HOAs/Rolling Hills/LA County
Rolling Hills Community Association
Rolling Hills Community Association covers the entire City of Rolling Hills, a guard gated city on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles County. Developer A. E. Hanson and the Palos Verdes Corporation formed it in 1936, and the city incorporated on January 24, 1957. All of the homes are single family on lots of at least one acre, and most were built from the late 1930s through the 1970s. The association runs the three staffed gates and maintains the roads, which all sit on association easements, along with nearly 30 miles of bridle trails, two riding rings and three tennis courts. Its Architectural Committee must approve any new building or exterior change, and its Building Regulations call for one story ranch style homes painted white, with Colonial style allowed only on Williamsburg Lane. The deed restrictions were added tract by tract under 57 numbered declarations, and some of them do not let the association trim trees to protect views.
Quick Facts
| Type | Homeowners association |
|---|---|
| Location | Rolling Hills, Los Angeles County |
| Registered name | Rolling Hills Community Association of Rancho Palos Verdes |
| Also called | RHCA |
| Homes | 696 single family homes |
| Gated | Guard gated |
| Built | 1935 to 2024 |
| Management | Run by its own staff from the association office at 1 Portuguese Bend Road, next door to City Hall just outside the Main Gate. |
| Phone | (310) 544-6222 |
| Office | 1 Portuguese Bend Road, Rolling Hills, CA 90274 |
| State record | California entity 0166802, formed May 1, 1936, active |
| IRS record | EIN 95-1160563, 501(c)(4) |
| Boundary | The Rolling Hills city limits (LA County city lines). |
| Contacts checked | 2026-11-04 |
Boundaries come from city GIS records, county tract maps or county parcel lines and are not survey lines. Management companies change, so confirm the contact with the association before relying on it. Board members and homeowners are never listed here.
Details
- The association's legal name is Rolling Hills Community Association of Rancho Palos Verdes. Its Articles of Incorporation were filed with the California Secretary of State on May 1, 1936.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The Palos Verdes Corporation, headed by A. E. Hanson, planned Rolling Hills as a private, gated community of homes on one to five acre parcels. One of its first steps was to adopt deed restrictions and create the association as the community's first governing body.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Declaration 150, recorded May 14, 1936, set the first general plan of restrictions for a narrow strip down the middle of Rolling Hills. More land was added over the years, and Rolling Hills now consists of 57 tracts, each added under its own numbered declaration. The Flying Triangle area came in under Declaration 160 in 1939.California Court of Appeal
- The declarations are not all the same. The original tract and many later ones let the association trim trees to protect views, and some do not. A 2024 Court of Appeal decision held that the tree trimming covenant in Declaration 150 does not bind a lot added under a later declaration that left it out.California Court of Appeal
- Under view guidelines adopted February 20, 2025 (Resolution 193), the association only takes view applications where the property's own declaration has view protection language.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The city runs its own view process under Chapter 17.26 of its Municipal Code.City of Rolling Hills
- The City of Rolling Hills incorporated on January 24, 1957, to give the community more home rule while it continued to get services under contract with Los Angeles County.City of Rolling Hills
- The association and the city share the same boundaries, and all roads sit on association easements.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The city covers about 3 square miles, or 1,920 acres, and is zoned for residential use only. It has no city owned or maintained roads, storm drains, sewers or sidewalks. The association manages access into the city and maintains the roads.City of Rolling Hills
- The city and the association are separate bodies. The city handles public safety, planning and zoning, building and grading permits, storm water, animal control, trash and its own view process. The association handles architectural review, its own building permits, easements, the gates, house signs, roads and the common areas, and view complaints in some areas.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Easements run around each lot like a picture frame and are deeded to the association. Roadside easements are 10 to 50 feet wide and side and rear easements are 10 to 25 feet. They must be kept free of buildings, plantings and other obstructions unless the association grants a license.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The Architectural Committee is three association members and two licensed architects appointed by the board. It meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month. Any change to the outside of a building needs its approval, and association staff then issue a building permit.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The Building Regulations call for single story, low profile homes no taller than 25 feet, painted white with white or earth tone trim, in a traditional or contemporary California ranch style. Early California ranch homes with an adobe look are also accepted, and Colonial style homes are allowed only on Williamsburg Lane.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Building exteriors must be painted pure white with no tint. Perimeter fences should be white three rail fences, and new or replacement fencing needs a survey and a fence permit from the association.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The Landscape Committee reviews landscape plans for new homes and for projects that replace more than half of a property's landscaping.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The association maintains the bridle trails, and the Caballeros, an equestrian and trail club, monitor them. The trails are open in daylight to riders with an association trail badge and to walkers with a resident. Bicycles and motor vehicles are not allowed.Rolling Hills Community Association; City of Rolling Hills
