Livermore, CA HOA Rules: Board Governance (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- HOA CC&Rs cannot ban low water use plants
- Turf
- Turf removal/reduction cannot be restricted
- Covers
- Condos, planned developments, stock co-ops, HOA subdivisions
- Verification timing
- May be deferred until occupancy
- Enforcement
- Chapter 13.25, permit suspension under § 13.25.220
Summary
Livermore's water-efficient landscape ordinance voids any CC&R clause that blocks low water use plants or turf removal. Under LMC § 13.25.050(B), homeowners association covenants covering condos, planned developments and single-family subdivisions cannot restrict water-conserving landscaping, and the Director may defer compliance verification until occupancy.
Homeowners Associations and Common Interest Developments. The covenants, codes and restrictions (i.e., CC&Rs) of a common interest development, which may include but not be limited to community apartment projects, condominiums, planned developments, stock cooperatives, or single-family subdivisions governed by a homeowners association, shall not prohibit or include conditions that have the effect of prohibiting the use of low water use plants as a group. Further, said guidelines shall not prohibit the removal of turf, nor restrict or prohibit the reduction of turf in lieu of more water efficient alternatives. Verification of compliance with this requirement may be deferred prior to occupancy at the discretion of the Director.
Full Breakdown
25's landscape documentation package requirements. It reaches every "common interest development": community apartment projects, condominiums, planned developments, stock cooperatives, and single-family subdivisions governed by a homeowners association. Their CC&Rs cannot prohibit, or include conditions with the effect of prohibiting, the use of low water use plants as a group, and cannot prohibit the removal of turf or restrict its reduction in favor of more water-efficient alternatives. 050, which requires project applicants to submit project information, water budget calculations, a soil report, a landscape design plan, an irrigation design plan, and a grading design plan as part of any required planning permit.
Compliance verification for the HOA CC&R provision specifically may be deferred until just before occupancy, at the discretion of the Community Development Director, giving developers and associations room to amend covenant language rather than stalling a project at permit submittal. 220 authorizes the City to suspend any development permit already issued for the property until compliance is demonstrated to the Public Works Director's satisfaction. The rule protects an individual owner's or the association's own choice to convert to low water use plants from being overridden by aesthetic-uniformity language common in area covenants; it does not force any HOA to install anything.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 13.25 violations, including CC&Rs found to prohibit low water use plants or turf removal, can trigger immediate suspension of any development permit already issued for the property under LMC § 13.25.220, held until compliance is demonstrated to the Public Works Director's satisfaction. Compliance verification for HOA covenants may be deferred until occupancy at the Director's discretion, but the underlying restriction stays unenforceable regardless of timing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my Livermore HOA fine me for removing my lawn?
Does this rule apply to condos and stock cooperatives, or just single-family HOAs?
When does the City check whether an HOA's CC&Rs comply?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Livermore
California rules heatmap·Compare Livermore to another location·View the California hoa rules overview
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