West Sacramento HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

WSAFCA plans and builds levee improvements with the state Department of Water Resources, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Reclamation District 900 operates and maintains the levees around the city and the internal drainage system of canals, ditches, pump stations and detention basins. The district says properties are at greater risk from internal drainage flooding than from the rivers.

In Flood Zone X there is no legal requirement for flood insurance, but the city strongly recommends that every property owner carry it. Standard homeowners policies generally exclude flooding, and a new flood policy typically takes effect 30 days after purchase. The city also warns that if levee work is not finished before FEMA remaps, part or all of the city could be mapped into a special flood hazard area, where insurance would be required.

Report clogged public storm drains and flooded roads to Public Works at (916) 617-4850. Drains on association property are the association’s to keep clear. Whether the master policy should include flood coverage for common buildings is a question for your insurance professional.

Property owners approved WSAFCA’s annual parcel assessment for levee projects in 2007. The city puts the average at about $150 a year for a single-family home and publishes parcel rates each tax year. Reclamation District 900 collects its own assessment for the internal drainage system, and the district says levee money and drainage money cannot be spent on each other’s systems.

Chapter 3.32 of the city code says the city requires developers to form financing districts to fund maintenance of the public infrastructure their projects need. Mello-Roos special taxes can pay for parks, parkways and open space, and landscaping and lighting assessments can pay for street landscaping and street lights. Before the association budgets for landscaping along a street, a park or an open-space strip, ask the city which areas a district maintains and compare that with your recorded maps.

Yolo County lists these charges on the tax bill as direct levies. The county does not set them. To question one, call the district whose phone number is printed on the bill.

Each day a nuisance continues is a separate offense. Code Enforcement takes complaints at (916) 617-4925. Your association’s rules can be stricter than the city’s.

The city’s tree ordinance covers trees on private and public property. A permit is required to modify or remove:

• a heritage tree, more than 75 inches around the trunk at chest height
• an oak, more than 50 inches around the trunk at chest height
• a street tree, meaning any tree within 12.5 feet of the curb

Removing a heritage tree requires mitigation, either by planting more trees or by paying an in-lieu fee. Tree permit questions go to Parks and Recreation at (916) 617-4620. For an association with mature trees along its streets, that means removals and heavy pruning go through the city first, and replacement planting belongs in the landscape budget.

The zoning code defines a short-term rental as a rental for 30 consecutive days or less (section 17.50.030), and the residential zone table lists it as a permitted use in every residential zone. Hosts owe the city’s 12% transient occupancy tax and must register with the city within 30 days of starting, after getting a city business license. The city takes registration requests at (916) 617-4589.

City approval does not override your CC&Rs. 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.

ADUs are allowed in every residential zone under section 17.30.040. In April 2026 the state Department of Housing and Community Development told the city that parts of that section do not comply with state ADU law and asked the city to amend it or adopt findings. Ask Planning at (916) 617-4645 which rules apply today.

The city’s permanent watering schedule (section 13.04.790) took effect June 10, 2022:

• odd-numbered addresses water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
• even-numbered addresses water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
• no outdoor watering on Monday
• no landscape irrigation with city water between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Low-volume irrigation and container plants are exempt from the day and hour limits. Runoff into gutters, hosing down hard surfaces, watering within 48 hours after measurable rain and leaks left unfixed for more than 72 hours all count as water waste. Penalties go to the owner of the premises, whoever caused the violation, so an association pays for its landscaper’s mistakes. Water waste hotline: (916) 617-4545.

The city pays a $150 rebate for replacing a conventional irrigation controller with a WaterSense-labeled smart controller. You must apply and be approved before you buy. The program page is written for homeowners, so ask the city before planning around it for common areas.

A state law passed in 2023 (AB 1572) will bar the use of drinking water on nonfunctional turf in HOA common areas starting January 1, 2029. On owners’ lots, Civil Code section 4735 prevents an association from banning low-water plants or artificial turf as a replacement for lawn.

Garbage, recycling and organics carts may go to the curb no earlier than noon the day before collection, and must be out by 6 a.m. on collection day (section 8.08.140). They must come back within 24 hours after collection. Carts may not sit on the sidewalk or block driveways, hydrants or drainage, and must be at least three feet from parked cars and two feet from other carts. Private roads are served only if they can safely handle collection trucks.

A property with five or more units counts as a commercial business under the city’s organics rules. It must subscribe to garbage, recycling and organics service and give tenants sorting information within 14 days of move-in. Questions go to Recycling and Environmental Services at (916) 617-4590.

The nuisance code also covers weeds and debris visible from the street, overgrown landscaping (a lawn is overgrown when half or more of it is over 12 inches tall) and loud, unnecessary noise that disturbs the neighborhood. Put work hours in your landscape and construction contracts so crews do not become the noise complaint.