What should I include in an HOA architectural review packet for a deck, pergola or fence?

Start with the documents you already have

Every association has a set of governing documents: the CC&Rs, the bylaws and usually a separate architectural guidelines booklet. The guidelines are where the specifics live, such as maximum heights, permitted colors, fence styles, setbacks from property lines and whether a pergola counts as a structure. Read them before you design, not after. Many North County associations post them on a resident portal or will email them on request.

While you are there, find the submission deadline and meeting schedule. Most architectural committees meet monthly, and a packet that misses the cutoff by a day waits a month.

What a complete packet usually contains

Associations vary, but the checklist below covers what most committees want to see. Give them everything on the first pass.

• The association's own application form, filled out completely and signed.
• A site plan: your lot outline with the house, the proposed structure and distances from the structure to property lines, the house and any easements. A copy of your plot plan from escrow with the new work drawn on it is often acceptable.
• Dimensioned drawings: a plan view and at least one elevation showing overall height from grade, post sizes and spacing, rafter profile and railing design.
• A materials and colors list naming the species or product, the manufacturer and the exact color or finish. Attach a sample, a cut sheet or a clear photo.
• A written description of the work in a few sentences, including whether anything is being removed.
• Photos of the existing conditions from the yard and, if the structure will be visible from the street or a neighbor's yard, from those vantage points.
• Neighbor acknowledgment signatures if your guidelines require them.

Drawings that answer questions before they are asked

Committees are volunteers, and most are not builders. The drawings that get approved quickly are the ones a non-expert can read in a minute. Label heights plainly. Show the structure in relation to the house roofline and the fence. If a pergola sits near a property line, note the distance and compare it to the guideline's setback right on the sheet.

This is where a background in architecture pays off for our clients. We prepare drawings for submittals as part of the design work, and a clear set has a way of shortening the back-and-forth.

Your rights under California law

Associations do not have unlimited discretion. California's Davis-Stirling Act, in Civil Code section 4765, requires an association to have a fair, reasonable and expeditious procedure for architectural decisions, to make its decision in writing, to explain a disapproval and to offer a reconsideration process. If your packet is complete and the design meets the published guidelines, a denial should come with reasons you can respond to.

The practical lesson is to keep everything in writing: the date you submitted, what you submitted and every response. A polite paper trail is the best tool you have if a decision needs to be appealed.

Common reasons packets bounce

In our experience the same few things send packets back. Heights measured from the wrong point, colors described as natural wood with no sample, a missing site plan or no mention of what happens to the old structure. Committees also notice when a drawing does not match the description. Check that the dimensions, the materials list and the narrative all agree before you submit.

Submit early, follow up politely after the meeting, and keep the approval letter with your project records. Future buyers and future committees will ask for it.

Related questions

Sources and further reading