Sonoma County HOA Guide

The Sea Ranch HOA Guide for Owners and Buyers

The Sea Ranch covers about ten miles of the northern Sonoma County coast and reaches only about a mile inland. The Sea Ranch Association says the community has more than 2,200 homes and undeveloped lots, and every owner is a member.

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This is an independent guide for owners and buyers at The Sea Ranch. How2HOA is not affiliated with The Sea Ranch Association. It collects what the association and the public agencies around it publish, and points you to the How2HOA guide that explains each topic.

Facts on this page were checked on October 10, 2026 against The Sea Ranch Association’s public website, its posted governing documents and its April 2026 Bulletin, and against Permit Sonoma, Sonoma County Regional Parks, Sonoma Water, the North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District, CAL FIRE and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Rules, fees and closures change, so confirm with the association or the agency before you act. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

At a glance

The association at a glance

The Sea Ranch is in unincorporated Sonoma County, so there is no city hall. The county issues permits and the association handles most of daily life. Oceanic Properties began the project in 1964, and the declaration of restrictions was recorded with the county on May 10, 1965.

NameThe Sea Ranch Association (TSRA), a nonprofit membership corporation. The association describes itself as the homeowners association that stewards and maintains The Sea Ranch.

Sizemore than 2,200 homes and undeveloped lots, by the association’s count. A 2019 wildfire plan prepared with the association listed 2,272 lots (1,815 developed and 457 undeveloped) on 3,855 acres.

Controlowners. The bylaws provide for seven directors elected to three-year terms. Each owner has one vote per lot, and the annual meeting falls on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Staffthe association says its office is headquarters for more than 80 staff. The bylaws let the board employ a Community Manager, who serves as general manager and chief executive officer.

Committeesthe bylaws name three policy committees (Finance, Planning and Utilities). The Design Committee has three members appointed by the board. The association also sponsors committees and task forces staffed by volunteers.

Amenitiesthree recreation centers (Del Mar, Ohlson and Moonraker) with heated outdoor pools, saunas and tennis or pickleball courts, plus more than 50 miles of trails.

Dues and financial figures. The association’s April 2026 Bulletin sets the regular assessment at $413 a month per lot for the fiscal year May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, an increase of $33 a month. Paid as one annual payment, that is $4,956. Some cluster lots in Unit 29A pay an added monthly amount. The Bulletin says the board approved the budget on February 28, 2026, that no special assessments are anticipated and that reserves were 49% funded. Assessments are due on the first of each month, and the Rules set a late charge of $10 or 10% of one month’s assessment, whichever is greater. Ask the association or your escrow officer for the current budget and reserve study before you rely on a number from a listing.

Services

Who maintains what at The Sea Ranch

With no city government, the association does work a public works department would do elsewhere.

RoadsPrivate. The association says it maintains private roads, parking areas, roadsides, drainage and signage. There are no sidewalks, streetlights or individual mailboxes. The Rules set a speed limit of 25 miles per hour.

Commons and facilitiesThe association says its pools, recreation centers, private trails and roads are for owners, their families, guests and renters, with no option to pay for day use.

Safety and securityA private security team licensed by the state Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, with officer hours listed as 7:00 am to 11:00 pm daily. Law enforcement is the Sonoma County Sheriff.

WaterThe Sea Ranch Water Company, which operates under California Public Utilities Commission regulations. Its wells also fill a 300-acre-foot reservoir in winter and spring.

Sewer and septicIt depends on the lot. Sonoma Water operates the Sea Ranch Sanitation Zone. Septic systems fall under the On-Site Wastewater Disposal Zone, a satellite program of the county permit department that the association’s Utilities Department runs under a county contract.

Water bills and any sewer charges are separate from association assessments. The Water Company bills every two months. Ask your title company which sewer or septic system serves the lot and how its charges are billed. The association lists the On-Site Wastewater Disposal Zone at (707) 785-2756.

Building and remodeling

Design review, county permits and coastal permits

Design review is the heart of The Sea Ranch. The association puts it plainly: the CC&Rs establish a professional Design Committee to review all construction and landscaping plans, and no work may proceed without its approval. Up to three approvals can apply to one project.

1. The Design Committeethree members appointed by the board, one of them the designated architect member. The Design Manual covers buildings and also fences, decks, hedges, landscaping, exterior finishes, drainage changes and removing certain trees and shrubs.

