Carefree Ranch Owners Association

What Carefree Ranch Owners Association's governing documents say

Carefree Ranch is a single-family home HOA in Mesa, AZ. These Design Guidelines bind all owners and builders when constructing, altering, or maintaining any improvement. They cover site development, architecture, landscaping, and require approval from the Design Review Committee for most exterior changes.

• Architectural review process: All construction and exterior changes must be approved by the Design Review Committee through a multi-phase process: pre-design meeting, preliminary submittal, final submittal, construction permit, and final inspection. Fees apply (e.g., $1,500 for preliminary plans).
• Building siting and setbacks: Homes must be sited within a designated Building Envelope to preserve natural terrain and views. Minimum setbacks: 60 feet from street and 35 feet from adjacent lots. Retaining walls generally cannot exceed 12 feet; screen walls cannot exceed 5 feet 6 inches.
• Landscaping and natural areas: Lots are divided into Natural, Transitional, and Private Areas. Only indigenous plants (see Approved Plant List) may be used in Natural and Transitional Areas. Revegetation of disturbed areas is required with a minimum of 50 one-gallon plants per 1000 sq ft. Prohibited plants (Appendix D) are banned entirely.
• Parking & vehicles: Each residence must have an enclosed garage for at least 2 vehicles plus 2 additional exterior guest parking spaces. No on-street parking allowed. No unenclosed storage of campers, trailers, RVs, boats, or other recreational vehicles.
• Driveways and gates: Driveway width is max 12 feet (16 feet if fire truck turnaround required). Maximum slope 20%. Private security gates are strongly discouraged but may be approved, max height 42 inches and set back at least 25 feet from curb.
• Exterior lighting: Lighting must be shielded and directed downward, no bare lamps. Max 75-watt incandescent bulbs. No lighting in Natural Areas. Motion sensor lights allowed only with specific approval and limited to 20 minutes. Driveway lighting discouraged.
• Recreational structures: Basketball hoops require approval and must not face the street; backboards must be below parapet height. Play equipment height limited to 8 feet and must be screened. Sports/tennis courts generally not allowed without specific siting and lighting approval.

Plain-language summary generated from the governing documents on file for this community. It may be incomplete and is not legal advice — read the full documents below or consult the official recorded versions.