Guides · California · denials

Your HOA denied your application. What happens next?

A denial is a step in the process, not the end of it. California gives you three things: the decision in writing, the reason for it, and the right to have the board look again at an open meeting.

What the association owes you

Cal. Civ. Code § 4765(a)(4)

A California HOA must give you its architectural decision in writing, and a denial has to explain why and tell you how to ask for reconsideration (Civil Code § 4765).

A decision on a proposed physical change shall be in writing. If a proposed change is disapproved, the written decision must include an explanation of why it was disapproved and a description of the procedure for reconsideration.

Read the statute

Cal. Civ. Code § 4765(a)(5)

If your application is denied, you are entitled to have the board reconsider it at an open board meeting (Civil Code § 4765).

If a proposed change is disapproved, the applicant is entitled to reconsideration by the board at an open meeting of the board.

Read the statute

If what you received was a phone call, a line in meeting minutes, or an email saying only “denied,” ask for the written decision with its explanation and the reconsideration procedure. That request is reasonable, and it usually produces the specific provision you need in order to respond.

Work out which kind of denial it is

Incomplete. Missing a spec sheet, a site plan, a color code, a neighbour's acknowledgement. The fix is a better submission, not an argument.
Conditional. Approvable with a change — a different color, a screened equipment location, a lower fence. Decide whether the condition is acceptable, and get any agreed change in writing.
Rule-based. The committee relies on a specific provision. Now the question is whether that provision is enforceable against your project — for solar, Civil Code § 714 voids rules that effectively prohibit a system, and § 4745 does the same for EV charging.

Asking for reconsideration

Request reconsideration in writing, following the procedure in the denial.
Answer the stated reason point by point. Attach the document that resolves it rather than describing it.
Offer an alternative that meets the committee's concern, where one exists and doesn't defeat the project.
Be brief, be courteous, and keep everything in writing so there is a record.

When to involve an attorney

If the denial rests on a provision that state law makes unenforceable, and reconsideration doesn't resolve it, that is the point to get advice. We can prepare and submit the resubmission or hearing package — $399 — but we are not your lawyers, and we will say so plainly rather than give you legal advice. See what that includes.

wHOA handles this for you. We prepare the application, submit it the way your association accepts submissions, track the deadline that applies, and follow up until there's a decision. Free if your contractor works with us. Request a free pre-check or see how it works for contractors.

This is general information about the law in your state, not legal advice about your situation. Talk to an attorney before relying on it.

Statutes reviewed September 2026. Laws change; verify before relying on this.