March 2, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster

I’ve been out of state for a few days and I just noticed that the Minnesota House of Representatives was at work again today on trying to “rein in” HOAs in the state by limiting local governments from mandating or providing an incentive for HOA development.

Session Daily is reporting that Rep. Shane Mekeland (R-Clear Lake) introduced legislation (HF2614) that would prohibit municipalities, joint planning boards, public corporations and counties from incentivizing or requiring HOAs for building permits of new developments.  The matter was discussed and approved at the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee today.

This bill is part of litany of bills seeking to “curb” HOAs and to “limit their spread” statewide. According to Session Daily:

Part of the issue of HOAs is that they can be made unnecessarily to take care of tiny plots of land or to shift the costs of public infrastructure like curbs, sidewalks and stormwater systems directly to homeowners, said Roxanne Young Kimball, president of the Minnesota Homeownership Center. “This bill ensures HOAs are created only when they serve a real purpose, to manage common property, not because the city requires them. It protects homeowners from double taxation, reduces unnecessary, development costs and supports more affordable home ownership statewide,” Kimball said.

There’s a quote from Mark Foster, who is the VP of legislative and political affairs at Housing First Minnesota, and he is NOT me. I’m waiting for the day where we get confused, although he’s decidedly opposite of many of my stances. Now you know why I usually use my middle name!

“Over 80% of new home construction in Minnesota is part of a HOA. As the declarants who create these associations, we believe that number is too high. We must right-size that use of HOAs moving forward,” said Mark Foster, vice president of legislative and political affairs at Housing First Minnesota.

There was opposition:

“We urge the committee to avoid advancing language that prevents the ability of a city to ensure that private common area property is adequately managed,” wrote Daniel Lightfoot, senior intergovernmental relegations representative with the League of Minnesota Cities.

And…

Ania McDonnell, government relations specialist with the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities, wrote, “HOAs are important to many residents, including seniors and those with disabilities, and help ensure adequate property maintenance including snow removal, lawn care and other services.”

Another day in the life of the Minnesota House.  Read the story HERE.