Survival homesteading and prepping can be accomplished while living under HOA rules – you just have to be a little clever and sometimes even stealthy, with your preps. You may not be able to homestead or prepare like those of us lucky enough to live in a rural area, but there are still a plethora of ways to engage in a self-reliant lifestyle so your family is ready for whatever may come.
Homeowners Associations (HOA) sometimes mandate stringent rules about not only how your property looks and is maintained, but also the activities you (at least overtly) you can engage in both inside and outside of your own home. I live in a rural county where no HOAs exist, there is zero zoning of any kind. and not a single construction permit office.
While my personal knowledge of living within the boundaries of such a confined method of existence does not exist, I readily recall horror stories shared during my real estate courses. Once, one of my professors was late to class because he argued (and lost) getting a fine because he had parked his boat in his own driveway for longer than 24 hours!
As I studied my HOA real estate training chapters and committed all of that knowledge to memory for the state license exam, I began pondering how my survival homesteading lifestyle could still be obtained without being in a daily argument and accruing fines on a weekly basis. It can be done, if you learn how to blend your preps into the tightly manicured regulations imposed by hour HOA..
What Are Some Common HOA Rules That Can Impact My Prepping Plans?
- Fencing types and location
- Livestock keeping – both small and large
- Gardening in the ground
- Exterior structure building materials, location, use, and colors
- Landscaping location, types of materials, and use
Uniformity is king when it comes to most HOAs, so expect anything out of the ordinary for the community standards to be met with extremely watchful eyes.
While living alongside a fancy golf course in an upscale area of Ohio, my sister-in-law was fined by her HOA for putting up a swing set that has a small canopy over the slide that did not fall within the allowable shades for outdoor decor in her community.
Your HOA could be this into the micromanagement of your life, or decidedly less stringent, but you must be aware of even the most minute of HOA rules before wasting time and money on a prepping project.
Homesteading and Prepping Within HOA Constraints
Here are some covert homesteading strategies to try:
Landscaping
While remaining within the color and height requirement for plants, opt for planting medicinal and edible herbs in flower beds instead of ornamental plants.
If you don’t have medicinal plant seeds in you stockpile, get your own Medicinal Garden Kit from here while they are still in stock.
Inside your Medicinal Garden Kit, you’ll find 10 seed packages with high-quality, NON-GMO seeds packaged in US, along with the details on how to plant, grow, and harvest each one.
Odds are, the HOA will not notice the difference because none of these plants produce fruit. You may also be able to get by with growing lettuce, kale, and even carrots or onions in your landscaping beds.
Container Gardening
Because these containers are portable, they should remain in compliance with any permanent structure or exterior attribute HOA rules and regulations.
Herbs can be planted in these containers, but so can most varieties of tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, strawberries, and other common garden veggies that do not need to sprawl like squash, zucchini, or cucumbers.
You can also move the plants around to obtain the best sun in your yard.
Solar
A growing number of HOAs may allow the use of solar panels on homes and outbuildings. Check your homeowners association rules first, and if it’s permitted, consider this sustainable energy source for your suburban or urban homestead.
Before installing solar panels, review the HOA’s rules and regulations, as some associations may have specific guidelines or restrictions on placement and appearance.
You might also consider building your own power solution. With the Modular Backyard Power Plant, you can create a reliable 24/7 power source right in your backyard.
The guide provides detailed steps and clear instructions, making it easy for anyone to assemble. This setup offers the advantage of free electricity and ensures you’re prepared even for prolonged blackouts.
Composting
Purchase a composter that falls within the exterior color rules of your HOA rules and regulations. Place it as discreetly out of view as possible.
Turn the compost and use it regularly to avoid it from becoming stinky and getting you into trouble.
Rainwater Harvesting
While rainwater harvesting can be challenging under HOA guidelines, you can still find ways to comply with the rules. Choose rainwater collection barrels that match the approved exterior colors or paint them to blend in.
To maintain a cohesive look, consider placing decorative elements or approved landscaping around the barrels, ensuring they fit seamlessly with your home’s appearance while adhering to HOA regulations.
Livestock
Chickens and rabbits will likely be the only livestock your HOA will permit – but maybe you will get super lucky and be able to keep miniature goats for milk and meat too!
It is highly likely that if you can keep chickens it will be only hens and there may be breed rules and flock number regulations you also have to follow.
Related: These Are the Best Chicken Breeds for Preppers
Because rabbits are often kept as pets, you could be able to keep rabbits at your HOA but will have to follow hutch building and locations requirements to the letter to avoid fines – or rear them entirely indoors.
Enhance your opportunities for survival homesteading in an HOA by organizing workshops. Alternatively, consider hosting a special community event to share the benefits of growing your own groceries and preserving food.
The more people you convince that homesteading is a wise investment of time and money, the more support you may gain. This support can lead to more votes at the next HOA meeting, making it easier to achieve your preparedness goals.
