Pretty much all newer communities around here these days have HOAs and membership is not optional. They have broad powers and in Texas can foreclose on your home if you owe them money. Some are good and some are downright bad. Here is an article from the neighborhood that borders mine. I bet they wouldn't want a teardrop in that neighborhood.:
Frisco man primed for battle with HOA over pickup in driveway
Jim Greenwood is parking his 2007 Ford F-150 in the garage, but he’s not through battling the Frisco homeowners’ association. He says the association has declared the iconic Texas truck not upscale enough to leave in his driveway.
“I’m hoping that based on all the activity and noise that they might change their tune,” he said Monday. “These people [with the association] are in a position of leadership, ideally to serve their constituency.”
Earlier this year, the Concentra Inc. CEO began getting notices from the Stonebriar HOA threatening to fine him for parking his truck in his driveway. They say pickup trucks are not allowed in the driveway – although other luxury vehicles, including the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Mark LT, pass muster.
Bill Osborn, a board member with the association, had explained that those vehicles are “fancier,” “plush with amenities” and do not look like pickups. Most domestic pickups are banned.
Mr. Osborn said this rule has been in place for decades and the fine would be $50 per violation.
"From our inception in 1989 until this spring our restrictive covenants excluded all trucks from overnight parking in the street or driveway," Mr. Osborn said in an e-mail. "Mr. Greenwood felt his Ford F-150 should be allowed. The HOA Board denied his appeal as he has garage space and a(n) F-150 did not fit the criteria."
However, Mr. Osborn said Monday that the issue may be revisited.
Mr. Greenwood said his family has a car, a Suburban and his teenage son’s truck, but only a two-car garage.
"I don't want to mess with the logistics with what's in the garage and what's not," he said.
Since WFAA-TV (Channel
publicized Mr. Greenwood’s story this weekend, the controversy has sparked hundreds of comments on dallasnews.com and other sites from people sharing HOA complaints and criticizing the associations’ operations.
“I think it's past time for HOAs to be declared unconstitutional! Bad enough the government dictates our lives ... now homeowners’ associations dictate what type of vehicle you own! I recommend the Ford company sue the heck out of them!” wrote one dallasnews.com reader.
Others, however, suggested that Mr. Greenwood should have understood the rules when he moved into the gated community.
This is not the first time the Stonebriar HOA has fought with homeowners about their vehicles.
John Allen, another resident, said he was told last year that his Chevrolet Avalanche qualified as a pickup and had to be moved inside. After hiring a lawyer and arguing his case, he said, the association added the Avalanche to the list of vehicles approved for outside parking.
“I’m all for keeping the place nice, but when it gets to the point of onerous living, that’s no good,” he said. “The whole pompous attitude of it is amazing.”
Disagreements with homeowners’ associations – about additions, shrubbery, fencing and other issues – are not new.
State Rep. Burt Solomon, R-Carrollton, has introduced legislation to provide homeowners more recourse in their battles against the associations, arguing that they can be abusive and overbearing. He said he has won small battles about limited issues, but no comprehensive reform, and he intends to take up the legislation again in January.
“Why would you do that to your neighbor? There needs to be more transparency. There needs to be more accountability,” he said. “There needs to be more fiduciary responsibility in how boards conduct their business with the membership.”
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 12:00 pm
Dean - I know the compliments were well deserved.
I got a letter from my H.O.A. saying I've got to move the camper out of the driveway. They just don't appreciate art 
Sorry to hijack I'll get off my soap box now