A homeowners' association in Chula Vista, California, has been allegedly imposing $50 fines on families whose children are caught playing in outdoor common areas.
ABC-10 News reports that the HOA rules for the Agave and Saguaro developments ban wheeled toys (including, but not limited to, roller skates, roller blades, bicycles, skateboards and scooters) in the common areas, including streets, sidewalks and even driveways throughout the complex.
The HOA doesn't appear to have any website at all, let alone one listing the community bylaws, and the Facebook page for “Agave & Saguaro at Windingwalk” was last updated in September 2012.
The Agave & Saguaro at Windingwalk listing on the unaffiliated Hoa-community.com website lists the community's monthly HOA fee as being $195.
News 10 says that the Agave and Saguaro property manager justified the $50 fine on safety grounds, but HOA resident Karen Deviolini said, “You're fined because you live in a place where kids can't be kids.”
Residents say that the $50 fines are assessed every 30 days until they are paid. Other HOAs in the area reportedly have no rules forbidding neighborhood kids from riding on wheeled toys in the community common areas.