You can also choose to run for the HOA board of directors. This will not likely be an easy task if your homeowners association has a well-established board or a click of really involved members who want to hold onto their little realm of power tightly.
But, if you interact with your neighbors regularly and put forth a platform for your campaign for the board in a proactive way and include non-prepping changes to the rules that also appeal with the general neighborhood populace, the chance are good that you could snag a board seat and push forth more flexible regulations that relate to your self-reliance plans.
Be mindful though, the more people you preach the benefits of prepping and survival homesteading, the more nearby folks that will know you have stockpiled resources, when the SHTF.
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I live in SW FL in an HOA. While there has been an overzealous landscape monitor, she didn’t like dead palm fronds at all, for the most part it’s just a matter of keeping the outside of your home neat and presentable. I’ve used some edible landscaping for the past 15 years with no problem – katuk hedge, moringa ‘shrubs’, chartreuse sweet potato vines, lemon cucumbers in pots flanking the front door, surinam cherries as specimen plants and up to 20 planters in and outside of my lanai. Edible flowers are in planters flanking the garage doors. I’ve had 2 rain barrels for the past 10 years. By HOA rules we cannot keep any livestock. I do not have, altho I’ve tried, an in-ground garden as the sand not soil and nematodes prevent it.
TV series Bewitched, Gladys Kravitz is Samantha and Darrin’s nosy neighbor who lives across the street.
The other side of the law Barney Fife a total nosy cop sticking his beak into making a mountain out of a mole hill.
These are the types that love HOA neighborhoods. Why must people put up with this form of communism?
It is bad enough we have it in Washington DC. VP Harris will be all of that and more.
That’s the way, there are lots of plants acceptable to HOA that produce a lot of calories, Canna Lilly and Hostas, Pyracantha, Blackberries trained like climbing roses, grapes, fruit and nut trees, definitely Yaupon Holly because Yaupon tea has as much caffeine as coffee. I did some work for a couple from India who lived in a golf course community, they kept big clay pots along the fairway fence planted with Amaranth. And there was an older black woman from the south who let poke weed grow in her beds. General Sherman said, ‘if I owned Texas and Hell I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell’. if I owned a home in an HOA and one in Hell, I’d rent out the HOA…
Wait, if VP Harris, Hillary or Michelle Obama were to win the Demoncratic nominee in August, the Democratic convention you won’t be in hell. You will be in a Demoncratic HOA prison planet forever until the second coming. California and New York are prime examples of incompetence.
We need political fight clubs as we the Demoncrates already have theirs in the radical Islamist protesters destroying America, go home to your 3rd world trash heaps.
We like America without you illegals.
God bless America!
People who live in HOA’s are lemmings or sheep following the one in front to slaughter. They vote the same way all party line expecting a different result.
California has the worst of the worst in being indoctrinated. They give illegals the right to vote and a free ride on the taxpayer’s dime while Americans can’t afford their homes.
This is what the liberal slime does to Americans left in sanctuary states. Many left are retired seniors who can’t afford to move out of their states to freedom.
People who live in HOAs are participating in the purest form of local governance. We pave our own roads, plow our own snow, cut our own grass, maintain our own street lights. Volunteer parents keep the playground clean and safe.
When TSHTF, we will be in much better shape than loners
Daffynition: A NEMA-TOAD Is a municipal electrical inspector.
Isn’t it crazy the state of California has an electoral 45 points more than any other state in the union. This state must be divided in half so the liberals or socialist can’t depend on the big votes to swing any political election such as this 2024 presidential election.
VP Harris is from slim ball San Fransicko area of total liberalism home team of Newsom, Pelosi, partial home residence to Obama. Some live in Palm Springs in seasonal homes.
This site is a joke…. who preps and lives in a hoa come on now
Liberals do, HOA are their way to live in a gated community way.
Conservatives dislike too big government control and HOA’s are an indoctrination tool.
This posted article is for liberal preppers, ha, ha!
You’ve got to put a bit more thought in to this. Perhaps they woke up and started prepping after that had moved into an HOA.
Perhaps selling and moving is not a good option for them. The thing is, you really have no idea why they are prepping in an HOA and foolish to think you know about their lives. Do better. At least they woke up! And no, I do not live in an HOA.
My husband and I did. We used the Laws of Texas to prove that my “preps” were not illegal in the state and could not be denied by HOAs. They were considered life and climate sustainability projects, like: solar, gardens, rainwater collection, clothes lines for drying, and many others. While I live in Texas, I have learned that many states have over-riding laws that the HOA tries not to let the homeowner know about. Please check with your state. Texas even has a Book for the HOAs and Homeowners:
Texas Homeowners Association Law: The Essential Legal Guide for Texas Homeowners Associations and Homeowners
Cagle, Gregory S.
4.27 11 ratings by Goodreads
ISBN 10: 1938223780 / ISBN 13: 9781938223785
Published by Langdon st Pr, 2013
While it is a little pricey…50.00 used and 129.00 new, it is often cheaper than the HOA fines for one month. Check with the State for updates not in a dated publication. In addition, it can force the HOA to return fines on items reserved to the State for jurisdiction. Other states may also have books and your State attorney General is a great place to start. More and more states are trying to reign in Uppity HOAs.
