It’s easy to dislike homeowner associations (HOAs). They can be arbitrary, harassing, and sometimes corrupt. But even when run with scrupulous standards, they tend to reinforce policies that cause owners to waste money and resources.
HOAs work against sustainability in both direct and subtle ways, but before I give you examples, let me point out that neighborhood rules and governance are not all bad. I’ve witnessed first-hand how quickly neighbors can end up viciously disputing minor property issues.
Remember the guy who tackled politician Rand Paul while he was mowing his lawn? I’ve known friends who’ve received death threats over how they trim their trees, where they park their cars, how they manage their pets. The list of grievances goes on and on.
Modern HOAs come with their own set of drawbacks. Often, they’re staffed by community members, not urban planners or psychologists or philosophers, who may have no clue about the environmental impacts of their lifestyle, let alone what makes a good society.
The HOA “rules” are often a mishmash combining the expectations of the original developer with those of the residents. But trying to freeze an aesthetic in place usually comes with both financial and environmental blowback. Entropy is nature’s natural pattern, not stasis.
HOAs are a form of forced stasis, and they come at a cost. Here are 10 examples.
1. House Size, Garage Capacity and Pavement Purists
Many HOAs enforce minimum home sizes and mandatory garages, on lots made impervious with asphalt and concrete. Woe to the homeowner who wants to live smaller or reduce stormwater runoff.
For example, in a homeowner's association in Centennial, Colorado, the Chenango HOA’s official building-and-design guidelines require that any dwelling must have at least 3,200 square feet of living area, excluding garages and finished basements, with a mandatory 3-car garage measuring a minimum of 500 square feet (at least 20 feet deep by 25 feet wide).
In addition, some HOAs also regulate driveway materials, pushing homes into asphalt or concrete paving, while products such porous pavers, which reduce runoff and promote groundwater recharge, may be disallowed. In addition, HOAs may take an active interest in how a driveway “looks,” requiring the owner to repair or replace it.
2. Solar, Batteries, and Rainwater Harvesting
Thinking about cutting energy bills with solar, or prepping your home with a paired battery system? You may have to go begging your HOA first. Panels, batteries, and water cisterns can conflict with HOA aesthetic or structural rules. A few cases in point:
In Denver-area suburbs, some HOAs outright prohibit home battery storage, limiting solar system usability and energy resilience.
In California, even though state law promotes rooftop solar and battery storage, some HOAs continue to restrict these installations.
In Florida, HOAs often try to restrict solar installations due to aesthetic guidelines. A relatively new law is supposed to prohibit this move, but HOAs often try to get around it by telling owners where they must place panels.
Some Phoenix-area HOAs, solar must either be "invisible from the street" or prohibited outright—despite the region's solar potential.
HOAs often like to force residents to “hide” or camouflage rainwater collection gear. For example, The Circle C Ranch HOA (pdf) in Austin stipulates that rainwater barrels must be located at the rear of residences, shielded from street view, and match the home's color scheme. Similar rules can be found from HOAs in Colorado.
3. Heat Pump Condensers
HOAs in various parts of the U.S. have created strict rules about the use of exterior condenser units required for ductless heat pumps. While some are reasonable concerns about noise and vibration, many are simply based on aesthetics, with little to do with efficiency.
Canada is somewhat ahead of the U.S. in terms of heat pump adoption and, and have experienced similar pushback from HOAs. We might learn from their experiences.
This resistance to heat pump technology disrupts the shift toward highly efficient heating and cooling systems and sustains reliance on less efficient, fossil-fuel-heavy HVAC systems.
Many HOAs require frequent repainting to avoid peeling or fading paint—even though patching, repainting, or using long-lasting materials might be more sustainable and cost-effective. While specific HOA rules vary, the effect is uniform: more toxins in our environment.
I’ve spoken with residents of Calesa community, in Ocala, Fla., who tell me their HOA rules don’t allow them to landscape or garden, other than with potted plants. This is not unusual. A high-profile case at The Villages (one of the nation’s fastest growing developments) made national headlines, when one couple was sued because they wanted “non-compliant” landscaping.
The reason given for this antiseptic approach to landscaping, again, is mostly aesthetic. Some residents don’t like the “chaos” of a natural garden or dislike the presence of decaying fruit around trees. This monoculture mentality not only limits food security for homeowners, but it also reduces the neighborhood potential as a wildlife habitat. Again, this is sometimes intentional, sometimes incidental.
However, Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping Statute offers a potential counter: While still somewhat ambiguous, it implies that HOAs should not block native, drought-tolerant plantings. This protection, though, remains under litigation and not universally honored.
