Think an Ohio homeowners association (HOA) can fine you for anything its board decides to put in the bylaws? It can’t. State law controls a board’s fining power at almost every turn. These are the things an Ohio HOA can’t fine you for, no matter what the bylaws say. Note: This is general information, not…
Since January 1, 2026, a New Hampshire contractor can be fined right alongside the homeowner who hired them, under Senate Bill 299. The fine starts at $5,000. That’s the price of missing one rule under New Hampshire’s Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act. These are the shoreland rules that stop a New Hampshire waterfront project cold….
Alabama never wrote a single law telling anyone whether they can keep chickens. That job landed on hundreds of separate city halls instead, and each one wrote a different version. These are the backyard chicken rules that surprise new Alabama chicken owners. Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Backyard chicken ordinances vary by…
A home inspector in Ohio has only had to carry a state license since November 1, 2019, when Senate Bill 255 took effect. That’s barely seven years of oversight. Even with a state rulebook now in place, Ohio still doesn’t make inspectors check everything a buyer assumes is covered. These are the things an Ohio…
An EF4 tornado tore a 32-mile path through Elkhorn and Waverly in April 2024, and the National Weather Service measured winds up to 170 miles an hour. Nobody died. Warning time saved lives that day, but many families spent the weeks after hunting through wrecked houses for paperwork nobody could find. These are the details…
Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management confirmed it in writing on September 1: Every state beach lost its lifeguards and staff the day after Labor Day this year. The beach didn’t close, and tourists still show up, just in smaller numbers. These are the beach rules Rhode Island visitors break every fall. Note: This is…
Oregon has required a state-approved land use plan in every city and county since 1973, under Senate Bill 100. Buying land there means buying into that system. These are the land use rules that surprise new Oregon property owners. Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Land use, zoning, and permitting rules…
New York City’s Department of Sanitation logged more than 4,000 sidewalk-shoveling violations after a single storm this January. Every city in the state gives you a different amount of time to clear that sidewalk. These are the snow removal rules that catch New Yorkers off guard every winter. Note: This is general information, not legal…
Anyone holding at least three-fourths of a severed West Virginia mineral tract can sign a lease that binds every other owner, under a 2018 law called the Cotenancy Modernization and Majority Protection Act. Owning a quarter of something isn’t the same as having a say in it. These are the mineral rights surprises that catch…
Nevada’s short-term rental law reaches only counties over 700,000 people and their cities over 25,000, which today means Clark County, Las Vegas, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. Everywhere else in the state writes its own laws. These are the short-term rental rules that catch Nevadans off guard. Note: This is general information, not legal advice….
