Medina, OH HOA Rules: CC&R Enforcement (2026)

Medina's Zoning Ordinance addresses conflicts with private land-use rules in one direct provision, Section 1103.04, titled 'Conflict.' It states that whenever the Zoning Ordinance requires a greater width or size of yards or other open spaces, a lower height limit, a greater percentage of lot left unoccupied, a lower population density, a more restricted land use, or any other higher standard than what a private deed restriction or private covenant requires, the Zoning Ordinance governs. In practical terms, if a subdivision's recorded covenants allow a shorter side yard or a taller accessory structure than the City's zoning table permits, the City's zoning number is the one a property owner must follow, not the more permissive private document.

The provision runs only one direction: it does not give the City authority to enforce an HOA's private covenants when those covenants are stricter than the Zoning Code, and nothing in Chapter 1103 makes the Planning Department a party to enforcing a homeowners association's rules. A separate residential-parking section, 1155.08(b), makes that division explicit for recreational-vehicle storage, stating that restrictive covenants in residential subdivisions may impose regulations that are not enforceable by the City under the zoning regulations. Taken together, the code treats HOA covenants as a private contract matter between homeowners and their association: Medina's Building and Zoning Department enforces only the numbers printed in the Zoning Ordinance and Chapter 1103.99's penalty schedule, while a covenant violation is a civil matter for the HOA or its members to pursue on their own.