A debate recently exploded on Reddit when a homeowner asked for advice from the online community after running afoul of a neighbor by drying her clothes on a clothesline.

The user described their difficulty in understanding the complaint, as there do not seem to be any rules against it in their homeowners association's Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. 

The closest area the original poster could find for comparison in their HOA's rulebook was under a section on solar devices: "Solar device installations on any Lot must include and describe reasonable efforts to mitigate the visual and aesthetic impact upon immediate neighbors and upon the community at large of any solar device installation." 

However, as several users noted, a clothesline and a solar panel, while both effective tools for fighting rising global temperatures, are two very different things.

These debates are becoming increasingly common as old-school HOAs, traditionally tasked with keeping their communities looking neat and tidy, grapple with the realities of the effects of Earth's overheating.

In communities around the country, forward-thinking HOA members are attempting to make consequential adjustments to their personal habits, including energy use. This has led to disagreements with stuck-in-the-past HOA boards over everything from solar panel installations to electric vehicle charging stations to native plant lawns. These sorts of personal changes are not only good for the environment but also good for your wallet, which makes any HOA pushback extremely frustrating.

Most of the users who responded to the initial post felt the homeowner was well within their right to continue hanging clothes, especially if done at night. 

"I would keep using it until you get a notice from the HOA," offered one commenter. 

Another suggested they be proactive and cautiously demand a clarification of the rules in the community: "A nuisance often times is what the board determines a nuisance, it can be listed in the CC&Rs but usually there's a catch all sentence that the board can apply to anything they deem a nuisance."

🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?

🔘 Absolutely not 💯

🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝

🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️

🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

If you know where to start, you can often successfully challenge and change your HOA's bylaws in order to take eco-friendly actions within your community.

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