A friend of mine called about this week’s story in the Denver Post. Now that Colorado has legalized marijuana for recreational use, can Homeowners Associations ban the drug from being used in private homes?
While I disagree with some of the conclusions in the story linked below, my feeling after observing the extremes of HOA Amerika is that HOAs can pretty much do as they dang well please. Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of times across the country, HOAs pass ‘laws’ and hand out blatantly illegal fines, liens and assessments. They get away with it, because it’s just too expensive for the average homeowner to challenge. I’d be stunned if HOAs would ever lose a marijuana ban.
I’m all for neighborhoods in the dry West creating fire-safe homes and making firebreaks to help head off wildfires, but in the story linked below you have to read between the lines.
In Summit County, Colorado the Summit Park Homeowners Association is telling homeowners that the HOA’s covenants require homeowners to maintain wildfire breaks around their properties.
A number of property owners are saying, “Huh? This isn’t a Homeowners Association! I only moved here because there wasn’t a Homeowners Association!”
Somebody pushing to enforce wildfire advice went back into real estate records and discovered there actually were some covenants created back in 1959, but nobody told the homeowners, not even Realtors who originally sold the properties. Now those homeowners may be stuck with covenants never recorded in their deeds.
The lesson here isn’t that we’re mad at requirements to properly maintain your property. It’s that Homeowners Associations can suddenly pop up in neighborhoods where most folks thought they were HOA-free!
Our frigid weather and snow here in Colorado reminded me of a video story I did several years ago on a beloved dog. Her name was Glory. And her name was a perfect description of a dog sent to me from Heaven.
These Douglas County, Colorado residents aren’t pilots but they are driving so fast they nearly ran over their neighbor, Diane Powers, twice in one night! One speeder wiped out a 30 foot tree and if he loses control on that curve again there’s a big rock in its place now.
Warning!!! This HOA is using camera-equipped radar and tickets will be issued to homeowners which will include any of their guests who are caught speeding. Oh yes! If the pizza delivery girl is trying to deliver it “hot and on time“…you could get hit with a fine for her misdeeds.
Homeowners, wonder what will be next? Well let’s see…how about breathalyzers, seat belt checks, texting, eating, sneezing, and talking-on-the-cell while driving? Brace yourselves for the “wannabe cops” patrolling the streets of Roxborough!
Speed bumps were removed because they interfered with snow removal and emergency response time.
If things don’t change, I suppose they could always require owners to park at the gate and walk from there.
By coincidence the celebration of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving begin in the same few hours this year. And I am thankful for all my friends in many faiths… and even those who are skeptics. But you can all have faith in this: I respect you and am thankful for all of you.
