A dispute over a front yard vegetable garden led one Acworth, Georgia, family to use its Halloween decorations to publicly jab at the homeowners association fining them $25 a day.
Rather than focusing on monsters, the setup centers on a warning sign directed at what the family calls its "spooky" HOA, according to BGL (via Yahoo News).
Here's what to know
Shawn Richardson (@BamfHammer), an Acworth homeowner, took the fight public on Instagram.
According to Atlanta News First, the garden he and his wife, Alexandrea Duarte, keep in the front yard had existed for at least two years before the HOA intervened.
The association later removed Duarte from its executive board over the conflict.
In the video, he leaned into the holiday bit, saying an "entity" was "lurking" in the neighborhood and would "take $25 a day off of you if you plant tomatoes without their permission."
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Richardson added in the caption that the garden had not been an issue in previous years.
"Beware! Your spooky HOA will charge you $25 a day for a garden," his yard sign read.
Duarte told Atlanta News First that after adding a controversial cucumber trellis, she tried to work out a compromise with the HOA.
"I asked what I could do," Duarte explained. "I offered to paint [the trellises] any color of the board's choosing. I offered to do a width around a brick or rock surround, anything I could do to keep my garden."
More background
Because the family's backyard doesn't get enough sunlight for vegetables, growing food in the front yard is a practical necessity for the household, not a design choice.
The conflict also reflects a broader pattern that has frustrated homeowners nationwide.
HOAs have repeatedly drawn criticism for blocking money-saving home improvements, including rooftop solar panels and native plant lawns. In this case, the restriction focused on space used to grow food.
The HOA's actions escalated after what it said were neighbor complaints.
Atlanta News First reported that Duarte was told at least four people had objected, and when she refused to remove the garden, the association began issuing $25-a-day fines on Sept. 28.
That quickly amounted to hundreds of dollars.
"Food is simultaneously too expensive and hazardous for many of us to eat. Good on her for providing for her family," a commenter on Facebook said of the dispute.
What's being done?
Duarte took down the cucumber trellis and proposed several design changes in an effort to satisfy the board.
She also challenged the HOA's demand, but fines continued after she declined to fully comply.
Among the legal steps the family is taking is filing a complaint with the Georgia Secretary of State. For homeowners facing similar conflicts over landscaping or home upgrades, this resource on working with HOAs can help them understand bylaws and change them.
The fines are still adding up, but the family has not indicated it plans to give up the garden.
"I can't afford to keep racking up fines, but I also don't want to lose one of the ways I feed my family … because three people decide they didn't like my yard," Duarte told Atlanta News First.
Where can I learn more?
HOA disputes show how quickly neighborhood rules can turn into costly fights over yards and home choices. These articles cover conflicts involving grass, legal costs, landscaping responsibilities, and surveillance cameras.
• An HOA board member said a neighbor reported them over uncut grass next door.
• In Maryland, homeowners said it costs $927 to fight an HOA dispute in Charles County.
• At Austin's Preston Oaks, an HOA billed a homeowner for driveway damage its landscapers caused.
• In Georgia, an HOA's Flock cameras were cut down after residents said approval was never given.
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