Kim Bennett, SBHOA2 Rules and Regulations Committee
With political divisions a hallmark of the times, debates about free speech dominating many a news feed, and elections looming, your SBHOA2 board and management are already beginning to field questions about political messaging, solicitation, and signage in yards, common areas, mail tubes, and on sign poles.
Do we actually have rules that govern solicitation and signage? Absolutely! However, it is important to realize those rules are not designed to limit political speech. They are just there to keep the neighborhood from becoming cluttered and unsightly. In other words, it’s not a censorship thing—it’s a curb appeal thing.
Your SBHOA2 board and management are here to protect and serve the voice of all residents and allow reasonable expression of speech through signage while not interfering with the property rights of other residents. To that end, there are rules governing all types of solicitation and signage within our community, including contractors, realtors, estate sales, etc.
Some rules governing political activity and solicitation are as follows:
Signage:
• Political signs must adhere to State and County regulations (Arizona Revised Statutes 33-1808 and Pinal County Zoning Code 2.145.050).
• Signs shall be restricted to front yards only and shall not be placed adjacent to golf courses or greenbelts.
• Signs shall be placed no closer than one foot from the nearest part of the street or curb, whichever is closer.
• No political signs shall be placed in any common areas or street corners or attached to street signposts. Political signs put in common areas will be removed.
Mail Tubes:
• Mail tubes affixed on residential mail posts are the property of the members/owners.
• The board, committees, staff, SaddleBrooke clubs and organizations, and individual members/owners may use these tubes to communicate noncommercial information of general interest.
• These mail tubes may not be used by any outside organizations, companies, political organizations, or individuals to solicit members/owners.
• All material placed in tubes must be identified by either the name of the club or organization or the name of the member/owner distributing the material. Anonymous material is not allowed.
Door-to-Door:
• May include solicitations for support or opposition regarding candidates or ballot issues, circulation of candidate nominating petitions or petitions in support of, or in opposition to, an initiative, referendum, or recall of a public officer.
• Any person engaging in door-to-door political activity must prominently display an identification tag, along with the prominent identification of the candidate(s) or ballot issues(s) that is/are the subject of the support or opposition.
For a complete list of all governing rules and regulations, you can go to the website SBHOA2.org under MYHOA2 Governance/Policies/Governing Documents/Rules and Regulations.