Urban Blog

That depends on where you live, as this blog post explains. Some communities have regulations that prohibit homeowners or renters from using clotheslines. But people are fighting back against these rules:

A “right-to-dry” movement has sprung up and won laws in six states––Florida, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, and Vermont—to render these bans void and unenforceable.

In another 13 states, solar access laws protect solar drying. For instance, an Oregon law states that any restrictions on “solar radiation as a source for heating, cooling or electrical energy” are “void and unenforceable.” Since clotheslines rely on solar energy, their use is protected in those states where laws provide blanket allowances for the use of solar radiation.

Yet in all 19 states where they are technically illegal, these bans still remain in effect. Right-to-dry activist Alexander Lee estimates that more than half of all HOAs restrict or ban the use of clotheslines. Many residents simply don’t realize they legally have the right to use clotheslines.

The blog post gives more specifics on where some of these illegal bans persist, and even includes a map of clothesline bans.

One rather ironic example is the Forest Heights neighborhood in Oregon. The community claims to be dedicated to environmental stewardship, with plenty of common green space, walking trails and even an “EcoShuttle” service. The HOA website promotes a “Go Green” campaign. Yet at the same time, the regulations limit placement of clotheslines to “service yards” that are “completely screened so that the elements screened are not visible at any time from the street or any adjoining property.” Because of the way homes are situated in proximity to each other, it would be basically impossible to completely conceal a clothesline. So essentially, this amounts to a clothesline ban, which is illegal under Oregon’s aforementioned solar access law.

If your HOA covenants prohibit the use of clotheslines, don’t despair. If you live in one of the 19 states where these bans are illegal, you have the law on your side, so you can go ahead and hang your clothesline without fear. If not, you can always become an activist yourself and fight for your right to dry. Until your state’s laws change, though, there are plenty of indoor clotheslines available. Contact us to learn more about the vast and varied ways to dry your clothes naturally and to peruse our wide selection of indoor and outdoor clotheslines.