If my city would allow it, I would have a freakin' moat WITH a drawbridge!!:D

I certainly can understand HOA having restrictions on parking and yard ornaments.

Our gated compound is pretty good about cars, I have had four cars in my drive way with no problems. The compound we lived in before was getting a little testy about the cars. The only real rules are parking only in your driveway over night and no trucks with signs or racks, so no painter trucks or whatever parked out at night, even in your driveway. If it fits in your garage it is ok. They did frown at me one time for working on my Buick in the driveway, I just pulled the bumper but someone didn't like it. If it was in my garage it would have been ok to work on. Out of sight, out of mind. I like it here, when we bought we thought we would be the normal five years but now are going into eight.

I can't wait until I can afford to live on enough land that I can't even see my nearest neighbor. No HOAs required.

My brother lives in Chelsea, MI and they cannot park a vehicle on the street overnight. They cannot park an RV, camper, boat or anything but a car/truck on their driveway. No HOA, just city restrictions.

Every person I know who's ever lived in a HOA always says "I can live by those rules" and 6 months later they are complaining, "those SOB's won't let me build a shed, etc...".