Windsor HOA Guide: Local Rules for Boards and Owners

The Town Council adopted Windsor’s short-term rental ordinance on June 21, 2023 and amended it on October 15, 2025 (Municipal Code Title III, Chapter 23). Every short-term rental needs a town license. There are two types:

• Two overnight guests per bedroom, up to eight in total, and a two-night minimum stay.
• Quiet hours from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m., and no events of any kind, including parties.
• No host may hold more than three licenses, and an ADU may not be the short-term rental.

One requirement matters most to boards. The town has each applicant attest that no CC&Rs or similar agreements prohibit short-term rental use. A town license does not override your documents, and Civil Code section 4741 does not stop an association from prohibiting rentals of 30 days or less.

Windsor’s rules for accessory dwelling units are in Zoning Code Chapter 17.82, and junior ADUs are in Chapter 17.84. Those chapters set the size limits, setbacks and rental terms. Before your board or architectural committee decides an application, confirm the current standards with Planning at (707) 838-1021. The town’s short-term rental FAQs add one point: an ADU may not be used as the short-term rental.

Civil Code section 4751 voids any governing document provision that effectively prohibits or unreasonably restricts an ADU or junior ADU on a lot zoned for single-family use. Reasonable restrictions are still allowed, so your architectural review process still applies.

The town’s police FAQ says a recreational vehicle or boat can be parked on any public street for no more than 18 hours. After that the owner can be fined or the vehicle towed.

The 18-hour rule is written for public streets. If your association owns its streets, parking is governed mainly by your own rules and by state towing law, so confirm with Windsor Police what the town will enforce inside your community.

The town’s Water Division runs the drinking water system, supplied by wells next to the Russian River and a connection to the Sonoma County Water Agency aqueduct. As of September 2025 the town reported no drought and no mandatory reductions, and it lists no assigned watering days. These rules apply all the time:

• No irrigation that sends excessive flow or runoff onto sidewalks, driveways, streets or gutters.
• Leaks must be repaired within 72 hours.
• Hoses used to wash vehicles or paved surfaces need an automatic shut-off.

Two points matter for the budget. First, the town’s Water Efficient Landscape Rebate pays $1.00 per square foot of turf removed, up to $1,500, plus up to $500 for irrigation upgrades, for residential and commercial meters. The town does not say how association common-area accounts are treated, so ask before you plan around it. A pre-approval inspection is required before work starts, and sites with recycled water do not qualify. Second, 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.

Windsor’s recycled water system irrigates town parks, Windsor High School and the Vintage Greens subdivision, but only where recycled water pipes are in place. On owners’ lots, Civil Code section 4735 prevents an association from banning low-water plants or artificial turf as a replacement for lawn.

Windsor’s Tree Preservation and Protection Ordinance is Zoning Code section 17.22.030. It regulates the protection, maintenance and removal of protected trees. The town says native oak trees are protected, and it posts a Protected Tree List with the species and trunk sizes covered.

To remove a protected oak, the town says to request a tree removal permit from Planning. Before you sign a tree contract, call Planning at (707) 838-1021 and ask whether the tree is on the list, whether a permit is needed and what replacement planting or fees apply. Ask the same questions about trees in common area.

Windsor is also dealing with the Mediterranean oak borer, a beetle that has killed oaks on town property. For questions about it, the town says to call Parks and Facilities Maintenance at (707) 838-5399.

Vegetation rules in Windsor are enforced by the Sonoma County Fire District, not by town Code Enforcement. The district says all required vegetation management must be completed by June 1, and it cites Public Resources Code section 4291 and Sonoma County Code Chapter 13A. Required work includes:

• Cut or disk high dry vegetation, and cut back vegetation along driveways and roadsides.
• Limb up trees and remove dead or dying vegetation and trees.
• Clean gutters and roofs, and post your address where it can be seen.

Within the Town of Windsor, the district says a citation may carry a fine of up to $500 per day, up to a maximum of $100,000.

The town reports that CAL FIRE’s 2025 maps place certain areas of Windsor in the Moderate and High Fire Hazard Severity Zones and none in the Very High zone. The Town Council adopted the designations on June 4, 2025 (Ordinance 2025-395). Look up the parcel before a common-area building project.

The town’s noise handout lists limits measured at the property line of the source, and the Building Division posts construction hours:

For loud parties and late-night construction, the town says to call police dispatch at (707) 565-2121. For ongoing noise, file a complaint with Code Enforcement at (707) 838-1021. Your own rules can set quieter hours.