What to Know About Our Community

Rancho La Quinta is a private gated community that has achieved first class status and has the reputation of being one of the friendliest clubs anywhere, welcoming all of its members equally. 

 

RLQ strives to keep all aspects of the community top-notch, from the awe inspiring beauty of the grounds that one sees driving through the front gates or the quality of the maintenance and architectural integrity of the many number of different home models. Both of these factors occur because RLQ has a number of caring members who volunteer their time and serve on our Landscape & Grounds Committee as well as our Architectural Committee. These committees work diligently to allow homeowners a sense of individuality while maintaining a set of standards to ensure that all aspects of RLQ's physical beauty remain during any transition from homeowner to homeowner.

 

All entry gates into Rancho La Quinta have limited access. Homeowners may enter any gate by using a transponder, available at the Jefferson Gate Command Center (see Transponder Entry below). The Jefferson Gate and the Washington Gate are staffed and therefore the sole entry gates for guests. Vendors may access the property via only the Jefferson gate, between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (7:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. during the winter season) (See Vendor access below).

 

Rancho La Quinta has a distinctive look and feel, unlike any other community in the area, and you purchased your home with the expectation that this look and feel would be maintained. Over time, without restrictions, this classic look that we all love so much would be eroded (along with property values). As a result, our community maintains strict control over any exterior change you wish to make to your residence. As members of the Association, you are doing your part by following the architectural guidelines and obtaining approval from the Association before any exterior changes are made. You can view the architectural rules on this website under OUR COMMUNITY.

 

Our community rules prohibit after-hour work and work activity on weekends and certain National Holidays. These restrictions are intended to preserve the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Services that do not interfere with the peace and quiet are permitted with strict limitations. The rules begin with the following seasonal entry information:

From October 1 through April 30 (the season) contractors and vendors are permitted in the community from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. With the exception of emergencies, no work can be done on Saturday, Sunday or certain National Holidays. 

From May 1 through September 30 (the summer) contractors and vendors are permitted in the community from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. With the exception of emergencies, no work can be done on Saturday, Sunday or certain National Holidays. 

The National Holidays are New Years Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. With the exception of emergencies, no contractor or vendor may enter the community on these days.

Services that do not interfere with the peace and quiet may have access on weekends (but not National Holidays) outside the approved seasonal hours only for "quiet work" which is strictly limited to housemaids, housekeepers, caterers, chefs and pool cleaners. If you have "quiet work" that is outside this scope you may request one-time access to your quiet vendor by getting advance approval from the Association's Director of Community Services. Also, emergencies preclude all of the above rules, but only upon the homeowner providing a statement of the emergency. You may request one-time access or emergency access by submitting your request using our After Hours Access Request

 

 

Our community has a state-of-the-art perimeter access system that is monitored 24 hours a day. Our Jefferson Gate Command Center houses a bank of video screens and computers that keep track of our gates and exterior walls. Remote cameras track and video any unauthorized violation of our perimeter walls or entry gates and relay that information to our patrol cars.

Our exit gates feature a laser tracking system that activates each time a vehicle (or person) enters its field of vision. The lasers can determine the direction of movement, so any unauthorized vehicle will be immediately recorded and tracked if it tries to enter the community through the exit side. 

 

The transponder sensor area varies depending upon atmospheric conditions, the type of transponder you have and where it is placed on your vehicle, so your individual sensor "trip area" will vary. It is possible that your vehicle could trip the sensor before passing the sensor line. So if the vehicle in front of you clears the gate closure area and the "fast arms" stay up, you may proceed through the gates.

 

Once you enter Rancho La Quinta, life seems less hurried, and we hope you’ll slow down when driving through our community! Here walkers, runners, cyclists and cars share the road. The speed limit is 25 mph, a speed that our security officers seriously enforce. To avoid being cited, please slow down. 

 

Don't forget to observe the right-of-way rules when you enter our gates. These, together with courtesy and common sense, help to promote traffic safety. Pedestrians and bicycle riders always have the right-of-way, but you can never assume other drivers will give you the right-of-way, so be ready to yield when it means avoiding a collision.

Our entry gates at Jefferson, Adams and 50th street are T-intersections where you must yield to vehicles on the through roads (Rancho La Quinta Drive and Mission Drive East and West). The through road at the Adams gate is a little trickier, it's westbound Descanso Lane. There is a stop sign, but only for eastbound traffic on Descanso Lane.  

 

When you drive into Rancho La Quinta and need to yield to traffic, don't worry about the gate closing on your car! The iron gate and fast arms will not close until you've passed the length of the gate. 

At the corner of Mission Drive West and Calle Brisa there is another T-intersection you should be cautious at. At this intersection, the right-of-way is for Mission Drive West southbound only. You will see a stop sign at northbound Mission Drive West and at Calle Brisa. Mission Drive West southbound has the right-of-way to continue on Mission Drive or to enter Calle Brisa. If you are northbound on Mission Drive West, do not proceed past the stop sign until you confirm what direction the southbound traffic takes.

