HHOA Sign Guidelines

Revised October 16, 2022
Hermitage Protective Covenants Article VI §3 states that prior express consent must be obtained from the Architectural Control Committee (ACC) before displaying any sign to the public view, except for one sign advertising a home for sale provided it is no larger than 9 square feet and is removed within 7 days of the closing date. The term “sign” includes signs, posters, and banners.
 
In addition, the ACC approves the following sign variances and considers this to be “prior express consent”, provided they are not political in nature, not illuminated nor reflective, and in reasonable number:
  • Decorative garden, celebratory, sports, holiday, home security, or No Soliciting sign no larger than 2 x 2 feet and located within 10 feet of the perimeter of your home.
  • Kids-at-play/slow-down sign no larger than 2 x 2 feet.
  • Garage/yard sale sign provided it is placed for no longer than 3 days.
  • Celebratory sign of any size provided it is placed no closer than 10 feet from the curb and for no longer than 7 days in any given 30-day period.
  • Contractor sign (e.g. weed treatment) provided it is removed within 3 days unless safety related.
  • Contractor sign to identify your home to workers provided it is removed at project completion.
 
Why no political signs? The Hermitage Board of Directors unanimously voted against approving signs of a political nature. The Board stated that “With politics more likely than ever to ignite division, we believe this to be in the best interests of our community. We encourage impassioned Hermitage residents to stay active and aware of what happens in our government but express their politics in other ways: healthy debate, monetary donations, volunteering for a campaign, and of course arguing on social media to their heart’s content.”
What about free speech? The Free Speech Clause of the 1st Amendment applies to government restrictions on speech, not private individuals or organizations, unless acting on behalf of government. An HOA is a private organization joined by choosing to purchase that property. Some states have laws that limit HOA regulation of political signs, but Alabama is not one of them.