HOA banning dogs on grass - suggestions?
Hi Lemmy, My HOA sent out a email saying dogs are no longer allowed on any grass in common areas or front yards including grass between sidewalk and curb which is.... everywhere except our own tiny backyards. The reasoning is some dog urine effected dead spots. Honestly I didn't even notice them, it's 95° here and all the grass looks sad.
It's a walking town and we are not a gated community, non-residents walk their dogs here all the time, so this rule can only punish those who live here and has no ability to effect others.
Anyway, this seems like a 'we have tried nothing and we are all out of ideas!' moment so I wanted to see if anyone here had any suggestions I can pass on to maintain a "good" curb appeal ground cover-wise while allowing dogs to do normal dog stuff.
I can converse with the HOA board in good faith, but this rule is basically banning dogs from the neighborhood - which I super did not sign up for.
Pertainent info: PA, USA - Town Home style homes - small central common grass - owned for 8y.
Edit: it seems like people may have glossed over the question part and skipped straight to HOA bashing (which is warranted at times!) so I will rephrase:
What ground covering or neighborhood solutions to similar (perceived) issues have other communities employed?
Check to make sure that the HOA actually has the power to do this. As a land owner you are bound to follow the covenants that run with the land, but you are only actually bound to follow those covenants. You don't have to do random stuff just because the HOA board or even a majority of the HOA voters say so, you only actually have to do what's in the covenants.
Unless the covenants say that you agree to follow a bunch of dog-related rules to be defined later, you almost certainly are allowed to park your dog in your own front yard or in that of any consenting neighbor.
The HOA can pass an amendment or addendum to the covenants at any point, which then instantly enacts the rule and gives them the power to fine you and put a lien on your property if you don’t pay…with the caveat that I’m speaking about in the USA. Do other countries have HOA’s? You could go to a meeting or take them to court of course.
Most other countries do not have HOAs. In Finland where I live, municipalities can enact ordinances to limit what you can do on your property, but they are often very limited if they exist at all. The most restrictive ones that I know limit the type of house that can be built (eg. no flat roofs, although this can be a zoning issue as well), the color of the houses and other similar limitations.
I'll take my socialdemocrat "hell hole" of a country over the "free" USA with HOAs any time.
Who would build a flat roof in finland. That has to a hazard with all that snow
I agree, but they were in style for a while. Until it dawned on people how utterly stupid that was.
Pretty sure all nordic countries have HOAs though, it's just that here they basically only manage common infrastructure in an area and tell you to fuck off if you try to paint your house polka dot lime-green and purple.
Finland doesn't.
Finland doesn't exist anyway
The HOA generally can only amend the covenants if a large majority of members vote to do so.
Yeah but lots of times the board is like 4 people
It doesn't look like HOA is telling OP, they can't have dog piss on their property and looks like at least residents are not interested in providing consent here.
I don't think there is any legal right for dog owners to have their dogs piss in public or private areas accessible to public.
Many people are tired of the increased costs other people's dogs impose due to piss damage.
Wtf are you talking about... a animal doesn't have the right to piss in public?? I really hope you did drop a /s. I'm going to assume you did, because this is not reddit etc...
Strange as it sounds, it's possible to stop animals pissing in public. Our HOA just installed laser turrets on every street to establish a no fly zone for birds, and birdshit has largely stopped.
There is a new problem of insect infesations and bird carcasses on people's properties though. Several people have been fined for leaving them there for more than an hour, but on the plus side that's helping pay for the turrets, which are EXTREMELY expensive to purchase, maintain and power.
There's also been an uptick of plane crashes nearby caused by sudden pilot blindness, but we're told that's an issue of personal responsibility on the part of the pilots. They've been advised to take regular eye tests.
Wtf? Please tell me this is satire.
Yeah. There's no way they're serious. The FAA would come down on that HOA like the CIA on an off the reservation drug cartel.
Animal is property, it has no rights per se. Dog owner has no right to take their property ie dog to someone's else property to piss and shit.
This rules limits members from having their own dogs pee on their own property. Literally you own a dog and now cannot allow that dog to go to the bathroom in the front yard you own and maintain.
If you told me this in person, I'd follow you home just to piss on your lawn.
Uhh, dropped your /s?
At least I hope so
Do you work for the HOA?
Why is it parks that have dogs slashing all over them all the time still grow fine? What naff turf are these people using on their lawns that dies off due to a bit of wee?
In California, Arizona, and the like, dog pee will kill off grass at the park, too. Lots of places have grass that should have desert climate flora, and dog pee does damage there.
My inlaws have a herd of Chihuahuas and they've actually managed to kill big patches of lawn along with about half the shrubs bordering their yard with all the piss. I think this rule is stupid and HOAs are dog shit but this stuff can damage plants.