People who can only afford houses within their boarders!
ain’t no way i’d live in a hoa. it’s bad enough with city, county, state and the feds telling you how to live. i don’t need someone telling me i can’t do that because they want your yard to look like theirs. can’t do anything on your own property without permission. i had a nosy neighbor, she watched every move i made. i caught her trying to saw down a tree, on my property, because it was growing crooked she said. she had my garage red tagged because she saw me put furniture in it. i was storing it, not living in the garage. kevins and karens love hoa’s . they thrive on the power and the snottiest attitudes.
Rule #1- Don’t live in a HOA
Rule #2- Live Free!
The Fight Club, see rule #1, Most lib’s live in condensed city housing where you can’t have a car, must take public transportation.
Freedom is a gas powered car, a home with a yard and so on.
Death is a condo or apartment with no place to park a gas powered car, but bike everywhere like a good Chinese citizen does.
Very useful article! Thank you for writing it.
Before I moved into my own house, I had a list of items that were nonnegotiable. One was I had to be allowed to have a clothesline. Another was I did not want to live in an HOA neighborhood if at all possible. Where I was living at the time, most developments had HOAs, and there were few rural places left.
Friends of mine worked for a large company, and were transferred to new locations every several years. They often lived in HOA neighborhoods because they had little time to house shop before needing to be at the new location.
I shared that to say not every who strives for self sufficiency is in a place where they can move to a rural homestead.
The things the author mentions also work well if you are in a neighborhood where you want preps to go largely undetected. In my area, I can keep livestock if I wish and have a clothesline. No HOA, although there are town ordinances, which I read before buying my house. It’s true town ordinances can change, but I wager most people don’t bother reading them before they buy a place. Reading the minutes from the local municipality’s meetings can also tell you what sorts of changes they might be considering, and that may affect whether you buy there or not.
I see many of these suggestions as being more of a gray man in your neighborhood.
I owe my soul to the company store, a song 10 tons and what do you get another day older and deeper in debt, oh Lord I can’t go, I owe my sole to Bidenomics, now Harris-economics.
Ha, Ha, it’s 16 tons and what do you get; another 4 years of deep state elites and deeper in debt.
One type of livestock that was not named that certainly deserves attention is Coturnix quail! They can be kept in a hutch in the backyard or even in a garage. The noise they make sounds like wild birds. No one would guess it’s livestock.
Do NOTever buy property in a place like that.. its bad enough the hoops federa, state and local governments make us jump through …..
To ad the whims of someone else makes ZERO sense to me
I can tell that many of you have to be republicans because you have to make everything into a political b***h fest instead of sticking to the topic of HOA’s. You could not pay me to live in an HOA. No one is going to tell me what to do on my own land.
HOA’s while doing “some” good are way to officious (a friend says they won’t allow a metal roof or a storage shed in the back yard up against the house; so all their garages are packed sometimes to the ceiling). How do you like your president biden now ? ( super inflation (they lie about it being 4%), swamped by illegals, the silent deafening headline “The bankruptcy of the average citizen continues unabated” ) .. InventPeaceNotWar
Hoa are for communities who dont like city rats bringing thier idiot ideas to the neighborhood and letting thier woke go wild , turning thier neiborhood into a city dump and letting thier trash build up all around them .
keeps the neighborhood from becoming a colorful physicallogical nightmare of lite polution from people who cannot keep thier ideas to themselves and feel the need to make all conform to thier program of wokeness
polution in a different form .
If you don’t like HOAs, don’t live in one.
I’m on the HOA Board of my community. I’m ceaselessly amazed at how many fools make the biggest purchase of their life without reading/understanding the HOA’s rules first.
But shouldn’t storage sheds with same color as house be allowed if up against the back wall of the garage ? …
Good suggestions in this article. It would be hard to come up with a comprehensive list of all the different things you could do to prep and be gray in an HOA. There’s a lot. All the public generally hears about are the nightmare clickbait stories about times when a little authority goes to people’s heads over a trivial issue.
Suffice it to say, I wouldn’t advise any HOA to be nitpicking the residents pre- OR post-SHTF. You may need something someday that a resident has put back, or one of their skills, or for them not to have a legitimate grudge. Important stuff, yes. Trivial stuff, no.
In Possum Living, the author mentioned having rabbits and chickens in the basement – she and her dad kept it clean, though, and were able to get nearly a hundred pounds of meat per year out of it. She said you wouldn’t know they were there unless you went in to that room.
We had a HOA when we first moved in but voted it out as soon as we could. Had a few busybodies that wanted to boss everyone around. Once we disbanded the Gestapo, they moved.
Rule of thumb: don’t buy or rent in an HOA.
If you love an HOA you ain’t going to be a prepper.