Neighborhood Covenants (document)

[SashaBlue]

We can't stand living in a covenant area. We had to get permission to change the paint color of our door. It was green, and we wanted it brown. We also had to get permission to change the light fixture above our front porch. The one that was there when we moved in was brass and it had weathered and tarnished and was about 8 years old. We wanted a new fixture that wouldn't rust. Couldn't change it without expressed written peremission from the board. Hurricane Katrina blew over many trees in our neighborhood. Luckily none on our house. We had to get permission to cut the dead trees and fallen trees out of our yard because no one can cut a tree - dead or alive- without permission. If you do, it's a $500 penalty. We did not know about these covenants when we bought our house.

[Sendee]

I know that some covenants sound bad, but if you don't have them in place then you might end up with a crappy neighborhood. Your neighbor may want to park his RV in the driveway and his boat next to it. Your other neighbor might want to put a chain link fence up in the front of his yard. The person across the street may want to sit a couch out on his front porch. I am not saying that any of these things are bad, but I sure would not want any of it around my home.

Some neighborhoods are going to have very strict covenants and others are going to be more relaxed and that is where a Realtor comes in handy. I live in BA and I have a swing set in our back yard. I live on a golf course so we are not allowed to have privacy fences, but can have a small 3 foot decorative fence if we want. Just make sure that your Realtor and your lawyer at closing are absolutely sure of any covenant restrictions. Good Luck

[Raptor]

come over to 37th and 129th and you can do whatever you want as long as it is not against a city code, there has not been a Neighborhood association here for over 25 years, and I for one am very glad, you can build a monster shed, swingsets, basketball goals, 8' privacy fence, whatever you want, you can even paint your house pink if you want, it won't bother me, most people in this Neighborhood mind their own business, which is the way it should be. I could not live with covenants, I paid for my house and my property no one else and I will do what I want with it.

[SashaBlue]

Originally Posted by Raptor

come over to 37th and 129th and you can do whatever you want as long as it is not against a city code, there has not been a Neighborhood association here for over 25 years, and I for one am very glad, you can build a monster shed, swingsets, basketball goals, 8' privacy fence, whatever you want, you can even paint your house pink if you want, it won't bother me, most people in this Neighborhood mind their own business, which is the way it should be. I could not live with covenants, I paid for my house and my property no one else and I will do what I want with it.

I think you and I are on the same page. If you live in a community with decent, hard-working people, covenants need not exist. Because those type of people care for their property and would do nothing to damage it, lessen the value, or make it an eye-sore. When you work hard for something and own it outright, you want to take care of it and make it as nice as possible. In my experience, most of the tacky neighborhoods with RV's in the drive-way and unkept yards are usually renters.

[rxpwas]

Originally Posted by SashaBlue

Hi everyone and hopefully someone can help shed some light on this issue. Are they any neighborhoods in the Tulsa area, including Owasso, Broken Arrow, etc., that do not have covenants or at least "relaxed" covenants? We currently live in a section if the USA that is covenant crazy. In other words, we cannot plan a shrub, create a flowerbed, paint the fence, cut down a tree, nor anything else on our property without approval from the architectural board. It took an act of congress to change our front door color from dark green to an oak brown. We want to live in an area with friendly neighbors and have the freedom to landscape our yard, paint our door, and build flowerbeds. Nothing crazy like a pink house with a purple door, mind you, just the freedom to enjoy our home. My husband likes to do woodwork and we would like to have a small outbuilding to store his tools in. Is there any such place? We are looking at Tulsa because it seems to have the nicest people in the world.

The only Covenant I respect is the Ark of the Covenant.

[Goodpasture]

Originally Posted by rxpwas

The only Covenant I respect is the Ark of the Covenant.

I don't believe the Ark of the Covenant is a Covenant.....just the cover for the documents describing the covenant.

[WacosSon]

I've found that in some of the Tulsa areas (Bixby expecially) that even if you don't have covenants, if you change the drainage on your property (adding or removing dirt) that the city can come after you since it alters the recorded flood path.

[flyingcat2k]

This is part of a new EPA stormwater law that was written during the housing boom. Large housing developments were changing stormwater run-off locations and in some instances, legitimately causing problems for surrounding developments/landowners. Under the law, any construction covering 20 or more acres has to have a stormwater discharge permit issued by the state (some industries are exempted but housing is not) after October 1 of 2011. It will be ratcheted down to 5 acres by 2016. The statute also requires the stormwater be retained prior to discharge and checked for oil sheen. This is during construction only so once the development is complete, the permit is not required.

Included in the stormwater statutes, any new construction may not change the documented flow of stormwater in either velocity or general location. For example, if a property drains to the the south and you want to put in a swell on the south side of your property and put a brick barrier on top of it, you will be required to allow water to drain off the property to the south and install erosion countermeasures (ie rip-rap or gravel) at the point of discharge.

Most of Jenks is in a flood plain and there are likely even more stringent rules for that area.

[Goodpasture]

Tulsa County has had, for decades, hydrology impact requirements for commercial construction. In fact this is an area of research and concern. There are several brands and techniques for permeable paving to allow rainwater to not run off but be absorbed into the ground underneath the parking lot or driveway. And if you stop and thing about it, it makes sense. A hundred years ago rain fell, was soaked into the ground and the underwater aquifers were renewed. Today the water is diverted into the streets and storm sewers and dumped into the rivers. Almost none of it actually makes it into the soil. The permeable pavers and patio stones and gravel beds reduces the impact on downstream flooding, the loss in water supplies from wells, and it will help stabilize the expansive soils found in the Tulsa area.

[okpondlady]

Come on out to Beggs. We have our smoker set up outside with the swing set and dog pen. You can do anything you want with your property...or not. Some people have privacy fences so they don't have to see their neighbors JUNK, some people don't have any kind of fence at all. Most people are fairly normal...the worst I have seen so far is some neighbors have moved to Sapulpa and rented out their house. The renters have a bunch of kids that run wild and have been playing between the houses on a lot that doesn't belong to them. Ticked off the neighbors ALOT since one lady just finished putting in a sprinkler system on that lot..and one of them broke one of the sprinkler heads. So they are building a privacy fence to keep out the rugrats.
There's always someone who spoils the spirit of the thing..one way or the other. If you have a covenant or Home Owner's association that is strict it is a pain. If you live in a rural area and a neighbor sells his house to a bum who don't keep up the property it is a pain. Good Luck! Did you move to Tulsa?