sateliite antenna

[Jim]

The FCC has a tight set of regs regarding what limits an HOA can require on a dish. These rules trump local laws or an HOA's CC&R.

If your dish is entirely within a "limited common use" area reserved for your exclusive use such as a patio or a balcony, the only rule they can make is to prohibit you from drilling holes in the outside wall. The dish must not prject outside of your exclusive use area in this case.

If your dish cannot be situated entirely within an exclusive area of your own, the HOA must make reasonable accomodation to allow you to install it.

They *can* require you to paint it under those circumstances but only if it will not interfere with signal reception. Check with your dish suplier and get an answer in writing.

Federal law is very clear on this that an HOA has very restricted rights about how they can regulate small (under 18" ) dishes.

An excellent Q&A is available on the FCC website at

Jim P.

(President of an HOA but IANAL)

[Jim]

If you buy into a condo or other HOA and you don't take time before you cimmit to read the rules, CC&R and some meeting minutes, you are an idiot whod eserves a good "thwap".

I don't know of a single state where the laws don't support a potential buyer being given reasonable access to all of the above ahead of time. If a seller or HOA is being coy and doesn't want to let you see them ahead of time, run away quickly something odd is going on.

Jim P.

[avoidspam]

BUT before they can do that they have to prove that it will in no way interfere with the signal reception - this would require the HOA to employ an EXPERT at their expense to do this!

The FCC rules apply to dishes less than 1 meter ~39" in the lower 48 states (no size limit for dishes in Alaska), as well as over the air TV antennas.