Photo: Washington Post
A long-running dispute over an eco-friendly yard in Maryland has paved the way for a groundbreaking state law, the first in the US, that says homeowner associations can no longer force residents to have lawns. Shortly after Janet and Jeff Crouch moved to Beech Creek in 1999, they stopped using fertilizers and pesticides, and began adding indigenous and pollinator-friendly plants to their yard. Over some years, their neighbor’s complaints led the association to threaten fines or worse, and in late 2017, the Crouches hired a lawyer and eventually went to court. In October 2021, the Maryland legislature passed a law that forbids homeowner associations from banning pollinator plants or rain gardens or requiring property owners to plant turf grass. The Crouches have agreed to remove plantings within three feet of their neighbor and six feet of the sidewalk but kept the rest intact.
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