using a kid sprionkler in the lawn

Other thank asking that the hose be put up after the kids are done playing I would leave this one alone and let the kids play and have fun. I'm not sure if you were implying that this was an insurance/lawsuit risk but if you are I'm not buying it. If you take this position then you would have to ban ALL play time activities since any of them can result in injuries. On a personal note, I love seeing kids actually play outside instead of spending all their time behind a keyboard.

My Declaration has a restriction prohibiting using common areas as playgrounds, so you could look for something similar. Having a whole crowd congregating *could* be considered a nuisance as well, but you're flirting with a Fair Housing complaint there. One reasonable argument you could use is the damage to the common elements which everyone would have to pay for, which is unfair to those who don't contribute to the damage.

(For what it's worth, our association's attorney is adamantly against allowing yard sales in condo communities, in part because of liability and damage to the common elements. So there is at least some support for this kind of reasoning.)

You may also want to talk to your insurance agent about the potential liability for the association. Suppose somebody gets hurt and you're uninsured?

And there are always the recent health advisories against large crowds due to covid-19 - but that's not a permanent thing, and it seems to act as a red flag for certain segments of the population.

If this was a splash pad that was installed by the association I would say no problem. All you need is one person to trip and fall, you have a hot mess on your hands. Forget the trip and fall, what if someone has water intrusion because someone left the hose on when not in use. Besides all that, why shout other be compelled to pay for water waste.

Yup, that's why there is a "no playing on the common elements" restriction in my CC&Rs. It's unfortunate that boards have to worry about this stuff, but they do.

If all of the bad consequences of people's actions could land on the perps, it would be great. But if it happens on common elements, you'd better believe people will sue the association because that's where they think the big bucks are. I promise you, the ones who holler the loudest about homeowner rights will also holler the loudest when they get to pay their share of an uninsured settlement. Which is why I suggested talking to the association's insurance agent.

It's this kind of nonsense that makes board members burn out and run off screaming into the night. And make savvier homeowners decide that they will avoid condos like the plague in the future. If it's your property and you're the one who gets to pay the price for your decisions, have at it. If it's property that is jointly owned, you don't get to do whatever the heck you want.

We would allow them but require them to be put away when not in use. Everything has risk that is why you have insurance. I think the risk is minimal.

Let kids play don’t be an old scrounge for heaves sake!

Why can't you all offer an area for a "Splash pad"? Have all the kids not just one household come between certain hours for everyone to play in the sprinkler?

Overall I don't see much of a problem letting kids play in a sprinkler. Not sure many people would complain in this heat except asking if they can get in too...