HOA Removes Indiana Man’s Political Sign, Sparking Dispute Over Property Rights

A political sign has become a hot-button issue for a homeowner in Zionsville after he claims that his homeowners association (HOA) removed the sign without his permission. Brad Vawter told his story to You Are Current recently.

According to him, the HOA took the sign down one day after it was placed on his property. The HOA says the disputed area is under its control, since there is an easement on the property. 

Additionally, the property faces U.S. 421 and is considered a “right-of-way” area, where political signs are prohibited. Vawter now argues that isn’t the case. He also says that this isn’t what was communicated to him in the initial conversation he had with the board.

The homeowner told the outlet that he feels misled about the signs and is frustrated about how the conversation went down, especially since he believes that Indiana enforcement codes are on his side. 

Man’s Political Sign Was Removed Without His Permission

Vawter told the outlet that he had the sign installed on Oct. 4. However, by the next morning, it had disappeared from his front lawn. He reached out to the board to see if anyone had any information about the sign, even posting on the Brittany Chase Facebook group to get more information.

But he says that the HOA president initially told him that she had no idea what happened to the sign. Shortly after the text exchange, Vawter’s Facebook posts were gone as well.

“She knew it was an HOA action; she just didn’t want to tell me,” Vawter claims. “They took (the posts down) because they didn’t want visibility of what they did.” The HOA president later apologized, calling the whole thing a misunderstanding. 

Vawter Filed a Police Report

Frustrated by how the sign’s removal was handled, Vawter filed a police report. However, the Zionsville Police Department said that it had closed the case since it would be challenging to prove that whoever took the sign down did so in an attempt to break the law. 

After hearing that, he asked the police to send his case to the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office. “I want everyone in the neighborhood to know,” he said of what happened. Vawter also told the outlet that he would be willing to drop any criminal charges if the HOA would issue an apology.

The Law May Be on Vawter’s Side

According to a 2024 update from the Office of the Attorney General in the State of Indiana, HOAs are prohibited from forcing homeowners to take political signs down as long as they are only put up during the “election window,” which is the 30 days leading up to the election and for five days after.

After that, the signs can be removed if they violate the HOA’s rules on political signage. Whether this protection can be applied to Vawter’s story will depend on a few things, but it looks like there are some options for him to look into if he wants to continue to pursue his case.