All homeowners signed two documents at the time they purchased their property: By-laws of Highland Village Homeowner Association Inc. and the declaration of Conditions, Covenants, and Restrictions (CCRs). These two documents will be referred to collectively as the Covenant for brevity.

The Covenant binds homeowners and renters to abide by its restrictions and conditions. The Board of Directors has the legal power to enforce them, and recover legal fees incurred if enforcement is necessary.

The CCRs are available here and the by-laws can be found here.

The purpose of the Covenant is to maintain the character of the neighborhood, keep it a pleasant place to live, and thereby preserve property values.

The Architectural Control Committee

The Architectural Control Committee (ACC) has the primary responsibility to enforce the Covenant. The bulk of the Covenant concerns what you may and may not do to change the appearance or nature of your property.

All substantial changes to the appearance of your property must be approved in advance by the ACC. A request in writing must be presented in person, by mail, or email to the chairman of the ACC. The ACC then has 30 days to approve or disapprove the changes.

The ACC does have the legal authority to go to court if necessary, to enforce its rulings or force the removal of unauthorized construction, and to recover any legal fees incurred in the process of enforcing the Covenant.

You do not have to apply for permission to change flowerbeds, or make minor landscaping changes. You do have to apply for permission to physically alter the appearance of the building or paving, or to remove, replace or add shrubbery or trees.

Things that will never gain approval of the ACC: Enclosing your yard with a fence or planting rows of shrubs to serve the same purpose as a fence. Animal pens of any type. Driveways made of any material other than asphalt or concrete. Any swimming pool that is not drained and put away when you are done using it.