open space page lists the Sun City Lincoln Hills open spaces as “Not City Open Space” and says they are the responsibility of the association.
The city’s 2025-26 landscaping district report does not name Sun City Lincoln Hills among its zones. Check your own property tax bill to see which city charges apply to your home. We could not confirm on a public source who owns and maintains each street, so ask the association before assuming.
This helps explain why the association has its own staff of more than 200 and a projected 2025 operating budget of $20.1 million. Long-lived assets the association owns, such as lodges, pools and trails, are the kind of items a reserve study covers. The golf courses are not association amenities. Ask for the reserve study to see exactly what it includes.
Read next: What Are HOA Assets? and How to Self-Manage Your HOA.
Preserves, oaks and grazing
The association names several preserves on its environment page, including the Northeast Preserve, the Orchard Creek Preserve and the Seep Preserve, along with the Ingram Slough wetlands. It says it works with the Wildlife Heritage Foundation and state and federal agencies on this land, and that Del Webb set up an endowment to fund long-term conservation. Interpretive signs cover the Valley Elderberry Longhorn Beetle, a federally protected species.
The association uses sheep and goats instead of chemicals for fire prevention. It says the animals graze grass and undergrowth to prepare about 70 acres of firebreak throughout the community.
Native oaks have their own rules. The association’s oak guidelines, an appendix to its design guidelines effective April 2017 and still posted on its architectural review page, apply to native oaks on or next to a residential lot. Landscaping that needs regular water must use drip irrigation inside the tree’s drip line, trenching and paving near the roots are discouraged, and an owner must apply to the Architectural Review Committee before removing a native oak. Oaks an owner planted are not covered.
Read next: How to Minimize Homeowners Association Liability.
Golf carts
Sun City Lincoln Hills is the core of the city’s golf cart plan area, part of the only area in Lincoln where a permitted golf cart may use public streets. The city’s 2024 master plan lists golf cart lanes already built on Del Webb Boulevard, Spring Valley Parkway, Stoneridge Boulevard, Sun City Boulevard, Ingram Parkway and Bella Breeze Drive.
Two city documents disagree on details. The master plan says a permit lasts two years, while the police brochure says it is valid through the year shown on the permit. The brochure also gives a 15 mph top speed for a golf cart, while the master plan describes carts as operated at no more than 25 mph. Confirm both with Lincoln Police at (916) 645-4040. The general difference between a golf cart and a street-legal NEV is covered in the Lincoln HOA Guide.
Changing your home: two approvals
The Architectural Review Committee meets at 9 a.m. on the second and fourth Monday of the month, except in December, and applications are due by 2 p.m. on the Monday before the meeting. The association publishes more than 30 checklists, one for each type of project, from artificial turf and solar to fences, patio covers and accessory dwelling units. Incomplete applications are returned without review.
Committee approval is not a city permit. The association posts a list, effective April 2017, of projects that also need a City of Lincoln permit. It includes home additions, casitas, patio covers, pergolas, gazebos, pools and spas, solar, reroofing, window replacement, golf cart garages, gas or electric fire pits and barbecues, and retaining walls of four feet or more. Work in the sidewalk or street needs a city encroachment permit. The association’s Community Standards Department is at (916) 625-4006.
Quick answers
Questions owners and buyers ask
Do the dues pay for the golf courses?
The association says the Lincoln Hills Golf Club is privately owned and is not part of the association amenities. Ask the club about its own fees.
Who looks after the open space behind my home?
If it is one of the community’s open spaces, the association. The city’s open space page lists them as not city open space and the association’s responsibility. If your home backs onto the golf course, that land belongs to the privately owned golf club. Do not mow, plant or clear either yourself.
Can the public use the restaurant and spa?
The association says Meridians Restaurant, the Kilaga Springs cafe and spa and the summer concert series are open to the public. The fitness centers are for residents and their guests.
Do Lincoln’s city rules still apply inside Sun City Lincoln Hills?
Yes. City rules on parking, ADUs, water use and trash apply as they do elsewhere. See the Lincoln HOA Guide.
When are assessments due?
Quarterly, on the first of January, April, July and October. The association says a late fee applies if payment has not arrived by the 15th. More in What Assessments Your HOA Community Needs and Why.
How do I get involved?
Committees are the usual first step, and board meetings are open to residents with an open forum. See How to Set Up and Run HOA Committees and Things to Consider Before Joining Your HOA Board.
Keep going
Where to go next on How2HOA
Sources for this guide
These sources open in a new tab.
Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association: home page; community facts; about; governance; fees and financials; amenities; environment; architectural review information, including its oak tree guidelines and its list of projects needing a city permit; new resident information.
City of Lincoln: trails and open spaces; golf cart and NEV information, including the 2024 NEV and Golf Cart Master Plan and the police brochure; golf cart permit; Landscaping and Lighting District 2025-26 report.
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Start here: how HOAs workBrowse all HOA topicsThis page is general educational information, not legal, financial or insurance advice. How2HOA is not affiliated with the Sun City Lincoln Hills Community Association, and nothing here speaks for it. The association’s governing documents and current published figures control, so confirm details with the association and talk with a qualified professional about your situation.