Guides & resources
Straight answers for the people who run HOAs
540+ plain-English answers for volunteer boards and the residents they serve - no jargon, no sales pitch. Pick a topic to dive in.
Pets, parking & vehicles
Pet limits and breed rules, guest parking, street parking, RVs, boats, trailers, and commercial vehicles.
Can an HOA restrict or ban pets?
What pet rules associations can enforce, why service and emotional-support animals are treated differently, and how to navigate a pet dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA tell you where you can and can't park?
What parking rules associations can set, where their authority ends at the public curb, and how to handle a parking dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from installing an EV charger?
Why a growing number of states protect a homeowner's right to charge an electric vehicle, what an association can still require, and how to get an installation approved.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from keeping chickens or other backyard animals?
Whether an HOA can ban backyard chickens, livestock, and bees, where that authority comes from, how it differs from pet rules, the overlap with local zoning, and the narrow exceptions.
Read the answerHow do I start a petition to recall an HOA board member?
How to recall an HOA board member by petition: gathering the required member signatures, the threshold that forces a special meeting, notice and quorum, and the recall vote itself.
Read the answerCan an HOA deny an emotional support animal or service animal?
How service animals and ESAs differ, why a no-pet rule usually has to bend for them, what a board can ask, and the narrow grounds for saying no.
Read the answerRentals, tenants & neighbors
Rental caps, short-term rentals, tenant rules, noise, nuisance complaints, and living next to your HOA in peace.
Can an HOA restrict or ban rentals?
What rental rules associations can set, the limits state law puts on them, and what it means if you want to lease your home.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from renting your home on Airbnb or VRBO?
Why short-term rentals get singled out from ordinary leasing, what authority a board needs to limit them, and how to handle a dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA evict a tenant, or only the owner can?
Whether an HOA has the power to evict a renter, why the association's legal relationship is normally with the owner and not the tenant, how associations actually enforce rules against renters, the narrow situations where some states or governing documents let an HOA act against a tenant directly, and what landlords owe their community.
Read the answerCan an HOA charge you for a violation by your tenant or guest?
Why HOAs hold the homeowner responsible for what tenants, guests, and family members do, when that's enforceable, and how lease addenda shift the risk.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict noise, set quiet hours, and fine you for being too loud?
When associations can regulate noise, how their nuisance rules and quiet hours work alongside the city ordinance, and the limits on enforcing something as subjective as 'too loud.'
Read the answerCan an HOA ban smoking, even inside your own condo or yard?
What associations can do about smoking in common areas versus private units, how secondhand-smoke drift becomes a nuisance issue, and where banning it requires a covenant amendment, not just a board rule.
Read the answerHome projects & property rules
Fences, paint, solar, roofs, landscaping, sheds, pools, additions - what needs approval and how ARC review works.
Can an HOA tell you what color to paint your house?
How far architectural control over exterior color really goes, where it has to stop, and how to handle a paint dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA ban solar panels?
Why solar-access laws limit what associations can do, what they can still regulate, and how to get panels approved.
Read the answerCan an HOA restrict flags and signs in your yard?
Why the American flag and political signs get special protection, what an association can still regulate, and how to handle a display dispute.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from installing a satellite dish or antenna?
Why the federal OTARD rule limits what associations can do, the antennas and dishes it covers, and what an HOA can still require.
Read the answerHow does HOA architectural review (ARC approval) work?
What the architectural review process is, why exterior changes need approval, what a board can and can't do with it, and how to get a request through.
Read the answerCan an HOA ban clotheslines and outdoor drying?
Why 'right to dry' laws protect outdoor drying in many states, what an association can still regulate, and how to handle a clothesline dispute.
Read the answerHOA fines & violations
What an HOA can fine you for, how notices and hearings work, and how to dispute a violation the right way.
Can an HOA fine you, and how much?
When associations can levy fines, the notice they usually owe you first, and the limits on how far it can go.
Read the answerCan an HOA tow your car?