2. Sonoma County building permitthe Design Manual says final design review approval must be obtained from the committee before acquiring a Sonoma County building permit. Committee approval is not a county permit, and the county does not enforce the association’s design rules.

3. County coastal permitThe Sea Ranch sits on the coast, and coastal development can need a county coastal permit on top of a building permit. Confirm with Permit Sonoma whether your project needs one before you finalize plans.

The posted Design Manual (dated October 26, 2013) describes a preliminary site visit and then three review stages: conceptual, preliminary and final. The committee is to act within 45 days of receiving a submittal. Exterior construction and site work must be finished within one year of the association’s construction permit. Fees and a construction performance deposit apply. The association says its design and landscape fee schedule is available on request from the Environmental Planning and Design office at (707) 785-2316.

Height. A maximum of 24 feet west of Highway 1 (16 feet where the recorded tract map says so) and 35 feet east of it, subject to any stricter county requirement.
Lighting and roofing. Exterior light sources must be shielded, and the Rules require roofing with a Class A fire rating or the equivalent.
If you are turned down. An owner has 30 days to ask the board to reconsider, and the board is to decide within 45 days.

Renting

Vacation rentals: association rules and county rules

Vacation rentals are common here, and the association’s own help page lists local rental agencies. Two sets of rules apply, and meeting one does not satisfy the other.

The association. The Restrictions limit lots to residential use and allow an owner to lease a lot. The Rules make each owner responsible for violations by tenants and renters, and Rule 6.6 covers nuisances and notices to tenants and lessees, so read it before you rent. The association also states:

Parking and recreation center passes for a rental come from the rental agency or, for a direct rental, from the owner. The association does not administer passes for rental properties.
Overnight parking is allowed only on the host’s private driveway, not on Sea Ranch roads.
Members who offer their homes as short-term rentals are asked for a voluntary 3.5% contribution, which the April 2026 Bulletin ties to added wear on common areas and amenities.
Owners who break the facilities-pass or nuisance rules can have their privileges suspended. The fine schedule is $100 per violation and up to $1,000 where health or safety is affected.

Sonoma County. Permit Sonoma defines a vacation rental as the rental of a whole private residence for 30 days or less, and lists the Coastal Zone among the places where one is allowed with a permit. A rental must have a vacation rental permit, a certified vacation property manager and a vacation rental license, and must meet the county’s performance standards. Getting a transient occupancy tax number is one of the application steps.

Permit Sonoma also describes exclusion districts, where vacation rentals are not allowed, and cap districts, but its general page does not say whether any cover The Sea Ranch. Before you buy or list a rental, confirm with Permit Sonoma’s vacation rental desk at (707) 565-1932 what applies to your parcel, including whether a home that has already been operating as a rental needs both the permit and the license.

Wildfire

Fire, fuels and defensible space

The North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District serves The Sea Ranch, Annapolis and Stewarts Point with volunteer and career firefighters. The community’s 2019 wildfire protection plan says The Sea Ranch lies entirely within the State Responsibility Area, where CAL FIRE is responsible for wildland fire.

Fire hazard zones. That 2019 plan described a preponderance of high and very high fire hazard severity zones. The State Fire Marshal has since issued a new State Responsibility Area map, effective April 1, 2024, with three levels: moderate, high and very high. Ratings vary by lot, so look up your address on the State Fire Marshal’s Fire Hazard Severity Zone viewer.

Your lot. CAL FIRE states that 100 feet of defensible space is required by law under Public Resources Code section 4291. The association’s Rules require owners to comply with section 4291 and add local detail:

Remove any part of a tree within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet.
Keep roofs free of leaves, needles and other litter.
From April 1 to December 1, outdoor burning is prohibited except as the Rules allow.

The Design Committee also controls vegetation removal, so ask the Environmental Planning and Design office before clearing trees or shrubs.

The commons. The association runs a Fuels Management Program. The sheep that surprise visitors are part of its land management, run by a local provider. The Rules describe the association’s right to carry out fuels work on private lots. An owner who disagrees can ask for a review by the Community Manager and then by a sub-committee of three board members.

The association names Stewarts Point-Skaggs Springs Road as the designated, county-maintained evacuation route. TSRAlert is its emergency message system.

