How to get permanent lighting approved by your HOA, with the template letter we use

What committees actually ask

In our experience the questions are the same everywhere: What does it look like in daylight? Is it a strand of Christmas lights left up all year? What color will it be on a random Tuesday in July? Is anything screwed into the house? Can it be removed? Who is installing it and are they licensed?

Answer all six in the application and there is rarely a second round.

• Daylight look: a low-profile channel in a color matched to the fascia (attach a photo of the sample against your fascia).
• Not a strand: lights sit inside covers; no visible wire.
• Default setting: warm white at 40 to 60 percent brightness, dusk to 11pm, saved as the schedule.
• Colors: only on dates you schedule (list the holidays you intend).
• Mounting: 3M VHB tape and brackets on the fascia face; no penetrations of roofing or drip edge; removable.
• Installer: licensed, bonded, insured; license numbers attached.

What to attach

The Minleon product sheet, a photo of the channel color sample held against your fascia, a photo of a comparable install at night in warm white, the mounting description above, and our license and insurance summary. We give you all five at the measure as one PDF.

Where it matters most locally

Prune Hill and Lacamas Shores in Camas, the new subdivisions in Ridgefield, Felida and Salmon Creek, Mountain Park in Lake Oswego (which publishes written architectural policies), Bethany and North Bethany, Reed's Crossing in Hillsboro, Happy Valley, and Charbonneau in Wilsonville all review exterior changes. Some Ridgefield and Tualatin covenants specify a seasonal-display window; a permanent system with a warm-white default and holiday colors on schedule fits those clauses.

The letter

Copy, fill in the brackets, attach the packet, submit through your management company's portal or email. Allow one committee cycle, typically two to five weeks.

To the Architectural Review Committee, [HOA name]

Re: Request for approval of low-profile permanent roofline lighting at [address], Lot [lot number]

I'm requesting approval to install a permanent, low-voltage LED roofline lighting system on the fascia of my home.

What it is: a low-profile channel, color-matched to the fascia ([color]), with sealed LED lights inside snap-on covers. There is no visible wiring. The system runs at 24 volts from a listed plug-in supply and is controlled by a phone app.

Daytime appearance: the channel matches the fascia and is not noticeable from the street (photo of the color sample against my fascia attached).

Nighttime use: the default setting is warm white at approximately [40–60]% brightness, on a schedule from dusk to [11:00 pm]. Colored settings will be used only for the following holidays: [Thanksgiving through New Year's, Halloween, July 4th], and otherwise off.

Mounting: the channel is bonded to the fascia face with 3M VHB tape and brackets. No fasteners penetrate the roofing, shingles or drip edge. The system is removable.

Installer: [Company], Washington contractor registration [number], Oregon CCB [number], bonded and insured. Product sheet, license summary and a reference photo are attached.

I'm happy to adjust the default brightness or schedule to the committee's preference. Thank you for your consideration.

[Name]
[Phone] · [Email]
[Date]