When an association can have a vehicle towed, the notice it usually owes you, and what to do if it happens to you.
Read the answerWhat process does an HOA have to follow before it can fine you?
The notice, right-to-cure, and hearing steps that often have to come before a fine is valid - and what happens when a board skips them.
Read the answerHow do you dispute an HOA violation notice?
A step-by-step way to respond to a violation letter, the rights you usually have, and how to push back effectively without escalating.
Read the answerHow does HOA dispute resolution work - mediation, arbitration, and ADR before a lawsuit?
The steps many states and governing documents require before an HOA dispute can go to court, how mediation and arbitration differ, and how to use the process well.
Read the answerCan you withhold HOA dues during a dispute?
Whether you can stop paying HOA dues over a complaint or repair the board hasn't handled, why withholding usually backfires, and the safer 'pay under protest' path.
Read the answerHOA dues, fees & money
Assessments, special assessments, late fees, liens, foreclosure, budgets, reserves, and where the money actually goes.
What are HOA dues and where does the money go?
How assessments are set, what they cover, and why they change.
Read the answerWhat is a reserve study and does our HOA need one?
Why reserves matter and how to avoid a surprise special assessment.
Read the answerCan an HOA really foreclose on a home over unpaid dues?
The serious end of dues collection, and how good boards avoid it.
Read the answerWhat happens if you don't pay your HOA dues?
The usual escalation from a late notice to late fees, liens, and - at the far end - foreclosure, and how to head it off.
Read the answerHow much can an HOA raise dues, and can they do it without a vote?
What limits exist on assessment increases, when a member vote is required, and why dues go up in the first place.
Read the answerWhat is an HOA special assessment, and can they make you pay it?
Why a one-time charge lands, when a member vote is required, and what happens if you can't cover it.
Read the answerHOA boards & governance
Board duties, elections, meetings, quorum, minutes, bylaws and CC&Rs - how a community is actually run.
What are the responsibilities of an HOA board?
The core duties volunteers take on, in plain language.
Read the answerHow do you run a good HOA board meeting?
Notice, agendas, quorum, and minutes without the headaches.
Read the answerShould our HOA self-manage or hire a management company?
An honest look at the tradeoff most small communities face.
Read the answerHow do you request and inspect HOA records?
What documents you're usually entitled to see, how to make a records request that works, and what an association can and can't withhold.
Read the answerWhat's the difference between CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules?
How an HOA's governing documents are layered, which one controls when they conflict, and why knowing the difference matters when you're in a dispute.
Read the answerHow do you run for a seat on your HOA board?
Who's eligible, how nominations and elections actually work, and what the volunteer job involves before you put your name in.
Read the answerLiving with an HOA
Everything else about HOA life - buying into one, leaving one, your rights as an owner, and how it all works.
How does fair housing law apply to HOAs?
Why the federal Fair Housing Act binds associations, what counts as discrimination, how assistance animals and accessibility accommodations work, and how boards stay on the right side of it.
Read the answerCan you refuse to join an HOA?
Why HOA membership is usually mandatory and tied to the home, the rare cases where it's voluntary, and the one moment when you actually get to choose.
Read the answerWhat is an HOA estoppel letter and why does it matter at closing?
What an estoppel certificate states, why buyers and title companies rely on it during a sale, and the fees and deadlines some states put on it.
Read the answerHow do you start an HOA?
The legal steps to form a homeowners association, the documents it takes, and the funding decisions that determine whether it survives.
Read the answerCan you dissolve an HOA, and how?
Why dissolving an association is genuinely hard, the votes and legal steps it takes, and what happens to the shared property and debts.
Read the answerCan an HOA stop you from running a business out of your home?
How 'residential use' clauses apply to home offices and home businesses, where the line usually falls, and how this differs from city zoning.
Read the answerState HOA-law library
High-level summaries of what each state asks of associations - all 50 states plus D.C.
Software that helps you follow the rules
OurHOA tracks your state's HOA requirements and nudges the board before deadlines. Start free in five minutes.