One California homeowner who was trying to think ahead to comply with local legislation was frustrated when their homeowners association decided to stonewall their efforts.
"Given the upcoming ban on gas water heaters (in 2027) and gas furnaces (in 2029), we were hoping to install a heat pump system that replaces both," they wrote in the r/BayArea subreddit.
"We went through a lengthy process with the HOA and provided a project description, paid for an independent mechanical engineer analysis, and after all of that our HOA said we can't install the heat pump because a potential hot water leak could damage the roof membrane."
The Bay Area legislation was approved in 2025, and it fits with an overall trend of Americans moving away from gas heating.
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And the original poster didn't just roll over.
"We immediately called our contractor, and he said there are ways to address this," they said. "We asked our HOA Board to schedule a call or a meeting with our contractor, and they declined, saying that their decision was final. … Is there any way we could push back on this?"
"If you read the CC&Rs, there is often an appeal process," pointed out a commenter. "That would be the time to involve an attorney."
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