Below is a helpful discussion from the Davis-Stirling.com Newsletter by ADAMS | STIRLING PLC regarding self-driving cars and the future for HOA communities . . .
The number of self-driving cars is steadily increasing and will likely start impacting gated communities. The two main competitors with self-driving taxis are Waymo and Tesla.
Waymo, launched by Google in 2016, began offering driverless taxi services in 2020. As of June 2026, Waymo has 3,871 robotaxis in 10 US cities, with 500,000 paid rides per week.
Tesla unveiled its Robotaxi, also called a Cybercab, in October 2024 and began production in February 2026. In April, its self-driving cabs expanded from Austin to Dallas and Houston, Texas. In July, the service expanded to Miami, with plans to expand to California.
It is clear the number of driverless vehicles will rapidly increase as Waymo and Tesla work out bugs and increase production. That means they will start appearing at gated communities, which could create problems. If an empty car shows up at the front gate, presumably to pick up a passenger, but the guard does not know who it’s for, who does he call? How does he tell the car to go away?
I wanted feedback from readers on whether they have had this happen, or if any associations have developed policies for their communities. Here’s what they had to say . . .
Love your newsletter!! It sounds like someone calling for a driverless car will need to meet it at the gate. –Theresa M.
Is it an option to just let them in, since doing so isn’t letting in any authorized person into the development? Likely the vehicle knows where the pick location is once let in. Google or Tesla would be liable for any damages caused by their driverless vehicles, which is better for the association than hoping to recoup damages caused by a human driver.
-Tonya.
RESPONSE: That might work, provided Google has already mapped the streets in the community. For security and privacy reasons, many gated communities do not allow their streets and houses to be mapped.
The robotaxi situation is even worse without a guard at the gate. -Gary M.
I’ve hired Waymo multiple times. If it is not allowed access to an area, it instructs you where to walk to for pickup. For example, the ferry building in SF. It instructed us to walk to a nearby hotel. -Patrick D.
Regarding the self-driving cars. We use one in Arizona at my nephew’s townhouse that is gated. The Waymo stops on the street side for us to get in, and we have a code we have to use to enter the car. We get alerts that the car is almost there. You can reach out to Waymo, Zoox, Tesla for best advice on pick up. But I believe if it is gated, the car will only wait alongside the street from my experience. –Sharon D.
RESPONSE: I had to look up Zoox. It’s a robotaxi company owned by Amazon. It looks like a toaster on wheels. It operates with no steering wheel, pedals or traditional front and back. Zoox currently offers free public rides in select areas of Las Vegas, San Francisco and Foster City.
What about gated communities with no guard and only a keypad? Likely the HOA will need to tow the car out of the way so others can get through, unless the company has an emergency number painted on the car so that someone can call to have it remotely removed. –Paige L.
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DISCLAIMER. The Davis-Stirling.com Newsletter by ADAMS | STIRLING PLC provides commentary only, not legal advice. For legal advice, you’ll need to hire legal counsel. You can hire ADAMS | STIRLING PLC; Keep in mind they are considered corporate counsel to associations only.
