Frequently Asked Questions

The Investigation Division of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department is located in Lake Forest and can be reached at 949-206-6100.

Yes, Rancho Santa Margarita Police Services offers a service provided free of charge which involves a physical check of your residence to ensure no windows or doors have been opened or tampered with while you are away or on vacation. For additional information, call Police Services at 949-635-1817 or complete the form on the City’s website.

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita contracts with the City of Mission Viejo for animal care and control services. Their general information and emergency phone number is (949) 470-3045 or visit www.cmvas.org.

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita contracts with the City of Mission Viejo for animal services. The contract began on January 1, 2017.

The City of Mission Viejo provides numerous high-quality services, including a pro-humane animal shelter, 24-hour response to emergency calls, pet adoption, low-cost vaccination clinics, animal licensing, community outreach and events, volunteer opportunities, and many other services. For a comprehensive list of services and resources, visit cityofmissionviejo.org or call (949) 470-3045.

Valid pet licenses will be honored until the expiration date listed on the license. For example, if you renewed your pet license through the County of Orange, OC Animal Care on 8/2/2016, the license will be valid until 8/2/2017. After January 1, 2017, contact Mission Viejo Animal Services for questions regarding your pet and animal facility licenses at (949) 470-3045 or visit cityofmissionviejo.org.

The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is located at 28095 Hillcrest, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 at the intersection of Marguerite Parkway and Hillcrest. For hours of operation and other information regarding the animal shelter, please visit www.cityofmissionviejo.org/animalservices or call (949) 470-3045.

The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is considered a pro-humane animal shelter. Stray animals are cared for until they are reunited with their owners or until they can be placed in new permanent homes. Stray animals that are brought to the center are held a minimum of 4 full days awaiting redemption by their owner. The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center provides an animal adoption program that includes the screening and review of each individual adoption application to ensure responsible and long-term homes for all animals.

While a Building Permit is required for a patio cover, depending on the square footage of the new patio cover, it is permissible to use the existing slab. Please refer to the Attached Patio Cover Handout www.cityofrsm.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/83 for additional information, or contact the Building Department at 949-635-1800, x 6101

Conversion of a garage into a sleeping room is not permitted. Garages are to be used for the temporary storage of vehicles. However, garages can be converted into Accessory Dwelling Units subject to compliance with RSMZC Section 9.04.190 and approval by the Development Services Department and approval of a Building Permit.  Please contact the Development Services Department at 949-635-1800 x6704 for further information.

Please report graffiti to the City's Graffiti Hotline at 949-635-1825. Please specify the exact location of the graffiti (i.e. on bench at park, on side of wall, and end of what street.)

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita does not issue business licenses, however, a Certificate of Use and Occupancy is required for any businesses located within the commercial retail centers and the Business Park. For more information, please visit the License and Certification Requirements page.

Information regarding starting a business is located on our Business Resources page.

Information regarding starting a business is located on our Business Resources page.

Fictitious business name (DBA) filing is processed by the Orange County Clerk-Recorder Office. They can be reached at 714-834-2500. You can access the application for a fictitious business name on the County Clerk-Recorder’s website www.ocrecorder.com.

Resale permits are issued by the State Board of Equalization by calling 800-400-7115. Additional information is available on the BOE website at www.boe.ca.gov.

The City's Economic Development Division provides many useful resources for new, existing, and potential businesses in the City. For more information, please visit the

The City requires a Certificate of Use and Occupancy (C of O) be obtained by all businesses operating in commercial or business park zones prior to operating. The C of O is a tool to serve all businesses in the City. The City Council recently approved a business development initiative to educate the public on the City's C of O requirements, which includes contacting all businesses which are believed to be operating without a current C of O. The goal of this program is to bring all businesses in the City into compliance. A reduced fee for obtaining a C of O will be available to all existing and new businesses within the City from January through June 2026.

While it is not a requirement, we encourage business owners to call the City and let us know if your business has closed or relocated.

The Building, Planning, and Public Works Departments are located at City Hall. The hours of operation for these departments are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please be advised that the public counter is closed from Noon to 1 p.m. Please note that between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., no new submittals are accepted.

The Public Information Officer (PIO) routinely conducts tours of City Hall for scouting groups and other organizations. If you are interested in arranging a tour, please contact 949-635-1811.

