County recording office
Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder
Brewing the board coffee
Read the Davis-Stirling guide next
California CIDs follow Davis-Stirling (Civil Code §§4000–6150): secret-ballot elections with an inspector, annual budget/policy disclosures, reserve studies, and IDR/ADR before most lawsuits. Start with the plain-English statute guide, then this city’s municipal layer.
County recording office
Sacramento County Clerk-Recorder
Wildland-urban-interface communities face increasing mitigation expectations. Coordinate landscape standards with local fire district guidelines.
Board checklist
Municipal trash schedules, curb placement, and code enforcement pathways.
The City of Sacramento operates its own residential solid-waste utility rather than contracting through a private franchise hauler, issuing city carts for garbage, recycling, and organics on a fixed weekly schedule published through the environmental-services division. Bulky-item pickup and illegal-dumping reports route through city 311 and the solid-waste program directly — there is no separate hauler account to set up, which is a common point of confusion for owners who moved from a franchise-hauler city.
Mediation, courts, and state resources when board actions are challenged.
Sacramento's short-term vacation rental permit, created by the City Council in January 2016 under City Code Chapter 5.114, requires every operator to hold a permit, pay a $50 annual hotel business tax, and collect the city's 12% transient occupancy tax. A rental from a non-primary residence is capped at 90 days per calendar year; once that cap is hit, only 31-day-minimum stays are allowed through year end. Section 5.114.040(C) authorizes civil penalties of no less than $250 and up to $25,000 for each day a violation continues — among the steeper per-day exposure of any city in this batch.
Late fee estimator
Enter your typical monthly assessment to see how local caps may apply. KindHOA can automate notices and fee schedules once your board defines the rules.
Estimated legal ceiling
$10.00
Many associations cannot assess late fees until accounts are at least 30 days past due and proper notice has been sent. You entered 15 days past due.
Tell us about your community. We'll show you how KindHOA automates dues, late fees, and resident communication — free for self-managed HOAs.
No per-door fees. No enterprise bloat. Just the tools your neighbors need to run Sacramento with confidence.
Sacramento County guide for volunteer boards: Davis-Stirling (kindhoa.com/blog/california-hoa-laws-davis-stirling-guide) covers elections and disclosures statewide; city code and your CC&Rs add local enforcement detail.
The quick answer
Sacramento has licensed short-term rentals under City Code Chapter 5.114 since 2016; non-primary-residence rentals cap at 90 days a year, and the code authorizes civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day of violation. The city runs its own solid-waste utility rather than a private franchise, with weekly cart service scheduled by address.
Late fees (California): Max 10% or $10. Confirm against your declaration and current statute.
Reviewed by the KindHOA Editorial Team · Last reviewed July 25, 2026
Sacramento is the Central Valley seat blending pre-war bungalows near the grid with expansive suburban HOAs in Natomas, Pocket-Greenhaven, and the city's eastern growth corridors. Because Sacramento operates its own municipal trash utility and its own STR licensing chapter rather than leaning on county or franchise arrangements common elsewhere in California, boards here deal directly with city departments — not third-party haulers or county recorders — for most compliance questions that intersect covenant enforcement.
Local rules board members use
City-specific answers for Sacramento — sourced to municipal code and official city pages. Educational, not legal advice.
Sacramento's short-term vacation rental permit, created by the City Council in January 2016 under City Code Chapter 5.114, requires every operator to hold a permit, pay a $50 annual hotel business tax, and collect the city's 12% transient occupancy tax. A rental from a non-primary residence is capped at 90 days per calendar year; once that cap is hit, only 31-day-minimum stays are allowed through year end. Section 5.114.040(C) authorizes civil penalties of no less than $250 and up to $25,000 for each day a violation continues — among the steeper per-day exposure of any city in this batch.
Primary source: Sacramento municipal code / city ordinances
Sacramento's zoning code sets fence and wall setback, height, and permit-trigger rules by base zoning district and any applicable planned-development conditions, so lot width and zone — not a single citywide number — determine what a homeowner can build without a permit. HOA color and material approval operates alongside, not in place of, that city review; check the Sacramento City Code chapter for your parcel's zone before finalizing a design with the architectural committee.
Primary source: Sacramento municipal code / city ordinances
The City of Sacramento operates its own residential solid-waste utility rather than contracting through a private franchise hauler, issuing city carts for garbage, recycling, and organics on a fixed weekly schedule published through the environmental-services division. Bulky-item pickup and illegal-dumping reports route through city 311 and the solid-waste program directly — there is no separate hauler account to set up, which is a common point of confusion for owners who moved from a franchise-hauler city.
Primary source: Sacramento municipal code / city ordinances
Sacramento's Community Development Department issues building permits once work alters structure, covered area, electrical service, plumbing, or grading beyond the city's published minor-work exemptions — kitchen remodels, water heaters, ADUs, and detached structures commonly qualify even after HOA design approval. The city's building division intake materials spell out when engineered plans or energy-compliance forms are required; confirm before ordering materials.
