Millbrae HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Installing or using synthetic grass or artificial turf is prohibited in Millbrae (section 8.65.040). Turf legally installed before January 1, 2024 may stay if it is maintained, taut and permeable, and no one parks on it. Once it is damaged to 35% of its replacement cost, or can no longer be kept up, it must be replaced with water-efficient natural landscaping.

Civil Code section 4735 limits association rules, not the city’s ban, so in Millbrae a lawn conversion cannot use artificial turf. If your board has questions about how the city ban applies to your community, ask your attorney. The city’s Lawn Be Gone rebate pays $2 per square foot of sprinkler-irrigated lawn replaced, with a 200-square-foot minimum. Water Division: (650) 259-2339.

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. The law stops the watering; it does not require removing the lawn. A board that decides to replace decorative lawn can use a rebate, where one is offered, to pay for part of the conversion.

Smoking is prohibited inside any unit of a multi-unit residence, including condominiums and townhomes and their patios and balconies, in enclosed or unenclosed common areas and within 40 feet (chapter 5.95). Single-family homes with a detached ADU and owner-occupied duplexes and triplexes are excluded. Code Enforcement: (650) 259-2440.

This is city law, so a board does not have to rely only on its CC&Rs. Post signs in common areas and point owners to the city when complaints come in.

Short-term rentals need a city permit, and the home must be the host’s primary residence, lived in at least 265 nights a year (chapter 7.30). Hosted stays have no night limit. Unhosted stays are capped at 100 nights a year and need director approval, a $1,000 refundable deposit and two agents who respond within 30 minutes. The city says ADUs may not be used, and the occupancy tax is 14%. California Civil Code section 4741 limits how far an association can restrict rentals generally, but it does not stop an association from prohibiting rentals of 30 days or less.

A significant tree is any species with a trunk 10 inches or more in diameter at 54 inches above grade, apart from a few exempt species such as acacia, fruit trees, palms and blue gum (chapter 8.60). Pruning more than a quarter of a protected tree, or removing, relocating or planting one, takes a permit. No removal may happen during the 10-day appeal period, and permits last 45 days. Replacement ratios rise with size, up to four 24-inch-box trees for a tree over 24 inches. Tree permits: (650) 259-2341.

No vehicle may stay on a street or alley more than 72 hours. Trucks other than pickups and all trailers, including house trailers, may not park on public streets, regardless of weight, except while loading or serving a property on the block. Storing trailers, campers, RVs, commercial vehicles or boats in front yards, other than on driveways, or in unpaved areas visible from the street is a nuisance (section 6.25.050).

Your association’s rules can be stricter.

We did not find a designation of private roads for Vehicle Code enforcement in the parts of Millbrae’s code we could read. Where no designation exists, enforcing parking and speed rules on association-owned streets usually falls to the association, so ask the police whether any roads in your community are designated.

Garbage and recycling carts may go out no more than 12 hours before collection and must come in within 12 hours after. Construction or repair work is allowed from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and holidays, unless the city authorizes other hours (section 6.25.050). A nuisance not corrected within 30 days of notice can bring a $500 civil penalty for each violation.