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Q: I am the listing agent for a home in a common interest community (CIC). I discovered that the CIC board has recently implemented a rule restricting the placement of “for sale” signs. Specifically, they cannot be placed on the lawn or anywhere on the exterior of the property, but only in a window. This seems to be against the best interests of my client. Can the CIC board enforce such a rule? 

A: Yes. Section 55.1-1822 of the Virginia Code states that CIC boards may establish reasonable rules regarding how many “for sale” signs may be placed on a homeowner’s property, where on the property the sign(s) may be placed, and the manner in which the sign(s) may be affixed to the property. The CIC board also has the authority under this law to implement rules regarding whether signs may be placed in common areas and how soon after settlement the sign(s) need to be removed. So, applied to the scenario above, this law does indeed give a CIC board the authority to restrict a homeowner to displaying one “for sale” sign from the interior of a window of the home. 

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