Similarly, in Scottsdale and other Arizona communities, HOAs explicitly ban drought-resistant landscaping, forcing homeowners to maintain turf lawns that demand excessive watering.
6. Air-Drying Laundry
Some communities forbid line-drying clothes outdoors—even though it's energy-free. While several states have “Right to Dry” laws that override such HOA bans, enforcement can be uneven, and homeowners often face bureaucratic resistance before exercising this right.
7. Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Some HOAs heavily regulate or outright ban the installation of EV chargers in private garages or carports—ostensibly because of wiring or aesthetic concerns. This creates a barrier to EV adoption for homeowners.
Likewise, in some California coastal communities, HOAs prevent EV charging infrastructure in shared parking areas, slowing down access to convenient charging and local EV adoption.
A Self-Defeating Model
HOAs can become bureaucratic behemoths whose operations and fees discourage both sustainability and mobility. In Gainesville’s Haile Plantation, for example, monthly HOA fees on some condos reach well over $800, encompassing amenities that many residents may not use.
These high dues inflate housing costs, depress resale values, and lock homeowners into communities whose rules they may not support—damaging both social and environmental mobility.
And the rules for many HOAs sound more like a checklist for a low-security prison. Check out this list of “don’ts” from Calusa Point in South Florida. It might as well simply say “no more laughing, no more fun,” for those who live here. No parties, no music, no walking down the street in your bathing suit, the list is both horrifying and laughable.
Every HOA meeting, review cycle, and modification request adds layers of procedural friction that slow or deter sustainable actions. Want to install photovoltaics or switch to xeric gardens? Expect paperwork, architectural board hearings, and potential denial. These delays sap enthusiasm, raise costs and often neutralize environmental benefits.
HOAs, conceived to protect uniform appearance and property values, often end up undermining sustainability in multiple ways. Whether through restrictive landscaping mandates, blocking renewable energy installations, discouraging efficient cooling systems, or stifling EV adoption, their policies can significantly decelerate local responses to climate change and resource scarcity.
Abolishing HOAs altogether, as proposed recently by a Florida lawmaker, is probably a political non-starter (time will tell). And, as I noted at the beginning of this article, communities without some rules can become hotbeds of neighbor grievances. A better approach might be to drastically limit the authority of HOAs with regard to non-essential maintenance and services.
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.
How HOAs Undercut Sustainability
It’s easy to dislike homeowner associations (HOAs). They can be arbitrary, harassing, and sometimes corrupt. But even when run with scrupulous standards, they tend to reinforce policies that cause owners to waste money and resources.
HOAs work against sustainability in both direct and subtle ways, but before I give you examples, let me point out that neighborhood rules and governance are not all bad. I’ve witnessed first-hand how quickly neighbors can end up viciously disputing minor property issues.
Remember the guy who tackled politician Rand Paul while he was mowing his lawn? I’ve known friends who’ve received death threats over how they trim their trees, where they park their cars, how they manage their pets. The list of grievances goes on and on.
One of the drawbacks to other types of community structure, such as eco-housing, co-housing and so on, has been their lack of a strict set of rules. Researchers have found that among the 10 percent or so that succeed, most tend to be small (20 people or less) with clearly defined expectations.
Modern HOAs come with their own set of drawbacks. Often, they’re staffed by community members, not urban planners or psychologists or philosophers, who may have no clue about the environmental impacts of their lifestyle, let alone what makes a good society.
The HOA “rules” are often a mishmash combining the expectations of the original developer with those of the residents. But trying to freeze an aesthetic in place usually comes with both financial and environmental blowback. Entropy is nature’s natural pattern, not stasis.
HOAs are a form of forced stasis, and they come at a cost. Here are 10 examples.
1. House Size, Garage Capacity and Pavement Purists
Many HOAs enforce minimum home sizes and mandatory garages, on lots made impervious with asphalt and concrete. Woe to the homeowner who wants to live smaller or reduce stormwater runoff.
For example, in a homeowner's association in Centennial, Colorado, the Chenango HOA’s official building-and-design guidelines require that any dwelling must have at least 3,200 square feet of living area, excluding garages and finished basements, with a mandatory 3-car garage measuring a minimum of 500 square feet (at least 20 feet deep by 25 feet wide).
In addition, some HOAs also regulate driveway materials, pushing homes into asphalt or concrete paving, while products such porous pavers, which reduce runoff and promote groundwater recharge, may be disallowed. In addition, HOAs may take an active interest in how a driveway “looks,” requiring the owner to repair or replace it.
