Living in Willowbrook

Willowbrook was built with one uniform mailbox design for the whole neighborhood. If your mailbox is damaged, worn out, or needs replacing, replace it with one of like kind, design, pattern, and color as the original community mailbox so the street stays consistent. There is no single required store or brand — what matters is that it matches the original design. The post follows the same idea and can be repainted or stained a dark, matching tone. If you want it confirmed before you buy, send the board or CPS a photo and we will take a look.

Declaration Article IV, Section Q (Mailbox); upkeep under Section X.

Up to four domestic pets per home. Pets may not roam loose off your own lot, and pet waste has to be picked up. No breeding or keeping animals for a commercial purpose. Outdoor dog houses, cages, and dog runs need board approval before you put them in.

Declaration Article IV, Section E (Animals).

Commercial vehicles, RVs, campers, boats, trailers, buses, and mobile homes may not be parked or stored on the street or on your lot unless they are fully enclosed and out of view. The board can allow an occasional exception — up to 48 hours in a row, and no more than 96 hours in any 30 days — for example while you load up for a trip. A vehicle that is not operable or street-legal cannot sit out for more than 7 days.

Declaration Article IV, Section J (Vehicles).

Yard signs are limited. Allowed: one real-estate sign up to 6 sq ft when your home is for sale or rent, and political signs up to 6 sq ft (up to three, only until three days after an election, one per candidate or issue). A handful of small signs are also fine without any application — one security-system sign, one "No Soliciting," one guard-dog sign — along with seasonal flags and holiday decorations. Other signs are not permitted.

Declaration Article IV, Section D (Signs); small-sign allowances under WDS-17.

Homes may be leased, but all leases must be in writing and the tenant is bound by the same HOA rules. What is not allowed: hotel or transient use, short-term (Airbnb-style) rentals, and renting to roomers or boarders. As the owner you stay responsible for your tenants following the rules.

Declaration Article IV, Section I (Hotel/Transient Uses; Leases).

Keep trash in covered, sanitary containers, screened from view, and stored either inside or to the side or rear of your home. No burning of trash. If you want to build a screen for your cans, that is a Design Review item (see WDS-16).

Declaration Article IV, Section K (Trash).

Satellite dishes up to 1 meter are allowed. Give the board written notice first, and place the dish as screened and color-matched as you can while still getting a good signal.

Declaration Article IV, Section L (Antennae).

Fences run no more than 4 feet tall, except a privacy fence right next to the house can go up to 6 feet. Chain link, wire, plastic, and non-decorative metal fences are not allowed; wood or vinyl is fine along property lines, and decorative wrought-iron style is allowed around an in-ground pool. Underground "invisible" pet fencing is fine. For pools: no above-ground pool larger than 64 sq ft, and no hot tub or spa over 100 sq ft. Building a fence or pool is a Design Review project, so submit an application first.

Declaration Article IV, Sections S (Fencing) & T (Pools); apply via Design Review (WDS-05, WDS-15).

A quiet home office is fine — as long as no non-resident employees work at the house and no customers or employees park on the property. Any business beyond that needs written board approval.

Declaration Article IV, Section G (Business).

A few smaller things the Declaration calls out:

• Fuel tanks: no propane or fuel-oil storage tanks above or below ground. Propane grill tanks are fine. (Section O)
• Clotheslines: no outdoor clotheslines or hanging laundry outside. (Section W)
• Wind turbines: not allowed. Solar is allowed only where it blends with the roof and is not visible from the front street — that goes through Design Review (WDS-09). (Section W)
• Street trees: keep the designated street tree, and if it dies, replace it with a like type at your expense. (Section P)
• Yard lights & lamp posts: must match the community standard. (Section R)
• Corner sight lines: keep nothing 2 to 6 ft tall within 25 ft of a street corner, or within 10 ft of where your driveway meets the street. (Section V)
• No open storage of any kind, and no metal storage buildings. (Section H)

Every owner keeps their lot and everything on it — the home, driveway, sidewalk, landscaping, and mailbox — in good, safe, and sanitary repair, at their own expense. This is what the seasonal drive-through inspections look for (for example, a mailbox post that needs paint or stain).

Declaration Article IV, Section X (Maintenance by Owner).

Each home is for single-family residential use. Nothing unlawful, hazardous, or that unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's quiet enjoyment. No noxious trades and no private wells. Common-sense stuff, written down.

Declaration Article IV, Sections A, C, and F.