It’s that time of year when one’s thoughts turn to exterior holiday decorations. A common question that arises during the holiday season is, “Does the HOA have a policy or rule on Christmas lights?” The answer to that question is “no”.

The usual and customary practice within the community, is that folks put up holiday decorations around Thanksgiving and remove them a week or so after New Year’s Day. All holiday decorations are generally removed by the end of January.

Where did the tradition of Christmas lights on houses come from?

Outdoor Christmas light displays on houses evolved from decorating the traditional Christmas tree and house with candles during the Christmas season. The tradition of lighting the tree with small candles dates back to the 17th century and originated in Germany before spreading to Eastern Europe.

Christmas trees displayed publicly and illuminated with electric lights became popular in the early 20th century. By the mid-20th century, it became customary to display strings of electric lights along streets and on buildings; Christmas decorations detached from the Christmas tree itself. In the United States, it became popular to outline private homes with such Christmas lights in tract housing beginning in the 1960s.

Helpful Tips for Avoid Holiday Lighting Hassles

• The Canada Hills Master Association does have design giudelines that prohibits any exterior lighting that shines directly onto a neighbor’s property.
• Avoid using noisy or music-generating exterior decorations.
  At the very least, turn those decorations off by 9PM.
• Use a timer 
  This saves you money on your electric bill, by avoiding having your lights and musical displays on all night.
• Be mindful that going all “Clark Griswold” with your exterior decorations, might just ruin your neighbors’ enjoyment of the holiday season. That timer can save you hassles with your neighbors, and money on your electric bill.

Originally Posted November 2018

You have a neighbor with a barking dog. Dogs bark, that’s what they do; but when the noise becomes excessive, your first impulse may be to call a Board member or complain to our management company; that is not going to resolve the problem.  While the CC&Rs address this type of nuisance, the Board is powerless to resolve this issue in a timely manner. 

Your best course of action, after talking with the dog’s owner yields no resolution, is to contact the Oro Valley Police non-emergency telephone number 520-229-4900, and lodge a noise complaint.  In the past, animal noise nuisances have been difficult and timely to resolve. The Town has recently enacted revised regulations (Town Code Article 18-8) to address the long lag time from complaint to resolution.

While it is always best to reach an amiable solution to a barking dog with your neighbor, you do have a legal means to seek a remedy when all else fails.

BTW – The same holds true for a noisy neighbor. The Town of Oro Valley has a general noise ordinance (Town Code Article 10-1-4), and those noise complaints should also be directed to the Oro Valley Police non-emergency telephone number 520-229-4900.