Man fined $650 due to cooler, 'free water' sign in driveway

[Jilly_in_VA]

A Phoenix area man is trying to get over $600 in homeowners association fees waived after he was cited for leaving a cooler and a “free water” sign in his driveway.

David Martin first set water out in his driveway back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, he told USA TODAY on July 16. In his driveway, he set out a cooler, a bowl of water for dogs, as well as a sign encouraging people to keep hydrated.

He got his first warning from his neighborhood homeowners association (HOA), the Canyon Trails Unit 4 West Community Association, in 2022, according to documentation reviewed by USA TODAY.

In a citation issued in May 2022, the violation was listed as “other – store items out of view.” Since then, he has been embroiled in a back-and-forth with the HOA and management company FirstService Residential, and he has been charged $650 in fees.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/17/hoa-cooler-free-water-sign-fine-arizona/85257978007/?tbref=hp

More HOA naziism. We should sue to abolish HOAs!

[OC375]

1. HOA Nazis!

I hate HOA Nazis!

[hlthe2b]

2. 'Betcha if he sued the HOA for violating his religious practices that includes reaching out to those in need...

He could prevail. I likewise think that they should have sued the state of GA for outlawing the provision of water (even if not remotely politically aligned and appropriately distant from the polling entrance) on religious expression reasons, that they would have prevailed. Even SCOTUS could not be that hypocritical.

[TheRickles]

15. Great idea! Would you consider contacting him to see if he could run with it?

[hlthe2b]

23. I'm a perfect stranger and I don't know how to contact him. I'd guess others may be suggesting this

to him as well. He could easily reach out to his area office of the ACLU to see if they could help or refer him.

[Ocelot II]

3. HOAs are magnets for the Karens of the world

who, by joining an HOA board, have found a mechanism by which they can exert power over others. They can be sure everyone has painted their mailboxes the same color and are growing flowers and not vegetables in their front yards. HOAs are training grounds for fascists.

[milestogo]

32. I lived in a neighborhood where there was an old man "Karen"

He seemed nice, but everyone hated him. He would drive around the neighborhood looking for violations that he could report to the city, and he was always reporting complaints. Trying to protect the value of his home.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. I just never understood wanting to live somewhere with an HOA

The neighborhood adjacent to ours has a HOA and it's cookie cutter houses with the same length and style grass, and the same types of plants. They aren't allowed to fence in their back yards. So people paid $500K for a house and they can't even put a fence up if they want, they can't do what they want to their yards, they can't do all sorts of things they might want to do. And there's different levels to HOAs, some are not nearly so strict and intrusive, but to me the American Dream is owning a house and making it your own.

[flying_wahini]

16. Sometimes we don't all have choice, that's why.

[Srkdqltr]

28. Apparently, some people love that sort of order. They are welcome to it.

[Ol Janx Spirit]

5. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Turnip is the HOA president of the world....

[BradBo]

6. Arizona is a hell hole.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

7. Rednecks must punish kindness! . . . . nt

[twodogsbarking]

8. HOA, the birthplace of all Karens.

[Srkdqltr]

29. And Kevins

[twodogsbarking]

33. Thank you for adding that. I should have. We all need help sometimes.

[hunter]

9. In techno-bros utopia all local governments are HOAs.

Private police forces, private fire departments, private roads, private planning departments, private building inspectors, private schools, private parks... all of it.

In other words, Hell on Earth.

My wife and I didn't even look at neighborhoods with HOAs when we bought our house knowing very well we'd end up with neighbors who'd paint their houses loud colors, rip out their front lawns for native plants, leave their garage doors open all weekend working on their project cars, run small businesses from their homes, or leave cool water out for people passing by.

[Random Boomer]

17. Sounds like my kind of neighborhood! n/t

[niyad]

21. In other words, normal life.

[SheltieLover]

25. I wouldn't put up with that nonsense either!

No way!

[Orrex]

10. Easiest way to get around HOA bullshit

Is to not live where there’s an HOA

[SickOfTheOnePct]

12. Exactly

The rule may suck, but it's the rule, and unless the HOA came into being after he bought the house, he knew what he was getting.

