The holiday season is here, which means lights and decorations will soon pop up on homes all around your neighborhood. If you plan on decorating your home for the holidays, it’s important to take steps now to ensure that whatever you do doesn’t violate your community’s rules about holiday decorations.
Ways Your HOA May Limit Holiday Decorations
Below are a few common ways that HOAs like yours may limit exterior holiday decorations. Take a few minutes to review these and then go over your HOA’s CC&Rs if you’re concerned about the possibility of getting fined this year.
Timing
Believe it or not, but your HOA may have rules about when you can put up decorations for certain holidays and when they must come down. It’s not uncommon for rules and regulations to require holiday lights and other decorations to go up no earlier than 30 days before Christmas and come down no later than two weeks after the holiday.
Of course, your community might also have rules about when you must turn off lights each night. Some communities abide by a 10 p.m. limit, while others may begin theirs at midnight. If you aren’t sure what your HOA’s rules are and want to be a good neighbor, 10 p.m. is customary in most places.
Noise
While the nightly timing of holiday lights is one thing to consider, noise is certainly another. Some holiday decorations make noise, while others – like this house – set a light show to music that can be piped through speakers or heard by passing cars tuning into a radio station.
Either way, if noise is an element of your planned holiday decorations, be sure to review your community’s rules to find out when you should turn it off or if noise is even allowed. You’ll probably also want to discuss your plans with your neighbors to give them a heads-up.
Large Decorations
It’s no secret that lots of people love decorating for the holidays, and some love doing it with impressively large decorations. Whether it’s a 12-foot-tall Santa or a giant Frosty mounted on your roof, make sure your community doesn’t have rules against large decorations or even large collections of decorations in one area of your yard.
Conclusion
If you’re a member of a homeowner’s association, be sure to review your community’s rules about holiday decoration before you put yours up this year.
If you believe you need to take legal action because you were unfairly penalized by your HOA, we at Bundren Law Firm may be able to help. Our attorney can also assist HOA representatives who must take legal action against a member or defend against it.
For more information, contact Bundren Law Firm online.