Primary source: Sacramento municipal code / city ordinances
Sacramento's Central Valley climate brings triple-digit summer heat, tule fog winters, and increasing wildfire-smoke episodes that shape both city energy code updates and HOA exterior-maintenance covenants. City turf-rebate programs and water-conservation ordinances interact with covenant landscape palettes, while older housing stock near the American and Sacramento rivers adds flood-zone and drainage considerations boards fold into grading and downspout rules beyond the city minimum.
Primary source: Sacramento municipal code / city ordinances
Summaries below are for board orientation. Verify requirements in the official Sacramento municipal code (opens in a new tab).
Sacramento municipal code
Sacramento's short-term vacation rental permit, created by the City Council in January 2016 under City Code Chapter 5.114, requires every operator to hold a permit, pay a $50 annual hotel business tax, and collect the city's 12% transient occupancy tax. A rental from a non-primary residence is capped at 90 days per calendar year; once that cap is hit, only 31-day-minimum stays are allowed through year end. Section 5.114.040(C) authorizes civil penalties of no less than $250 and up to $25,000 for each day a violation continues — among the steeper per-day exposure of any city in this batch.
HOA governing documents
HOAs enforce recorded use restrictions (minimum lease terms, guest limits, parking) when consistent with applicable city licensure and state law. Covenant enforcement requires notice, cure periods, and uniform application.
Zoning & building code
Sacramento's zoning code sets fence and wall setback, height, and permit-trigger rules by base zoning district and any applicable planned-development conditions, so lot width and zone — not a single citywide number — determine what a homeowner can build without a permit. HOA color and material approval operates alongside, not in place of, that city review; check the Sacramento City Code chapter for your parcel's zone before finalizing a design with the architectural committee.
Permit thresholds
Sacramento's Community Development Department issues building permits once work alters structure, covered area, electrical service, plumbing, or grading beyond the city's published minor-work exemptions — kitchen remodels, water heaters, ADUs, and detached structures commonly qualify even after HOA design approval. The city's building division intake materials spell out when engineered plans or energy-compliance forms are required; confirm before ordering materials.
HOA architectural control
HOAs review fences and additions through architectural committees under CC&Rs. Municipal compliance alone does not satisfy HOA design or notice requirements.
State / local protections
Civil Code §714 and §714.1 restrict HOA bans on solar energy systems; associations may impose reasonable sizing and placement rules that do not significantly increase cost or decrease performance. The Water Code and many municipal drought ordinances limit HOA prohibitions on water-efficient landscaping. Confirm current Solar Rights Act and fire-zone defensible-space rules for your county.
What HOAs may still regulate
HOAs may adopt reasonable design rules that meet statutory tests (location, color, timeline). Associations cannot impose outright bans where state law voids them.
Drought cycles and municipal watering schedules affect landscaping covenants. Automate reminders when restrictions tighten.
Board checklist
California boards should review master policies, deductibles, and owner disclosure obligations annually.
Board checklist
Parties may use internal ADR required by CC&Rs, private mediation, or Superior Court. Small claims limits follow California Code of Civil Procedure §116.220 et seq. (verify current dollar cap). County recorder and consumer resources vary by county; Sacramento County Superior Court clerk can confirm filing procedures.
Sacramento's zoning code sets fence and wall setback, height, and permit-trigger rules by base zoning district and any applicable planned-development conditions, so lot width and zone — not a single citywide number — determine what a homeowner can build without a permit. HOA color and material approval operates alongside, not in place of, that city review; check the Sacramento City Code chapter for your parcel's zone before finalizing a design with the architectural committee.
The City of Sacramento operates its own residential solid-waste utility rather than contracting through a private franchise hauler, issuing city carts for garbage, recycling, and organics on a fixed weekly schedule published through the environmental-services division. Bulky-item pickup and illegal-dumping reports route through city 311 and the solid-waste program directly — there is no separate hauler account to set up, which is a common point of confusion for owners who moved from a franchise-hauler city.
Sacramento's Community Development Department issues building permits once work alters structure, covered area, electrical service, plumbing, or grading beyond the city's published minor-work exemptions — kitchen remodels, water heaters, ADUs, and detached structures commonly qualify even after HOA design approval. The city's building division intake materials spell out when engineered plans or energy-compliance forms are required; confirm before ordering materials.
Civil Code §714 and §714.1 restrict HOA bans on solar energy systems; associations may impose reasonable sizing and placement rules that do not significantly increase cost or decrease performance. The Water Code and many municipal drought ordinances limit HOA prohibitions on water-efficient landscaping. Confirm current Solar Rights Act and fire-zone defensible-space rules for your county.
Parties may use internal ADR required by CC&Rs, private mediation, or Superior Court. Small claims limits follow California Code of Civil Procedure §116.220 et seq. (verify current dollar cap). County recorder and consumer resources vary by county; Sacramento County Superior Court clerk can confirm filing procedures.
Sources
KindHOA is educational software for self-managed boards, not a law firm, and this guide is not legal advice. State statutes, local ordinances, and your community’s recorded CC&Rs control and change over time — confirm liens, amendments, and enforcement with association counsel and the official sources above.
Free CCIOA checklist plus Denver, Westminster, Springs guides.