Rancho Mirage HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

Rancho Mirage defines a short-term rental as a dwelling rented for 27 consecutive days or less. They have been prohibited citywide since July 1, 2022, and Municipal Code section 17.30.270(B) says operating one “is prohibited in every zone of the city.” There is no permit, and the city’s page names no exception for HOA communities. Advertising a short-term stay counts as operating one, even if no one stays.

The city lists these as prohibited too:

• Renting a room while you live in the home or subletting a room from a long-term lease for a few days.
• Renting a detached casita or renting only the pool for a few hours, since both are part of the dwelling.
• Listing a home for short stays and then rejecting or canceling the bookings. Listings must be set to accept only stays of 28 days or more.

Penalties typically start with a $5,000 citation to the owner and rise to $10,000 for each later occurrence. Property managers, occupants and agents can be cited too, and the city may also pursue liens, injunctions or criminal prosecution. Report a suspected rental to Code Compliance at (760) 770-3220 on weekdays or code@ranchomirageca.gov.

Your association can add its own rule as well. Civil Code section 4741 does not stop an association from prohibiting rentals of 30 days or less, which closes the gap between the city’s 27 days and a full month.

Code Compliance enforces both sets of hours. For an association, the landscape rule is the one to watch: a contracted crew running blowers or mowers on common areas falls under the weekday-only window, while golf course maintenance has its own longer hours. The noise rules themselves are in Chapter 8.45 of the municipal code, which includes a section on landscape maintenance.

Rancho Mirage’s Code Compliance Division says nearly any section of the municipal code can be enforced. The violations it lists include:

• Dead landscaping and overgrown vegetation extending into the public right-of-way.
• Visible junk, trash or debris.
• Abandoned or run-down properties.
• Green or untreated pools that can breed mosquitoes.
• Inoperative vehicles, graffiti and unpermitted construction.

The municipal code also has a chapter titled “Maintenance of Property and Lakes and Other Bodies of Water” (Chapter 8.16), with a section on landscaping. If your association owns lakes or water features, read that chapter before you change your lake maintenance contract.

The city’s utilities page lists the Coachella Valley Water District for water. CVWD’s water saving guidelines list these prohibited uses:

• Watering that runs off onto neighboring property.
• Spray irrigation during rain of 0.10 inches or more and for 48 hours after.
• Watering driveways and sidewalks, except for health and safety.
• Decorative fountains that do not recirculate.
• Broken sprinklers left unrepaired more than five business days after CVWD gives notice.

After three violations, CVWD says customers may be fined $50 to $2,000 on their bill. It discourages overseeding with winter grass and warns of possible drought penalties for it. Its HOA and commercial rebates all require pre-approval:

The city ran its own turf rebate program as well. The City Council approved it on July 7, 2022 with $500,000 and later added $3.75 million, and the city says it removed more than 1.7 million square feet of turf. Ask the city whether it is taking applications now. Civil Code section 4735 bars an association from banning low-water plants or artificial turf.

A state law passed in 2023 (AB 1572) bars the use of drinking water on nonfunctional turf, meaning decorative grass with no other use. CVWD’s page on the law sets out what it means for associations:

• HOA common areas must stop watering nonfunctional turf with drinking water by January 1, 2029.
• Starting June 30, 2031, HOAs must send compliance reports to the State Water Resources Control Board every three years.
• Residential lawns are exempt. Functional areas such as sports fields and picnic areas are exempt too, as are areas watered with nonpotable water.
• CVWD says penalties can include a fine of $500 per day.

Fire service in Rancho Mirage comes through a cooperative agreement between CAL FIRE and Riverside County, from Station 69 at 71751 Gerald Ford Drive and Station 50 at 70801 Highway 111. The Fire Marshal’s office is at City Hall. Plan submittals are walk-in or by mail only, and reviews take 10 to 15 working days.

For gated associations, two items matter. The Fire Marshal’s page links to the city’s fire lane requirements and its Knox emergency access standard, and the municipal code has a chapter on gated residential emergency access (Chapter 8.65). Before you replace a gate operator or change a gate entry, ask the Fire Marshal what the standard requires.

The State Fire Marshal released new fire hazard severity zone maps for cities in early 2025, and the city lists a fire hazard severity zone update page. Look up each common-area address in the State Fire Marshal’s map viewer. For sales on or after July 1, 2021, 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).

The city contracts with Burrtec for trash, recycling and organics. Residents use a green cart for organic waste, a blue cart for recycling and a grey cart for trash, under the state’s organic waste law (SB 1383).

• Carts go to the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day, unless the home has walk-up service.
• Carts must be removed from the curb within 24 hours after service.
• Burrtec picks up bulky items curbside at no charge for most residents.
• When a major holiday falls on a weekday, service shifts one day for the rest of the week.

The city offers sustainability presentations for HOAs. Request one at recycling@ranchomirageca.gov.

The city’s police FAQ points residents to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Palm Desert Station at 73-705 Gerald Ford Drive, Palm Desert. Its main line is (760) 836-1600, and crimes are reported at (760) 836-3215.

City parking citations are paid by mail to the city’s citation processing center, and questions or reviews go to (800) 989-2058. The municipal code also has a chapter on the operation of motor vehicles on private property (Chapter 9.42). Ask the city how it applies to your private streets before you rely on deputies to enforce your parking rules.