Streets and Signs

At the annual meeting, one homeowner asked about the rules governing signs and placards placed near the HOA fence line on Bielmier Road. The question was whether or not that is considered HOA property or county right-of-way. If it is HOA property, then it is private property and businesses and campaigns may be removed.

Becky Keene agreed to call Kitsap County Public Works to get advice on the answer to this question. You can view the plat map for our neighborhood here.

The county maintains the road and the right-of-way, which is “the strip of land over which facilities such as highways, railroads, power lines, or utilities are built and maintained.” Kitsap County has this handy image of a right-of-way, which is generally from the road to the back of a ditch, shoulder, or sidewalk.

According to Kitsap County Public Works, it is common for developers to “donate” a section of the plat to the road, if one does not already exist. You can see on our plat map that there is a 30-foot section included on our plat map that encompasses some or part of Bielmier Road.

You can see in these photos taken today that there is a fairly clear “line” between the county right-of-way, the ditch, and the HOA property beyond it. Since Strawberry Hill HOA owns the property outside of the county right-of-way, we are required to maintain it (which we do). This also means it is private property owned by the HOA, and it is Kitsap County’s opinion that we can remove any signage placed there.

Speaking of signs! We’ve had a few homeowners ask questions over the years about the sign rule in our CC&Rs, specifically how it relates to political campaign signs. Our CC&Rs state in section 15: “No billboards or signs may be permanently displayed to public view on any Lot except one sign bearing the name of the resident and one sign per Lot of not more than six (6) square feet in area advertising the property for sale or rent.”

We have some houses that have had yard signs up for a very long time… they’re starting to feel permanent! Yikes!

Meanwhile, Washington state law states that an HOA “may not prohibit the outdoor display of political yard signs by an owner or resident on the owner’s or resident’s property before any primary or general election. The governing documents may include reasonable rules and regulations regarding the placement and manner of display of political yard signs.” (RCW 64.38.034)

This law is specific to yard signs, which Wikipedia specifically defines as “small advertising signs that can be placed on a street-facing lawn or elsewhere on a property to express the support for an election candidate, or political position.” No other types of signs are covered by this law.

The board discussed the issue of long-term yard signs and political campaign yard signs at our last board meeting. We do not wish to set a board resolution to define the placement or manner of display (duration, etc) at this time. The board prefers to ask each homeowner to consider placing yard signs in a location close to your home and for a duration that is reasonable to the event itself. The board agreed that all election signs should be removed immediately after election day.

If you have any questions, just ask! Email officers@strawberryhillhoa.org or use the contact form on our website.