In many neighborhoods around Waxhaw, Marvin, Fort Mill and south Charlotte, the HOA has a say in what is built in a back yard. A pergola is something the neighbors can see, so most HOAs want to look at it first.

This guide shows what they usually ask for and what to send, so the form does not come back with questions. Your own covenants and design guidelines are the rule. Read them before you choose a size or a color.

When the HOA needs to say yes

Many HOAs in Union, Mecklenburg, York and Lancaster County must approve an outdoor structure before work starts. Every HOA writes its own rules, but the idea behind them is the same: if you add something to the lot that others can see, ask first.

  • A new pergola, freestanding or attached to the house.
  • A pavilion. It has a real roof, so say what the roof is covered with and in which color.
  • A privacy wall. Height limits come from the HOA and the town.
  • A repair. If the size, the material and the color stay the same, ask if a form is needed at all. A short email with a photo is a simple way to ask.

What most HOAs ask for

  • The size. The width and the depth of the footprint, in feet.
  • The height. The clear height under the beam, commonly about 8 feet, and the height to the top of the rafters.
  • The material. Wood, which is pressure-treated pine or cedar, or powder-coated aluminum.
  • The color. For wood, the stain or sealer color, or bare wood. For aluminum, the frame color. Black, white and bronze are the common ones.
  • The location. Where it sits on the lot, shown on a lot plan.
  • The neighbors, sometimes. Some HOAs ask you to tell the neighbors next to you, or to add their signature to the form.

Check if your guidelines name the materials and colors that are allowed. It is easier to pick from that list than to ask for an exception. Our guide on wood vs aluminum compares the two.

What to send

  1. The HOA's own request form, with every line filled in.
  2. The drawing of the pergola with its sizes and materials. You get this from us.
  3. A lot plan with the pergola drawn in, as in the next section.
  4. The material and the color in words, for example "cedar, natural color" or "aluminum, black".
  5. A photo of the place where it will stand.
  6. The neighbor notice, if your HOA asks for one.

Send it all at once. A form with a missing height or no lot plan is the easy way to lose weeks.

Where it sits on the lot

StreetHouseProperty lineSetback(your town setsthe distance)EasementPergolainside thesetback line

Swipe the drawing sideways to see all of it.

What a lot plan for the HOA shows: the house, the property lines, the pergola drawn to scale and its distance to the nearest lines. Your HOA has the final word on where a structure may stand.

The lot plan answers the question a review board cares about most: where will it stand, and how close is it to the neighbors? Take a copy of your survey. Draw the pergola to scale, write its size next to it, and write the distance to the nearest property lines.

Two sets of rules meet here. The town checks its setbacks. The HOA has its own rules about where a structure may sit. Both apply, and a yes from one is not a yes from the other.

How long it takes

Approval can take a few weeks. How many depends on your HOA: who reviews the request and how often they meet. Ask the HOA or its management company when the next review is, and what the deadline is to be part of it.

We cannot speed up a review, and we never promise an approval. What you control is the day you send a complete request. So start with the HOA as soon as you know the size and the material.

The order: HOA, permit, build

  1. Send us photos and rough sizes. We send a free written quote.
  2. Choose the size, the material and the color with the quote in hand. We give you a drawing with those sizes and materials.
  3. Send the HOA request with the drawing and the lot plan.
  4. Wait for the written yes.
  5. Then comes the permit, if the town or county asks for one. If your project needs a building or zoning permit, the written quote says so, and who files it is agreed in writing before any work starts.
  6. Then comes the build. The build date goes in the written quote.

Why the HOA first? If the HOA asks for a smaller size or another spot, the plan you show the town changes too. Going to the town first can mean doing that part twice. Read do you need a permit for a pergola for the town side.

After the yes

Build what was approved. The yes covers the size, the height, the material, the color and the spot that were on your request. If one of them changes, ask again before the change is built.

One step can move a size. After you accept the quote, the exact sizes are confirmed on site as part of the job, before anything is ordered. If a size ends up different from the drawing the HOA saw, tell the HOA first. Keep the written approval with your house papers.

What we give you

We cannot promise that any HOA will approve. What we give you is a drawing with the sizes and the materials, ready to attach to the form. If the HOA asks for a change, send us what it wrote.

Every pergola, pavilion, privacy wall and repair is quoted after we see photos. Send photos of the patio or yard on the photo quote page. The pergola cost page shows what moves the price.