Community-based organizations may request funding from the City during the City's annual budget process. Funding requests are encouraged to be submitted on an application available through the City's Finance Department. For more information, please visit https://www.cityofrsm.org/292/Community-Based-Funding. 

Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC) and the various homeowners associations maintain all of the parks and landscaping, including the landscaped street medians. The City is responsible for maintaining most of the sidewalks, traffic signals and streets. Water and sewer services are provided by Trabuco Canyon Water District and Santa Margarita Water District. The street lights are maintained by Southern California Edison.

If you were born in Orange County, you can obtain your Birth Certificate through the County Clerk-Recorder. Marriage Licenses and Certificates can also be obtained at the same office or by calling 714-834-3005. If you were born outside of Orange County, please contact the County offices in the County where you were born. The Clerk's Office is located at: 2 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701

For online vital records in Orange County, or for more information, please visit https://ocrecorder.com/clerk-services/e-servicesonline-services. 

To find your local USCIS office, please visit the following links:

• Field Offices (within the United States) handle scheduled interviews on applications not related to asylum issues. They also provide limited information and applicant services by appointment that supplement those we provide through our website and by phone.
• Asylum Offices handle scheduled interviews for asylum-related issues only.
• International Offices provide services to U.S. citizens, permanent residents of the United States, and certain other people who are visiting or residing outside the United States who need help in immigration matters.
• Application Support Centers provide biometrics collection services.

The Harbor Justice Center is located at 23141 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653

For more information, please visit https://www.occourts.org/. 

For more information on the City Council, please visit https://www.cityofrsm.org/160/Mayor-City-Council. 

The City Manager is Jennifer M. Cervantez, Ph.D. For more information, please visit https://www.cityofrsm.org/148/City-Managers-Office.

Currently, the City Council has directed staff to obtain proposals from qualified firms to provide consulting services to manage the process of determining the highest and best use of the open space area. 

In mid-2002, the City became aware that not all of the properties that should have been transferred from the County upon the City’s incorporation had actually been transferred. While there was agreement as to many of the property interests, the City and County differed in their views as to who should have ownership of 502 acres of Chiquita Ridge that had originally been dedicated to the County – prior to the City’s incorporation – for open space, recreation and transportation purposes.

When the parties were not able to resolve their differences the City filed a lawsuit in 2005, claiming ownership to the entire 502 parcel. While the lawsuit was moving forward, the County, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Santa Margarita Water District and Rancho Mission Viejo, LLC (“RMV”) entered into an Implementation Agreement regarding the Southern Subregion HCP Habitat Reserve. The effect of this was to designate specific natural habitat that would be protected in perpetuity and there would be certainty as to the Habitat Reserve.

To learn about the settlement agreement and the property, please visit the City's webpage https://www.cityofrsm.org/540/Chiquita-Ridge.

Please contact the Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC) at 949-709-0010. You must be a SAMLARC member in order to use their facilities. For more information, please contact SAMLARC.

Please contact Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC) at their Beach Club Office at 949-858-1390. You must be a SAMLARC member in order to use their facilities.

Please contact the Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC) at 949-858-1390. You must be a SAMLARC member in order to use their facilities. For more information, please visit SAMLARC.

Please contact Rancho Santa Margarita Landscape and Recreation Corporation (SAMLARC) at 949-858-1390. You must be a SAMLARC member to use their facilities.

For information on renting the facility, please submit a Facility Use Inquiry form. Community Services staff will contact you shortly after your Facility Use Inquiry form has been reviewed.

For a list of recreational events and activities, please visit RSMconnect.org.

Yes. For more information, please call the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at 949-216-9700

Registration can be completed online at RSMconnect.org or in person between the hours of 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday - Thursday, or Fridays 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. For additional information please call 949-216-9700. The center is located at: 22232 El Paseo, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688.

A planner is available at the front counter from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to  4 p.m. between Monday - Thursday. On Fridays, the counter is open from 8 a.m. to noon.

Yes. For more information, please call the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at 949-216-9700

Please report all issues to the Southern California Edison (SCE) company as they own and maintain most of the street lights in Rancho Santa Margarita. For more information, please visit 

https://www.sce.com/outages-safety/report-outage-safety-issue/report-outage. 

To report a traffic signal outage please submit an online service request through the City's Citizen Request portal, https://www.cityofrsm.org/requesttracker.aspx. 

All residential streets in the City of Rancho Santa Margarita are swept by a vacuum type street sweeper once per month. Please contact the City's Public Works Department for more information on when your street is swept at 949-635-1800 or view the map here.

