Also, anyone who wants to opt out of HOA membership should be able to (and should not be subject to any HOA rules when they do).
OK, but that's being dictatorial telling people how to keep their property. So long as what you do on your property doesn't breed vermin which go to your neighbors, or creates the hazard of a fire which might spread to their properties, it's nobody's business. That's actually why I love living in NYC. People pretty much do whatever they want on their own property. The house across the street regularly has boxes stacked in front of his garage after Fedex does their almost daily delivery. He's apparently running some kind of business from home where he sells large quantities of stuff. I see lots of people hanging clothes from their terraces, or in their yards. I see lots of less than well-groomed front yards (including mine 90% of the time). I just filled up 5 pails pulling out weeds. I'll probably fill up another 20 before the season is out. Nobody complains or seems to care all that much. And this in a place where lots of the homes are worth north of $1 million.
I'd hate living somewhere where you get a fine if you miss cutting the grass one week. Or for that matter being required to have grass at all, instead of perhaps ground cover, or any other treatment you want. Then there are the dictates about what colors you can paint your house. Some HOAs even forbid certain light colors outdoors, like 5000K, to "preserve the character of the neighborhood".
Maybe you were on one of the better HOAs which was mainly concerned with stuff like keeping crime down and/or only going after properties which looked like they from the show "Hoarders". Lots of them micromanage everyone, and give hefty fines for nonsense like outdoor TV antennas. Some even prohibit solar panels.
