Laws that name clotheslines
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Maryland
- Vermont
Solar-access laws that likely cover them
- Arizona
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Texas
- Virginia
- Wisconsin
Two kinds of law
- Direct right-to-dry laws name clotheslines or drying racks, so there’s little argument about what they cover.
- Solar-access laws stop HOAs from banning “solar energy systems” or “devices”. A clothesline is a solar dryer, and advocates read these laws to cover them, but the laws don’t say so and courts haven’t always settled the question.
What your HOA can still say
Even in right-to-dry states, associations can usually set reasonable rules: backyards only, folding lines put away when not in use, no lines visible from the street. A rotary dryer that folds down, or a retractable line, is the easiest to get past a board.
No right-to-dry law? Your covenants decide. Drying racks indoors, or on a balcony out of view, are rarely restricted.
This page explains state laws in general terms; it isn’t legal advice. Read your state’s statute and your association’s covenants before a dispute.