We live in a neighborhood (Northern Virginia) that has an HOA, but the rules are pretty basic, and it's relatively cheap for this area (less than $600/year). Most of that fee goes to pay for trash/recycle collection, with the remainder being split between upkeep of the few common areas and a bit put aside for emergencies.

[Gimpyknee]

19. Where's that? Never-Never Land?

Try finding a retirement community that doesn’t have an HOA, or for that matter, any new community that offers amenities.

[Orrex]

20. Then dont whine when you get called out for breaking the rules

The time to object to those rules is before you sign the contract.

[SheltieLover]

24. Absolutely correct, obviously!

[SheltieLover]

22. I couldn't agree more! I would never put up with someone telling me what to do on my land

Yes, there are always laws & ordinances, but this is outrageous!

[Scrivener7]

35. I live in a co-op and we have a board. Easiest way to get around bullshit is to elect better people next year.

25 years here. Never had a problematic board member last more than a year, and our board handles all the details of running the building so the rest of us don't have to.

It's lovely.

Do your due diligence before you move in. Look at the by-laws. Those tell you what level of oversight the homeowners have voted for. If you think they're too restrictive, go somewhere else.

Moving into a development and expecting the established rules to change because you don't like them is just short-sighted.

[rickford66]

11. I once owned five acres which banned animals other than cats and dogs.

And I thought that was bad.

[KentuckyWoman]

13. Why buy in an HOA?

I know that's easier said than done in some places but if you are going to live there and signed up... don't get animated when it gets stupid.

This said, we need more states that require the ability to opt out when buying.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

14. I agree with your first point...

...but not with your second.

[barbtries]

18. How dare you be kind to strangers?

Phoenix is unbearably hot.

SO fucked up. We can't sue to abolish HOAs but we can perhaps get the address of this particular HOA and send letters and make social media posts calling them out for their heartlessness.

[OC375]

26. Options?

There's a severe housing shortage in MN. Some estimates show that the majority of new builds (standalone and condo style) has some sort of HOA. Makes sense. People can barely afford houses/unit, let alone extra land, let alone taxes on all that. As such, you don't always have the option to simply "don't buy into an HOA".

The problem with many HOAs is that there is little direct accountability when HOA rules are a) not adhered too b) maniaclly adhered to. The "state" doesn't do HOA inspections to make sure rules are followed, and enforced fairly, and oftentimes there are no statutory penalties for violating them anyway. So, basically, anything goes in an HOA unless someone with standing and loss/injury has the time, wherewithal and finances to fully fund a lawsuit.

If you have that kind of cash to sue, why not move instead of fighting "city hall" and "screwing it up for everyone else"? OK. I moved. Now it's someone else's problem... sort of emblematic of alot of what's wrong in the country.

[Grim Chieftain]

27. I'm reminded of the adage "No good deed ever goes unpunished".

In present day America, evil, hatred and intolerance prevail while kindness, truth and compassion are vilified.

[niyad]

30. Has anybody else noticed an interesting little detail? He started this "free

water" kindness gesture in 2020. He got his first letter in 2022. My guess is that there was an election for new board members about then, and some grinches were elected, possibly someone who ran specifically (openly or not) to stop his actions. What if the by-laws were chnged after he moved in?

There are hoa's whose members are caring and helpful (I well remember a thread here on DU years ago about just such an hoa). There are hoa's which seem to serve no useful function whatsoever. And there are the other ones. . . the power-tripping, mean-spirited, punitive, ugly ones. One never knows from one board election to the next.

[Blue Full Moon]

31. Bunch of anti Jesus nazis

[Greg_In_SF]

34. If you don't like

HOA's, don't live under an HOA

[hunter]

36. Unfortunately many local governments like HOAs.

They can approve an HOA development and all the physical and social infrastructure required by the "little people" becomes "not their problem." This allows local government officials to spend more time and everyone's tax dollars servicing their wealthy donors, who are frequently the developers of these HOA communities.

The process is inherently undemocratic.