HOA sidewalks

I've heard sidewalks in an HOA in a Condo Complex is private property. and cars are allowed to block sidewalks. Does that mean we can put up a sign that says THIS SIDEWALK IS PRIVATE-NOT TO BE USED BY THE PUBLIC.... I really don't get it. Police cannot ticket cars parked on sidewalks in an HOA private community. But they can in a neighborhood with houses? Isn't each house in a neighborhood also private property?

Sidewalks within an HOA/COA are typically owned by the Association if the streets/parking areas are private.

Sidewalks within neighborhoods (regardless of HOA/COA) that are on public roads are typically the responsibility of the city and are considered public. Said sidewalks are typically on an easement.

The courts have final jurisdiction and they probably threw them out.

The short answer would be who is responsible for the maintenance/repair.

If it is required to be repaired by you - private.
If it is required to be repaired by the city/county - public.

I live in a development that is privately owned. The Association owns the land, streets, sidewalks. However, it is not gated and the public uses the streets and probably the sidewalks.

i've been reading up, and i do see that private streets can be used by the public.. didn't know that. i thought private was private was private. it just doesn't sound right to live in a private community where the public has access. and yet condos don't have to have handicap spaces because there are no public amenities (like a pool, rec room). but the public can sure walk down our sidewalks, drive down our streets, and cars can park on top of sidewalks without police interference. wow.

You and your neighbors do have friends, family and contractors coming to your home to visit, deliver stuff or make repairs - how in the hell will they do that if they can't use the streets????

As I asked in your last post, have you discussed any of your concerns with your board of directors? Our community adopted the city and county rules regarding speeding, parking, etc., for community rules, so if you or your visitors do things like park on the sidewalk, use the street as a racetrack, etc., our security officers (who are off duty cops) can and will ticket you. That might be something your community can consider.

I don't know how long you've lived in your community, but it sounds like you don't know a lot about its rules. Pull out your documents and start reading them, along with board meeting minutes - there may be some other regulations you need to be aware of.

As for handicapped parking, if you need a spot in front of your home, why not talk to your BOARD? They might allow this with written documentation of the disability.

when you say 'inside the gates' do you mean a gated community? cause this is not a gated community. police did ticket cars for blocking sidewalks, but later had to dismiss the tickets according to some judges. as much as i've read, it seems like police cannot ticket cars on private property, however, i think the hoa can approve or allow or have a contract with the local police to ticket cars.

I think that is how it normally works. There has to be some sort of written agreement between the association and the local law enforcement agency to provide agreed upon services.

I'm in a gated community with a speed limit on our private streets that's frequently broken. Many owners express the sentiment that we should have more police patrols in the neighborhood to catch both speeders and investigate the occasional strangers seen wandering the community. But it's unrealistic to expect the sheriff is going to station a patrol car in here for hours on end to ticket maybe 2 speeders a day. We're not about to enter into any sort of agreement for that service. It wouldn't be worth it.