Parking Restrictions will begin the week of April 15, 2019.  Implementation will include a 60-day grace period during which cars parked during the restricted hours will receive a warning.  Parking citations with a fine will be issued beginning on Monday, June 17, 2019.

This is the full list and schedule – make sure to note the street names in the last row for the Montecito II Tract:

To keep the City streets clean and increase the effectiveness of street sweeping operations, the City of Rancho Santa Margarita is implementing NO PARKING DURING STREET SWEEPING restrictions in fourteen (14) target areas throughout the City.

Look for these signs on local streets.  Signs will be posted in the areas where Street Sweeping Parking Restrictions apply.  Parking restrictions will be in effect beginning Monday, April 15, 2019.  A full schedule and maps can be found at www.cityofrsm.org/536/street-sweeping.

The City has a dedicated web page for Street Sweeping information:  www.cityofrsm.org/536/street-sweeping.  You may also call (949) 635-1800 x6703 during normal business hours.

Citations for street sweeping will not be issued on holidays. However, all other parking violations may be cited by the Sheriff’s Department on any day of the year.

The base fine for the parking citation is $50.00. 

Violation fines double with each subsequent violation within a 12-month period.

Refer to the information on the back of the citation regarding how to pay the fine.  The back of the ticket reads as follows:

HOW TO PAY THE PARKING VIOLATION PENALTY:

Credit card payments are accepted by phone at (800) 989-2058 or online at www.CitationProcessingCenter.com; or send check/money order payable to the City of Rancho Santa Margarita in a stamped envelope addressed to the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, C/O Citation Processing Center, PO Box 10479, Newport Beach, CA 92658. Write the citation number on the check/money order. DO NOT SEND CASH. Please note that additional monetary penalties are charged for late payment as well as repeat violations of the same offense within a twelve month time period. Citations issued for one of the following violations 4000(a)(1), 5200(a), 5201(c), 5204(a) require evidence of violation correction and vehicle inspection which may be obtained at any police agency. Upon valid proof of correction for each equipment violation, the penalty shall be reduced to $10.00 per violation.

Refer to the information on the back of the citation regarding how to pay the fine:

HOW TO PAY THE PARKING VIOLATION PENALTY:

Credit card payments are accepted by phone at (800) 989-2058 or online at www.CitationProcessingCenter.com; or send check/money order payable to the City of Rancho Santa Margarita in a stamped envelope addressed to the City of Rancho Santa Margarita, C/O Citation Processing Center, PO Box 10479, Newport Beach, CA 92658. Write the citation number on the check/money order. DO NOT SEND CASH. Please note that additional monetary penalties are charged for late payment as well as repeat violations of the same offense within a twelve month time period. Citations issued for one of the following violations 4000(a)(1), 5200(a), 5201(c), 5204(a) require evidence of violation correction and vehicle inspection which may be obtained at any police agency. Upon valid proof of correction for each equipment violation, the penalty shall be reduced to $10.00 per violation.

Refer to the information on the back of the citation.  The information on the back of the citation is shown below.  The website link is  https://www.citationprocessingcenter.com/

Yes, the Community Services Department offers a variety of recreation programs for all ages. Please visit RSMconnect.org to view the most up to date schedule, or call the Bell Tower Regional Community Center at  949-216-9700.

For more information, please review Sponsorship Opportunities or email recreation@cityofrsm.org.

Please submit your band information to recreation@cityofrsm.org.

For more information, email recreation@cityofrsm.org or submit a class proposal.

To learn more about the City-sponsored events, please visit RSMconnect.org and select the Special Events/Facilities tab.

For more information on volunteer opportunities, please visit our volunteer opportunities page.

Please contact Rancho Santa Margarita Police Services at 949-635-1817 for questions related to traffic laws and the enforcement of those traffic laws.

Currently, there is no parking allowed on city streets for storage or long-term parking of recreational vehicles/motor homes. For a list of available RV storage sites, please check online or a local phone directory.

The City of Rancho Santa Margarita is designated as a Passport Acceptance Facility by the United States Department of State. We accept your application for a passport and forward all forms and documents to State Department for processing. The procedures for obtaining a passport can be found on our website, www.cityofrsm.org. Passport Acceptance Facility; please visit this page and complete all requirements prior to your appointment. We also recommend visiting www.travel.state.gov for detailed information.

Passport Office: (949) 635-1819