Getting a Permit Before You Paint the Exterior of Your Home Can Save You Time and Expense

In a previous introductory article, we said, “Charlie Brown, Hot Springs Village POA Director of Compliance & Contract Management, has agreed to host a Compliance Corner series and answer Villagers’ questions on compliance matters related to his Department. We need your participation to make this series a success. We thought we would kick off the series with a short introduction and an overview of Charlie’s area of oversight.”

Compliance-related questions may be asked in the comment section of this article. Thanks!

Click here to visit the introductory article.

Q – I want to paint the exterior of my house. Do I need a permit to do this?

A – Changing the color of a home exterior requires a permit. A permit is not required if the home is repainted the [exact] same color. A $150 fine will be levied if the property owner repaints in a different color without a permit. If a property owner has repainted the exterior of their home an unapproved color, then he/she will have to repaint using an acceptable color after obtaining a permit.

The cost of a permit is $70. $30 is a review fee, and $40 covers the inspection fee.

Changing the color of small items such as shutters, entry doors or garage doors still requires a permit, but at no charge.

General Rules and Regulations state:

3.10 Siding and Exterior Paint

a. Change of color requires a permit.
i. Color must be of earth tone. Earth tones are browns, tans, umber, brick red, terracotta, yellow ochre, warm grays, shades of green such as moss and trees, brown oranges, burnt sienna, whites, and some red browns, and some gray blues. Earth tone colors are muted and flat that emulate the natural colors found in dirt, moss, trees, and rocks.
b. If no color change, no permit is required.

In addition, the paint on a building or home has to be in good condition. Our Rules and Regulations state, “All structures must be maintained in good repair, including painted or stained surfaces.”

Maintenance issues are addressed in HSVPOA Protective Covenants, HSVPOA General Rules and Regulations and County Ordinance Codes for Saline and Garland Counties. Go here to view the county exterior premises ordinances for both counties.

Hierarchy of HSVPOA Governing Documents

The Village is ruled by our governing documents in the following order. This means that nothing in the Protective Covenants should conflict with the Declaration, nothing in the Articles of Incorporation should conflict with the Protective Covenants or Declaration, and so on down the line:

  • Declaration
  • Protective Covenants
  • Articles of Incorporation
  • Bylaws
  • Policy Guide
  • Rules and Regulations

Purpose of the Rules

The whole purpose of Compliance is to maintain property values in Hot Springs Village. Most residents move here expecting our Rules, Regulations, and Protective Covenants to be enforced. It would be unfair not to do so, as our governing documents require this. The Police Department has cited people at our request [Compliance’s] for exterior premise violations, and there are current court cases in the legal system for violations.

In summary:

  • All buildings/homes must have paint in good condition.
  • Change of paint color requires a permit.
  • If a home or building violates the paint color requirement, the department looks in the permitting records to see if a permit for the paint color was granted.

ºIf a permit was not granted, a notice is sent through the United States Postal Service to the violator. We also attempt to contact the violator personally and leave a red tag notice at the property. A courtesy notice to complete an application MAY BE issued. The courtesy notice is issued at the discretion of the compliance staff.

ºThe violator has 30 days to correct the violation, meaning first, a permit must be obtained for an approved color.

ºIf the Architectural Control Committee approves the existing color, the violator will be levied a $150 fine for doing work without a permit. If the Architectural Control Committee disapproves the existing color, you will have 30 days to correct the violation with an approved color.

ºIf the violation is not corrected within the 30-day time period, a $25 per day fine is levied until the offense is corrected.

ºIf the weather is not conducive to exterior painting or other extenuating circumstances exist, the department will work with you on a time extension over 30 days.

Charlie’s Corner



With Charlie Brown