Common sense? How offensive.

I would love to hang out my laundry, but I'm fairly certain local covenants and restrictions prohibit such a thing.

Let's look it up.

The precise wording from our community association is as follows:
"No permanent poles for attaching wires or lines for the purpose of hanging laundry thereupon shall be erected, installed or constructed on any Lot."

I spoke to the ACC (architectural control committee) coordinator at the community association. He told me laundry poles were the issue, not laundry itself. If we rigged up a retractable system, that would be fine. He also told me to check with the city to make sure they did not have an ordinance against drying laundry outside.

So, I spoke with the city code enforcement representative. She told me there was no ordinance she knew of against it; but almost no one hangs their laundry outside here. 

Her voice oozed discouragement. 

She said maybe one or two people have done it within the last five years; but usually their neighbors report them to code enforcement. (Why? There is no ordinance against line drying!)

She helpfully took my street name so there is now a record of my phone call, just in case someone complains about our laundry. Once again...I don't know why it matters if there is no ordinance against it!

The benefits of hanging laundry are so many--energy conservation, sterilization by sunlight, money savings AND aesthetics. I gaze dreamily at the clothesline photos on the Project Laundry List website. 

Come back common sense!! 

I miss you.

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