Prestonfield HOA Rules and Regulations

Summary

The Prestonfield HOA Rules and Regulations were adopted by the Board of Directors on July 11, 2013, and updated in 2021. The document establishes community standards for property use, exterior maintenance, vehicles, pets, signage, and conduct in community areas. It also defines the violation and fine process, assessment collection policy, and communication procedures for homeowners.

The rules are intended to maintain community aesthetics and harmony, and to comply with the Declarations of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (the “Declaration”). Many provisions reference the Declaration for underlying authority, meaning this document works in conjunction with the CC&Rs rather than standing alone.

The document includes three forms: an Alterations & Additions (A&A) Application, a Violation Report form, and a Homeowner Questionnaire. The management company is Association Partners, Inc. (API), which serves as the primary point of contact for homeowner communications.

Key Provisions

§2 — Property Use

• Residential use only; limited home office permitted (samples, records, mail, phone); no overt business or commerce; city zoning home occupation ordinance applies

§3.1 — General Construction

• Improvements must be harmonious with original architectural character; all alterations limited to homeowner’s own property
• Contractor damage to Community Areas must be restored at homeowner’s cost; Board may set repair deadline
• Construction equipment and materials must be on homeowner’s property only and removed immediately after project; no materials or trash containers on street or Community Area except for regular trash pickup

§3.2 — Lawns

• Homeowner responsible for all lawn maintenance; grass max 8 inches; yard clear of debris
• Shrubs, trees, and landscaping must not impair neighbors’ views or encroach on sidewalks/pedestrian ways

§3.3 — Antennas/Satellite Dishes

• Dishes under 1 meter and simple mast antennas permitted; must not be visible from front of home (Declaration Art. 8 §9)

§3.4 — Fences

• Developer-installed fencing on homeowner’s lot is homeowner’s responsibility to maintain (Declaration Art. 3 §3)
• Additional fencing: board-on-board cedar only, max 5 feet (Special Amendment 2); 2021 amendment adds option for 5-foot ornamental aluminum via A&A application
• Building permit and J.U.L.I.E. dig number required with A&A; immediate fine if work starts before approval

§3.5 — Swimming Pools

• No above-ground pools; in-ground pools allowed with A&A approval, city permit, and J.U.L.I.E. dig number; immediate fine if work starts before approval
• Temporary pools (max 12’) allowed in backyard May 1–Labor Day only with full perimeter fence (Declaration Art. 3 §3); $25/day fine for each day not removed after Labor Day

§3.6 — Garbage Disposal

• All rubbish, trash, and garbage must not be visible from neighboring homes or streets; regularly removed; no accumulation; no burning on a lot
• Cans may not be placed at curb before 5:00 PM the day before pickup; must be returned to garage before midnight on pickup day; brush excluded

§3.7 — Alterations and Additions

• A&A application required and approved PRIOR to any exterior alteration visible from outside, including paint color, awnings, patios/decks, front/garage doors; immediate fine if work starts before approval (Declaration Art. 3 §5)

§4 — Vehicles

• Non-operative vehicles, commercial vehicles, and commercial equipment in garages only; no parking over public walkways; no parking on Community Areas without Board permission
• Recreational vehicles (boats, campers, trailers, ATVs, motor homes, snowmobiles, minibikes) max 72 hours in driveways/yards per one-week period; vans and minivans are NOT recreational vehicles; garage storage permitted
• Vehicles in disrepair must not remain in driveways; repairs done in garage
• “Commercial vehicle” = any vehicle bearing commercial sign/logo/writing, OR one-ton chassis+, OR storage box 10+ feet high, OR 96”+ wide; maintenance/emergency vehicles excepted

§5 — Community Areas

• HOA maintains all Community Area landscaping, trees, and utility portions maintained by a public body
• Community Areas may not be obstructed, damaged, or stored upon without Board consent; no law violations; no obnoxious or offensive activity in or around homes or Community Areas

§6 — Pets

• Common household pets only (defined as pets commonly sold in a pet store); no livestock or poultry anywhere on property or Community Area
• Pets must be housed inside the residence; decks and patios not included in this definition
• Board may prohibit nuisance pets from Community Areas with 3 days written notice
• Dogs on leash outside owner’s property; pet waste removed from Community Areas and outside home
• Pet count per City of West Chicago ordinance; new litters up to 4 months old excepted

§7 — Signage

• No signs on parkway or city property
• Garage/yard sale signs: 1 sign per unit, max 3 times per year, max 4 days per occurrence
• No advertising signs except one For Sale or For Rent sign per lot, max 5 square feet
• Home security signs: permitted within 2 feet of dwelling unit, max 18” × 18”
• Political signs: no earlier than 30 days before election; removed within 7 days after; max 1 per candidate

§8 — Nuisance

• No noxious, offensive, or nuisance activity in Community Areas, on property, or in homes/garages (Declaration Art. 8 §6); nuisance complaints referred to local law enforcement

§9 — Violations and Fines

• Written complaint on Board-prescribed form required from a property owner; Board verifies; written warning issued; right to appeal in writing to API for hearing at next Board meeting
• $50 first offense (no same violation in last year); $75 same violation within last year; $100 third and subsequent; continuing violations up to $25/day, max $500
• Board may pursue legal remedies; all costs assessed to offending owner

§10 — Assessment Collection

• 30-day late bills mailed with Declaration §§7.02–7.03; late fees and finance charges forgiven if paid in full by March 31
• After 90 days: $25 documentation service fee + 18% per annum finance charge from day 31
• At $1,000 balance: 30-day demand letter; if no response, legal action; all legal fees charged to unit owner

§11 — Communication

• Contact API at 630-653-7782 or Info@apimanagers.com; 25W560 Geneva Road Suite 16, Carol Stream, IL 60188
• All issues requiring Board response must be submitted in writing to API; Board not required to respond to unwritten issues; homeowner waives right to resolution
• Unsatisfied homeowners may request a hearing at next quarterly Board meeting

Topics Covered

fence-regulations, swimming-pool-regulations, alterations-and-additions-process, vehicle-parking-rules, pet-rules, signage-rules, violations-and-fines, assessment-collection-policy, lawn-maintenance-requirements, property-use-restrictions, nuisance-rules, community-areas, communication-process, garbage-disposal

Notable Details

• The 2021 fence amendment (highlighted in original PDF) adds ornamental aluminum as a second option alongside cedar. The aluminum language was adopted by Board vote in July 2021 without completing the Declaration amendment process (see fence-specifications and fence-regulations for governance status).
• Section 3.4 references “Special Amendment 2” for the fence height rule — this is special-amendment-2-2006, the controlling version of Declaration §8.11, which specifies cedar only. The R&R aluminum amendment is therefore a Board-level R&R action not yet backed by a Declaration amendment.
• Section 3.5 temporary pool fence requirement references Declaration Art. 3 §3, which has been ingested as declaration-2004.
• Section 10 collection policy references Declaration §§7.02–7.03, which have been ingested and are documented in assessment-collection-policy and assessment-structure.
• Source page was updated 2026-06-26 to add Section 3.6 (Garbage Disposal) and expand Key Provisions — these items were omitted from the original 2026-04-13 ingest summary.