The coast

Public coastal access and private trails

The Sea Ranch is private, but the public can reach the shore through it. Sonoma County Regional Parks manages six public access trails here, each leading to a separate part of the coast. Regional Parks lists them from north to south, with one-way lengths:

Public trail	Length one way
Bluff Top Trail (Walk On Beach to Gualala Point Regional Park)	3 miles
Walk On Beach Trail	0.25 miles
Shell Beach Trail	0.65 miles
Stengel Beach Trail	0.12 miles
Pebble Beach Trail	0.27 miles
Black Point Trail	0.25 miles

Regional Parks asks visitors to stay on the marked public trails, because other paths and roads within The Sea Ranch are privately owned. The association says five of the six trails have parking lots with restrooms. Public trails close at times for repairs or slides, so check with Regional Parks for current conditions.

For owners, this means the public will sometimes walk near your lot, lawfully, on those trails. Everything else is for members, guests and renters. The association says more than 50 miles of trails are open to hikers, many also to bikes and horses, and that dogs must be leashed.

Quick answers

Questions owners and buyers ask

Is The Sea Ranch an HOA?

Yes. The Sea Ranch Association is a nonprofit membership corporation, and its Restrictions make every owner a member. See What Is a Homeowners Association? How HOAs Work.

How much are the dues at The Sea Ranch?

The regular assessment is $413 a month per lot for May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027, according to the association’s April 2026 Bulletin, and some cluster lots pay more. Confirm the current figure with the association or your escrow officer, and see Buying a House in an HOA? Here’s What You Need to Know for the documents to request.

Do I need Design Committee approval to repaint, build a fence or remove a tree?

Assume yes and ask first. The Design Manual requires approval to construct, reconstruct, refinish or alter any improvement, and it covers fences, landscaping and removing certain vegetation.

If the Design Committee approves my plans, do I still need a county permit?

Yes, where the county requires one. The Design Manual says final committee approval comes before a Sonoma County building permit. Ask Permit Sonoma whether a coastal permit also applies.

Can I use my Sea Ranch home as a vacation rental?

The Restrictions allow an owner to lease a lot, but you also need to meet Sonoma County’s vacation rental rules. Confirm both with the association and with Permit Sonoma at (707) 565-1932.

Can the public walk through The Sea Ranch?

Only on the six public access trails that Sonoma County Regional Parks manages. Regional Parks tells visitors that other paths and roads within The Sea Ranch are privately owned.

Who do I call?

Call 911 in an emergency. The association lists its office at (707) 785-2444, Sea Ranch Security at (707) 785-2701 and the Sonoma County Sheriff at (707) 565-2121.

Keep going

Where to go next on How2HOA

New to the board?Start with California HOA Board Basics.

Buying or selling?Read What Everyone Should Know About Buying a Home With an HOA and Your Mortgage and the HOA: What Lenders Look At.

Already an owner?See The Rights of Homeowners Association Members, HOA Governing Documents Explained and Living in an HOA.

Thinking of serving?Start with Things to Consider Before Joining Your HOA Board and How to Set Up and Run HOA Committees.

Elsewhere in Sonoma CountySee the guides for Santa Rosa, Healdsburg and Sebastopol, or all local HOA guides.

California lawCalifornia HOA Law: The Davis-Stirling Act.

Sources for this guide

These sources open in a new tab.

The Sea Ranch Association (public pages): About The Sea Ranch; Association offices; Services; Help and FAQ; Recreation centers; Trails; Beaches; Emergencies; The Sea Ranch Water Company.

The Sea Ranch Association (posted documents): The Sea Ranch Restrictions (CC&Rs); Bylaws, latest revision December 13, 2025; The Sea Ranch Rules, published October 25, 2025; The Sea Ranch Association Bulletin, April 2026 (2026-27 budget and assessment); Design Manual and Rules, October 26, 2013; Community Wildfire Protection Plan, 2019 update.

Sonoma County: Permit Sonoma, vacation rental permits and licensing; Regional Parks, Sea Ranch coastal access trails; Sonoma Water, Sea Ranch Sanitation Zone.

Fire agencies: North Sonoma Coast Fire Protection District; State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones; CAL FIRE, defensible space.

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This page is general educational information, not legal, financial or insurance advice. How2HOA is not affiliated with The Sea Ranch Association. The association’s governing documents and its current published figures control, and county ordinances and state law change, so check the current documents and talk with the association, the county or a qualified professional about your situation.