"Now I have to go to court. Help!" is not how one homeowner wanted to end their plea for advice on dealing with code enforcement actions by their homeowners association. HOAs are often a source of frustration, and this time, that turned into a legal proceeding that led the Redditor to reach out for help.
In this case, it was a matter of mixed signals. The original poster explained that their HOA demanded they cut their yard. They complied and later decided to upgrade to an "edible landscape garden," which required a large wood chip drop in their driveway. Things only went south from there, ultimately leading to a code violation and a court summons for "excessive mulch in front yard."
The OP's battle with their HOA is nothing new, as HOAs dominate the homeownership landscape, governing over 74 million homeowners. Most HOAs maintain CC&Rs (Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions) that abstain from nonconformity.
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Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely not 💯 In other words, everything must look the same throughout the neighborhood … or else. This, of course, leads to blocking or downright terminating eco-friendly landscaping, solar panel installations, and other money-saving and eco-friendly upgrades. Several states now have laws restricting HOAs from blocking solar panel installation.
Unfortunately, electric vehicle chargers, natural lawns, xeriscaping, native plant rewilding, clothesline use, and other upgrades are still on the chopping block far too often. There are methods for getting around strict HOAs, but not everyone is familiar with them, and oftentimes, people simply go along to get along.
This slows the advancement of decarbonization, clean energy, EVs, and general efforts toward sustainability practices at the community and neighborhood levels. A tree can only grow from a planted seed that's well taken care of, and HOAs often sterilize the ground before the seed is planted.
On the bright side, things seem to be moving in the right direction on a state-by-state basis. Some states have employed ombudsmen to oversee HOAs and limit their ability to infringe on the rights of homeowners.
There are also other tools at your disposal if you know where to look. For instance, a response post to the OP suggested seeking out a program similar to Think About Personal Pollution in Tallahassee, Florida, saying: "If you do something pro city with your yard and make a city division look good, they will go to bat for you against neighbor complaints."
The response also elaborated on a preventative measure: "Yeah just make sure you get an official yard sign from the agency."
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