- The three gates are the Main Gate at Portuguese Bend Road and Palos Verdes Drive North, the Crest Gate on Crest Road West, and the Eastfield Gate at Eastfield Drive and Palos Verdes Drive East.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Since a 2014 board vote, nonresidents must be on a resident's guest list or be approved by the resident to enter. They may not use the roads or trails for recreation unless the resident is with them. Service providers are admitted Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Visitors and workers are not admitted on motorcycles or bicycles.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Public open houses are not allowed, listing ads cannot include the street address, and no signs are allowed. The association suggests that buyers review the property file at its office before buying.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Agents may show homes any day from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. They must be on the guest list for the home and bring buyers in their own car.Rolling Hills Community Association
- A home may only be leased as a whole. Renting rooms or accessory buildings is not allowed.Rolling Hills Community Association
- Existing structures or landscaping in an easement are not grandfathered, and easement violations must be disclosed to buyers.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The board sets the annual assessment as a rate applied to each property's assessed value on the Los Angeles County roll.Rolling Hills Community Association
- City zoning sets one acre and two acre minimum lots. Each lot must have a stable and corral or keep at least 1,000 square feet of developable area set aside for one.City of Rolling Hills
- The city reports 758 parcels and 685 single family one story homes, with an average lot of 2.7 acres. Only 16 homes are on sewer, and the rest use onsite wastewater systems.City of Rolling Hills
- The association adopted Fire Fuel Management Strategies on November 5, 2020. It does limited weed clearing on roadside easements and in common areas such as the trails and riding rings.Rolling Hills Community Association
- The association supports community groups including the Tennis Club, the Caballeros and the Women's Community Club.City of Rolling Hills
Amenities
- Three gated entrances, each staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Private roads, all on association easements
- Nearly 30 miles of bridle trails maintained by the association
- Caballeros Ring at Hesse's Gap, near Poppy Trail and Portuguese Bend Road, with hitching posts and a picnic area
- Hix Ring, off the Johns Canyon trail near the north end of Buggy Whip Drive
- Three tennis courts just west of the Main Gate, for residents and their guests
More information
- Rolling Hills Community Association website
- RHCA general information
- RHCA buying, selling and leasing
- RHCA entering the gates (guests, workers, agents)
- RHCA easements
- RHCA and the City, who does what
- RHCA important documents
- RHCA Building Regulations (PDF, updated 2024)
- RHCA Essential Information for Realtors (PDF, 2011)
- Map of Rolling Hills with gates, riding rings and tennis courts (PDF, 2008)
- RHCA View Protection Guidelines, Resolution 193 (PDF)
- RHCA Bylaws, 2008 (PDF)
- RHCA Articles of Incorporation, 1936 (PDF)
- City of Rolling Hills
- City of Rolling Hills, about the city
- City of Rolling Hills, development and planning questions
- City of Rolling Hills Municipal Code
- State corporation record (CommunityPay)
- IRS nonprofit record (ProPublica)
- Palos Verdes Library District archive entry on RHCA (90th anniversary, 2026)
Sources
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA Articles of Incorporation, 1936 (PDF)
- Rolling Hills Community Association, history
- California Court of Appeal
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA View Protection Guidelines, Resolution 193 (PDF)
- City of Rolling Hills, view preservation
- City of Rolling Hills, general information
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA general information
- City of Rolling Hills, about the city
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA and the City, who does what
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA easements
- Rolling Hills Community Association, copy of committees beta
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA Building Regulations (PDF, updated 2024)
- Rolling Hills Community Association, bridle trails tennis courts
- City of Rolling Hills, community services
- Rolling Hills Community Association, location
- Rolling Hills Community Association, document 5 (PDF)
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA entering the gates (guests, workers, agents)
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA buying, selling and leasing
- Rolling Hills Community Association, RHCA Essential Information for Realtors (PDF, 2011)
- City of Rolling Hills, development and planning questions
- Rolling Hills Community Association, fire feul management
- Rolling Hills Community Association, tennis courts
- State registration record (CommunityPay)
- IRS filings (ProPublica)
Contact
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