2. Solar, Batteries, and Rainwater Harvesting
Thinking about cutting energy bills with solar, or prepping your home with a paired battery system? You may have to go begging your HOA first. Panels, batteries, and water cisterns can conflict with HOA aesthetic or structural rules. A few cases in point:
3. Heat Pump Condensers
HOAs in various parts of the U.S. have created strict rules about the use of exterior condenser units required for ductless heat pumps. While some are reasonable concerns about noise and vibration, many are simply based on aesthetics, with little to do with efficiency.
Canada is somewhat ahead of the U.S. in terms of heat pump adoption and, and have experienced similar pushback from HOAs. We might learn from their experiences.
This resistance to heat pump technology disrupts the shift toward highly efficient heating and cooling systems and sustains reliance on less efficient, fossil-fuel-heavy HVAC systems.
4. Paint and Coating Impacts
Painting may be a necessity for preserving exterior surfaces, but the less often we paint or recoat our homes with plastic-based acrylic paints, the better. Some sources suggest that up to 58 percent of the plastics in our oceans come from paint that washes into our waterways.
Many HOAs require frequent repainting to avoid peeling or fading paint—even though patching, repainting, or using long-lasting materials might be more sustainable and cost-effective. While specific HOA rules vary, the effect is uniform: more toxins in our environment.
5. Landscaping Restrictions: Gardens, Trees, Native Plants
I’ve spoken with residents of Calesa community, in Ocala, Fla., who tell me their HOA rules don’t allow them to landscape or garden, other than with potted plants. This is not unusual. A high-profile case at The Villages (one of the nation’s fastest growing developments) made national headlines, when one couple was sued because they wanted “non-compliant” landscaping.
The reason given for this antiseptic approach to landscaping, again, is mostly aesthetic. Some residents don’t like the “chaos” of a natural garden or dislike the presence of decaying fruit around trees. This monoculture mentality not only limits food security for homeowners, but it also reduces the neighborhood potential as a wildlife habitat. Again, this is sometimes intentional, sometimes incidental.
However, Florida’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping Statute offers a potential counter: While still somewhat ambiguous, it implies that HOAs should not block native, drought-tolerant plantings. This protection, though, remains under litigation and not universally honored.
Similarly, in Scottsdale and other Arizona communities, HOAs explicitly ban drought-resistant landscaping, forcing homeowners to maintain turf lawns that demand excessive watering.
6. Air-Drying Laundry
Some communities forbid line-drying clothes outdoors—even though it's energy-free. While several states have “Right to Dry” laws that override such HOA bans, enforcement can be uneven, and homeowners often face bureaucratic resistance before exercising this right.
7. Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Some HOAs heavily regulate or outright ban the installation of EV chargers in private garages or carports—ostensibly because of wiring or aesthetic concerns. This creates a barrier to EV adoption for homeowners.
Likewise, in some California coastal communities, HOAs prevent EV charging infrastructure in shared parking areas, slowing down access to convenient charging and local EV adoption.
A Self-Defeating Model
HOAs can become bureaucratic behemoths whose operations and fees discourage both sustainability and mobility. In Gainesville’s Haile Plantation, for example, monthly HOA fees on some condos reach well over $800, encompassing amenities that many residents may not use.
These high dues inflate housing costs, depress resale values, and lock homeowners into communities whose rules they may not support—damaging both social and environmental mobility.
And the rules for many HOAs sound more like a checklist for a low-security prison. Check out this list of “don’ts” from Calusa Point in South Florida. It might as well simply say “no more laughing, no more fun,” for those who live here. No parties, no music, no walking down the street in your bathing suit, the list is both horrifying and laughable.
Every HOA meeting, review cycle, and modification request adds layers of procedural friction that slow or deter sustainable actions. Want to install photovoltaics or switch to xeric gardens? Expect paperwork, architectural board hearings, and potential denial. These delays sap enthusiasm, raise costs and often neutralize environmental benefits.
HOAs, conceived to protect uniform appearance and property values, often end up undermining sustainability in multiple ways. Whether through restrictive landscaping mandates, blocking renewable energy installations, discouraging efficient cooling systems, or stifling EV adoption, their policies can significantly decelerate local responses to climate change and resource scarcity.
Abolishing HOAs altogether, as proposed recently by a Florida lawmaker, is probably a political non-starter (time will tell). And, as I noted at the beginning of this article, communities without some rules can become hotbeds of neighbor grievances. A better approach might be to drastically limit the authority of HOAs with regard to non-essential maintenance and services.
By Matt Power, Editor-In-Chief
Veteran journalist Matt Power has reported on innovation and sustainability in housing for nearly three decades. An award-winning writer, editor, and filmmaker, he has a long history of asking hard questions and adding depth and context as he unfolds complex issues.Also Read