Thousand Oaks, CA HOA Rules: HOA Fines & Enforcement (2026)
Key Facts
- Section
- TOMC § 10-2.1104(m), second sentence
- No HOA fines
- For reduced drought watering
- No forced reversal
- Of landscaping after drought ends
- Covers
- State or locally-declared drought
- Effective
- Ord. 1705-NS, November 25, 2022
- Ties to
- City's Level 1-6 shortage tiers
Summary
Thousand Oaks prohibits homeowner associations from fining residents for cutting back on lawn watering during a declared drought. Under TOMC § 10-2.1104(m), an HOA cannot assess a fine for reduced or eliminated watering during a state or locally-declared drought, and cannot force a homeowner to rip out water-efficient landscaping once the shortage declaration ends.
HOAs shall not issue a fine or assessment on a homeowner for reducing or eliminating the watering of vegetation or lawns during a state or locally-declared drought, and shall not fine or require a homeowner to reverse or remove water-efficient landscaping measures upon the conclusion of a water shortage declaration.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-78: 2026 S-78 Supplement contains: Current city legislation passed through March 31, 2026).
Full Breakdown
This HOA fine limit is the second sentence of Sec. 1104(m), part of the Article 11 water conservation ordinance adopted by Ord. 1705-NS, effective November 25, 2022. ' That protection covers any homeowner cutting back irrigation to comply with, or in response to, a declared water shortage, whether the shortage is declared by the State or by Thousand Oaks itself under the City's own Level 1 through Level 6 shortage tiers in Secs. 1109. The same sentence extends past the drought itself: once a water shortage declaration ends, the HOA still cannot 'fine or require a homeowner to reverse or remove water-efficient landscaping measures' put in during the shortage.
In practice, a resident who lets a lawn go brown, switches to drip irrigation, or installs climate-appropriate plants to meet a declared shortage cannot be fined for that choice while the drought is in effect, and cannot later be forced by the association to restore the prior thirsty landscaping or pay a penalty for keeping the water-saving changes after the declaration is lifted.
Violations & Fines
Like the guideline-enforcement clause before it, this fine-limiting sentence in Sec. 10-2.1104(m) is a direct restriction on HOA authority rather than a City-issued penalty, and it carries no separate City fine schedule of its own. A homeowner fined in violation of this subsection can cite Sec. 10-2.1104(m) directly against the association, and may also raise the underlying drought-watering reduction with the water purveyor administering the applicable shortage-level restrictions under Secs. 10-2.1105 through 10-2.1109.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my HOA fine me for letting my lawn go brown during a drought?
Once the drought ends, can my HOA make me restore my old lawn?
Does this apply to both state and city drought declarations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Thousand Oaks
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