One of the most challenging tasks for gardeners is tree care, which involves keeping trees trimmed, healthy, and growing. Many HOAs require residents to maintain their own trees, yet their rules and regulations are often confusing, misguided, or downright damaging.
In a Reddit post shared to r/HOA, one homeowner asked for advice about a tree pruning violation they received. The instructions from the HOA were unclear, yet the well-intentioned homeowner simply wanted to take the best care of the tree to help it thrive.
When the homeowner asked for clarification about the violation, the HOA provided irrelevant details about the footage required for clearance over a sidewalk, yard, and street.
Photos of the plant revealed a very new, small tree with barely sprouted leaves that is nowhere near growing over any sidewalk, yard, or street.
"Since this tree is still new, there is no issues with clearance and it just relates to pruning the dead wood," the homeowner wrote. "Does this mean I should just chop off the branches and trunk above the leaves? Or do something else?"
The homeowner wished to keep the new tree planted by the property builder if it was still growing. Yet the HOA sent an unhelpful and unfair violation notice without proper guidance about tree care to someone genuinely interested in the tree's health.
This story is yet another example of how HOAs are standing in the way of homeowners taking care of the planet, starting first with their own properties. Whether you want to control weeds without chemicals, compost yard waste, or ditch the grass to grow a natural lawn, HOA resistance is a real and significant issue across America.
Fortunately, if you understand the governing laws and do your research, you can reasonably and responsibly approach your HOA to reconsider unreasonable and outdated rules.
"Assuming that part is dead, yes," a Reddit user replied to the homeowner's question.
A Redditor suggested, "You should contact your state university systems agriculture extension to see if they have any resources for free or discounted native trees."
"If your home is recently built and bought from builder and you've lived there less than say one year, I'd pursue a warranty claim with the builder," another Redditor recommended.
The original poster later edited the post to say they ended up trimming the tree to comply with HOA guidelines but would replace it later.
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