October 13, 2025 | Mark Luis Foster

We’ve seen in this blog some examples of late in which HOA residents take it upon themselves to “do the right thing,” but tend to operate in the polar opposite direction of what their own HOA governing documents list as allowable. Like the guy in Arizona handing out ice water to contractors while surrounded by “free water” signs in his driveway; or the man who put up a plastic shed in his association yard, despite the rules.

So what about those little free libraries that we see all over the place? An Idaho HOA woman found out. From Idaho 6 News:

Christine McCarthy installed her Little Free Library in March as a way to bring neighbors together over books and encourage reading in the community. The small, colorful structure was designed to match her home’s color palette and serve as a temporary fixture for book sharing.

It wasn’t just the library though, according to the report.

The project has drawn criticism from Mountain Breeze Management, the HOA that oversees McCarthy’s neighborhood. The conflict began when the association issued McCarthy a courtesy notice about a chair placed next to the library. “They gave me a courtesy notice for a chair next to the little library, calling it debris. I responded back that it was a chair for a differently abled person and that it was there for a reason,” McCarthy said.

From the courtesy chair next to the library, it then escalated and the board said the whole thing was simply an unapproved addition to the property.

These things are tough. What seems innocuous, innocent and well meaning can still fly in the face of the rules that are established. If residents would follow the approval process that they signed into when moving into their HOA, we wouldn’t have much to write about.

According to the HOA’s bylaws, all exterior modifications must be approved by the Board of Directors, and homeowners are expected to submit requests to the Architectural Control Committee. The rules also state that owners must receive proper notice and an opportunity to object in writing — something McCarthy says she did not receive.

The library was removed and is now on the front porch of the resident, who has since submitted an application for approval. Better late than never.

Read it HERE.