House panel approves bill limiting local governments from mandating HOAs

The stories of overzealous homeowner associations assessing fines for toys left out on lawns, planting the wrong types of flowers and houses painted the wrong shade are all too common in Minnesota.

“These are the things we are seeing repeatedly,” Rep. Shane Mekeland (R-Clear Lake) said Monday to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee.

Mekeland sponsors HF2614, that, as amended, would prohibit municipalities, joint planning boards, public corporations and counties from incentivizing or requiring HOAs for building permits of new developments.

Rep. Shane Mekeland

The bill is part of a series of bipartisan bills seeking to curb HOAs overall authority and limit their spread statewide.

Part of the issue of HOAs is that they can be made unnecessarily to take care of tiny plots of land or to shift the costs of public infrastructure like curbs, sidewalks and stormwater systems directly to homeowners, said Roxanne Young Kimball, president of the Minnesota Homeownership Center.

“This bill ensures HOAs are created only when they serve a real purpose, to manage common property, not because the city requires them. It protects homeowners from double taxation, reduces unnecessary, development costs and supports more affordable home ownership statewide,” Kimball said.

The committee sent the bill to the House Housing Finance and Policy Committee on an 11-1 roll-call vote.

In Minnesota there are just under 8,000 HOAs, which includes more than 1.5 million residents or 27% of all Minnesotans, according to a February 2026 report from the Department of Commerce.

That trend is on the rise.

“Over 80% of new home construction in Minnesota is part of a HOA. As the declarants who create these associations, we believe that number is too high. We must right-size that use of HOAs moving forward,” said Mark Foster, vice president of legislative and political affairs at Housing First Minnesota.

But written testimony from both the League of Minnesota Cities and the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities expressed bill opposition.

“We urge the committee to avoid advancing language that prevents the ability of a city to ensure that private common area property is adequately managed,” wrote Daniel Lightfoot, senior intergovernmental relegations representative with the League of Minnesota Cities.

Ania McDonnell, government relations specialist with the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, wrote, “HOAs are important to many residents, including seniors and those with disabilities, and help ensure adequate property maintenance including snow removal, lawn care and other services.”