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Homeowners associations and solar access in Ohio

Factsheet

April 19, 2024

Homeowners associations (HOA) typically define a neighborhood’s aesthetic rules and sometimes attempt to restrict your ability to go solar. Even with the law, you’ll still have to navigate your own HOA when you go solar. Check out our HOA action guide for more information.

Learn the basics

Unreasonable Rooftop Solar Limits Restricted in Ohio

Ohio Senate Bill 61, signed into law in 2022, prevents HOAs from restricting homeowners’ ability to go solar. The bill makes solar more accessible for homeowners living in HOAs that want to go solar.

The bipartisan bill, now law, protects homeowners who want to install solar on their homes. HOAs can place reasonable restrictions on size, location, and method of solar installation. Additionally, HOAs can still ban solar installations through the HOA declaration. The declaration requires a 75% vote of all homeowners to modify, unless otherwise specified. Fortunately, this makes it very difficult to make rule changes to limit solar energy.

HOAs without solar restrictions in their declaration must allow solar installations. For more information, see Ohio Revised Code Section 5312.16.

Need legal help?

If you believe your HOA is not abiding by state law and unreasonably limiting rooftop solar installs, Solar United Neighbors Ohio recommends reaching out to Case Western’s Environmental Law Clinic that can be reached at 216-368-2766.