 

 

When you are out on our streets remember that safety is first. May we suggest the following guidelines:

 

 

You should be sure to carry adequate property, casualty and liability insurance, as well as coverage for earthquakes, home contents, golf carts and identity theft. Rancho La Quinta is recognized as one of the desert’s most upscale communities, a distinction that also carries the risk of property or privacy invasion. We encourage you to consider and use a monitored alarm system, motion detection lighting and theft deterrent perimeter locks. 

 

 

We can't say enough about Emergency Preparedness. While we live in a high risk area for earthquakes, emergencies of any kind can occur without warning. Consider your risks and create a plan for if  —  and when  — an emergency occurs.

Our Community has an all volunteer Disaster Preparedness Committee that has developed a neighborhood block assistance program that you Can View on this website. Use this material to develop a plan of your own to address issues with your home, possessions, family security and safety. Remember to assume that all Association personnel and security staff will first take care of their own families —  as they are instructed —  and will not likely even be on site in a major emergency.

 

In the event of an emergency, the Associations will attempt to communicate with you through our website or our phone App, which can be accessed on your computer, iPad, smart phone or cell phone from a wired or wireless connection. Since our website computers are located outside California, they will likely be operational during a local emergency. During and after an emergency, keep your devices on. For those without power, cell phones or internet, we will attempt to post a bulletin board outside of the Rancho La Quinta Clubhouse. We will attempt to use that same location as a gathering point for homeowners to share information and assist one another as needed. 

 

Home Watch is a free program sponsored by our Community Service Team that allows you to register with our Command Center the days you will be away from your home. Once registered, our Command Center team will perform an exterior check of your home two times a week while you are away. Signing up is easy. Here on this website you can login to our Entry Gate Software and under "My Account" enter the dates you will be away. You can also Click Here to email your request to the Command Center. Lastly, you can call the Command Center at 760-564-5575.
 

 

 

As a homeowner you are responsible for your own safety and security within the Rancho La Quinta community. The Association is responsible for physically maintaining the entry gates and the perimeter walls. It contracts with an outside vendor to maintain and monitor the entry gates and perimeter walls for the sole purpose of providing privacy. Our vendor is not authorized to carry weapons nor arrest anyone within the grounds, and we have instructed them to contact the police when any privacy violation occurs. Our entry gates, perimeter walls and surveillance equipment are solely intended to deter and discourage violations of homeowner privacy -- not to protect or secure residents from intruders or criminal activity. With this understanding, you as a homeowner must take measures you deem appropriate to protect and secure your home, personal property and physical safety. 

 

The Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&R's) hold the Association harmless from claims made for events leading to injury or loss of property from anyone gaining access to the community even if the access is through the entry gates or perimeter walls, whether surveillance located the intruder or not. 

 

Working together, we hope homeowners and guard staff can seriously discourage any intrusions.

 

 

One of the reasons we live in our upscale community is the privacy it provides. When you enter our walls, it is like entering a different, relaxed environment. To help insure our privacy, we contract with a private guard/security firm to man our gates and patrol our grounds. Our contractor performs certain services as set forth in our contract as it is amended from time to time.

 

Currently those services include:

1. Cannot accept packages/letters at the Gates on behalf of the homeowners.
2. Cannot allow any person access to the property that has not been cleared by a homeowner.
3. Cannot carry weapons and thus cannot be a first responder.
4. Cannot arrest anyone.
5. Cannot get involved in homeowner disputes.
6. Cannot put their lives at risk.
7. Cannot provide rides.
8. Cannot perform tasks in or around the home, such as move items. 

When you drive through our gates, it’s hard not to be struck by the beauty of the grounds. This is the result of our Landscape Committee’s diligent work. Comprised entirely of volunteers, the committee oversees the look and feel of the community landscape, from selecting each season’s palette of annual flowers to creating an overall ambiance that reflects the leisure elegance of Rancho La Quinta. 

The committee determines each season’s color palette a full six months in advance. Many homeowners enjoy coordinating their own garden color to complement the community plantings. 

Trees are the backbone of Rancho La Quinta’s landscape. Each year, many trees are lost to the windstorms that blow through our valley. If trees in your front yard are damaged or destroyed, the Association will repair or replace them, unless the surrounding growth makes replacement unnecessary. The City of La Quinta has created a list of trees that thrive in our desert climate, and the Association adheres to those recommendations. To minimize tree loss, the Association regularly prunes most trees. 

Fruit trees grow abundantly in our community. We encourage you to pick and enjoy fruit from trees in your yard and in the common areas. Any fruit remaining on our trees after April 1 will be picked to discourage rodent activity.