What you should know about HOAs & Paint Colors
What To Know About HOAs
As a Denver painter that handles projects in neighborhoods throughout the entire metro area, we deal with a lot of HOAs (Home Owner Associations). If you are considering painting your home, one of the first things you need to know is if you have an HOA. If you do, it is vital that you have an idea of what it’s like to work with your HOA. Depending on the HOA, getting HOA approval for your desired colors can take some time. Certain HOAs can be fairly strict, so it is important to plan ahead of time if you want to get your project completed in a timely manner. Keep reading to learn more about HOAs and what you can expect when getting your paint colors approved.
How long does HOA color approval take?
We get this question asked all the time: how long does HOA approval take? This can be a tricky question to answer. Every HOA is different. Some HOAs have very quick turnaround times for color approval while others can take months. It really depends on the size of your HOA and how they handle inquiries for different projects. We always suggest that you figure out the color schemes that your HOA approves of before beginning your color selection process.
One of our favorite HOAs to work with is HRCA, Highlands Ranch HOA. They are very responsive and will get colors approved in no time at all. They are also fairly flexible with their residents’ color choices. This allows their homeowners to exercise a little more creativity and control over their color options.
An HOA that a recent client struggled to get color approval from was West Gold Meadows HOA. This particular HOA is located in Castle Rock, CO. This client had their colors denied twice and took roughly 7 weeks to get approval. We aren’t throwing shade at West Gold! But we wanted to include a real example from a local HOA. In our experience, there are a lot of HOAs that can be a bit more strict on colors and may have a longer turnaround time similar to West Gold. This can be due to staffing issues and the type of homes that make up the neighborhood.
How do I find my HOA colors?
Homeowners can sometimes struggle to even locate their HOA online, let alone figure out how to best submit colors. Finding your HOA approved color schemes can be a challenge sometimes. For some HOAs you may be able to find their pre-approved colors at Sherwin Williams. Sherwin tends to keep HOA colors on file for clients, but that isn’t the case for every HOA.
You can typically find your HOA online if you do a simple search for your neighborhood, city or county, plus the keyword “HOA”. From your HOA website you may need to register with your HOA if you have yet to do so. After that you should be able to submit a request through the resident portal. Or you may need to email them for color approval. The process may be a little different for each HOA, but should be fairly simple. When submitting your colors be sure to include the paint color name and paint code.
Be sure to check out our previous blogs about some specific HOAs and our favorite approved colors:
Our favorite Highland Ranch HOA color schemes
Broomfield’s most HOA friendly colors
Top 10 Tallyn’s Reach color schemes
Why do HOAs deny colors?
Some HOAs can be more strict than others. Your HOA may deny colors if they don’t fall under their specified guidelines for what they allow. This is because HOAs often have desired color schemes to create a cohesive look throughout the neighborhood. It also helps them to exercise a little control over the look and feel of the homes. You should be able to find your HOAs approved colors on their website. This is a good place to start when selecting colors.
Can my painter help with HOA approval?
Your painter may be able to help find your HOA online or they may have knowledge of your specific HOA and the color schemes that they approve. However, you will need to personally submit to your HOA for color approval; your painter won’t be able to do this for you.
Your painter may be able to suggest some fairly HOA safe colors schemes as well to get you started in the right direction.
What about a color consultant?
Professional color consultants are extremely knowledgeable about color schemes that work for HOAs. If you are struggling at all with your color selection, we always suggest getting some insight from a certified color consultant. They will help you easily narrow down colors and find the perfect fit for your home, your preferences and your HOA requirements.
Check out our Color Consultation page to learn more about our color consultation services.
And if you are ready to get some pricing for your paint project, you can easily request a quote HERE. Thanks for reading! We hope this answered some of your questions about Home Owner Associations and getting color approval for your paint project.
