By-laws.  The Bylaws established the Homeowner’s Association. It sets out the rules for holding meetings, election of officers and defines the officers’ duties. It provides that the community will be managed by a Management Company, will retain liability insurance for the commons areas and the officers. The bylaws require that the Board keep books for the assets of the community and provide that the books be audited annually. It provides that dues to the association shall be assessment against the property owned by each homeowner and set out responsibility for non-resident homeowners who rent their home. A complete copy of the Bylaws is available by clicking here.

Declaration of Covenants. The covenants are rules with which all homeowners are required to comply. They are “covenants” that run with the land that each of us agree to when we buy our home. As such, they can be enforced by the Board by assessments (special fines that homeowners may be charged with for violation of the covenants) and liens against a homeowners property if they fail to comply. If you violate a rule and a lien is placed on your property, you will not be able to sell your land until the lien is released.  The rules established by the covenants include prior approval of any construction including sheds, fences and decks, a ban on commercial vehicles, a grass cutting requirement when lawn exceeds 3 inches, etc. For a complete copy of the Declaration of Covenants, Condition and Restrictions, click here.

Rules and Regulations.  The Gideon Square Board of Directors has the authority to create rules and regulations which may add to the rules created by the Covenants.  The Board has created a few sets of Rules homeowners should be aware of.

Parking Policies. The Gideon Square Parking Policies set the Speed Limit with the community at 15 mph.  It prohibits parking in the street (double parking) and parking in fire lanes.  It prohibits parking trailers, boats and RVs in the community. It prohibits commercial vehicles and disabled vehicles, and requires compliance with state registration and licensing requirements.  Driving or parking on the grass is prohibited.  It also establishes procedures for having vehicles towed from reserved parking spaces, although this rule is modified a bit by our agreement with towing contractors.  For a complete copy of the Parking Policies, click here.

Paint Color Resolution. The covenants limited the painting of trim on homes in Gideon Square to the original contractor's color.  However, it provided that the Board could add additional colors.  The Board did so in 1995 by creating a Paint Color Resolution that added nearly 40 paint colors represented in the Glidden "Williamsburg Collection." Although the color were essentially created by Glidden, other paint manufacturers, such as Home Depot and Lowe's can duplicate these colors.  If you plan to paint your home a different color from the contractor's original or a previously approved color change, you must receive written board approval before continuing. For a complete copy of the Paint Color Resolution, click here. Check the Martin Semour site for more on its Williamsburg Collection.

Satellite Dish Resolution.  Many residents have satellite dishes.  This resolution provides that such dishes are limited in size and should be place on the rear portion of the roof or the back yard of a home.  A complete copy of the Satellite Dish Policy is available by clicking here.