If you live in a master-planned community anywhere from Frisco to Southlake, there is a good chance your landscape project needs written approval before a shovel goes in the ground. Architectural review committees are the norm in newer DFW communities, and the consequence of skipping them is real: some homeowners have had to remove finished work at their own expense.
The process is usually not difficult. It is just slow, and it punishes people who start first and ask later.
What usually needs approval
Rules vary by community, but the pattern across DFW HOAs is consistent.
- Anything structural: retaining walls, pergolas, pavilions, outdoor kitchens
- Hardscape that changes the footprint, such as patios, walkways, and driveway extensions
- Fences, gates, and anything that changes a property line's appearance
- Pools and permanent water features
- Front-yard changes visible from the street, including bed reshaping and tree removal
- Exterior lighting on some properties, particularly in the more restrictive communities
What usually does not
Routine maintenance is generally fine: mowing, trimming, mulching, seasonal color, and replacing existing plants like for like.
Backyard planting that is not visible from the street is often unrestricted, though a few of the stricter communities in Southlake and Westlake review it anyway. Read your own covenants rather than assuming.
How long approval takes
Plan on two to six weeks in most DFW communities. Some committees meet monthly, which means submitting the day after a meeting costs you a month before anyone even looks at it.
Build that into your schedule from the start. The homeowners who get frustrated are the ones who booked a crew for a date that assumed instant approval.
What a submittal package should contain
Committees approve drawings, not descriptions. A complete package moves faster and comes back with fewer questions.
- A site plan showing the property lines and where the work sits within them
- Dimensioned drawings of anything structural
- Material samples or clear product specifications, including colors
- Photographs of the existing conditions
- Drainage notes, since committees increasingly ask how water will be handled
- A contractor's insurance certificate, which some communities require up front
The mistake that costs the most
Starting work while approval is pending. It feels low risk because approval seems likely, and most of the time it is. When it is not, you are removing finished hardscape at your own cost and still need approval to rebuild.
The second most expensive mistake is building slightly differently from what was approved. Committees do inspect, and a wall built six inches taller than the drawing is a genuine problem.
Key takeaways
- Most DFW master-planned communities require written approval before structural or visible landscape work
- Routine maintenance and like-for-like plant replacement generally do not need review
- Allow two to six weeks, and check when the committee actually meets
- Committees approve drawings, so a complete package moves much faster
- Never start while approval is pending, and build exactly what was approved
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