A confused homeowner in Texas took to the r/legaladvice subreddit to inquire about their right to put a clothesline in front of their home to dry their clothes.
According to the post, their local homeowners association bans the hanging of clotheslines on their property, but "Google tells me that I live in a Right To Dry state and H.B. No. 362 prevents an HOA from blocking my usage of a clothesline. However, I cannot find anything that describes that in the bill. Can someone spell it out for me?"
Put simply, in the past, clotheslines were standard in most American households' back and front yards. However, modern perceptions about clothesline drying — ranging from lowering property values due to ugliness to having little to no worthwhile environmental benefit to even being associated with poverty — have changed this standard and led a number of other HOAs and rental properties to ban them.
However, lawmakers in 19 states have enacted "right to dry" laws that prohibit clothesline bans in that state, one of which is indeed Texas.
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Absolutely not 💯 The bill that user Alicia-XTC is referring to, Texas House Bill No. 362, passed in 2011 and prohibits HOAs in the state from banning solar panels. While the bill's top description describes it as "relating to the regulation by a property owners' association of the installation of solar energy devices and certain roofing materials on property," it does not specify that it includes clotheslines, only shingles.
However, the law still applies to hanging clotheslines, as it refers to using solar power and heating, so clotheslines are not considered a violation of the law.
"But could it not be interpreted that it's heating the clothes up," asked one person.
"Yes, I would absolutely make the argument, that the intent of the bill is to be able to harness the power of the sun, and that converting light energy first to electrical to then run a dryer illustrates how this would be a waste," said another commenter.
This is not the first time an HOA has prevented a homeowner from implementing an eco-friendly, money-saving installment to their home. Clotheslines can actually help homeowners save energy and money that would have been used by an electric dryer, which consumes a substantial amount of both every year.
Our guide to approaching your local HOA and changing bylaws can help you and your neighbors create change as well.
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