Under D.C. Code § 8-1774.51 a condo, co-op, or homeowners association may not prohibit solar collectors on an owner's unit or a single-unit roof, and may not use aesthetic guidelines. Flag display is protected by the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act; D.C. has no separate flag or sign statute.
D.C. Code § 8-1774.51 bars homeowners, condominium, and cooperative housing associations from prohibiting an owner from installing a solar energy collection device on the owner's property or residential unit, or on a roof that covers only that one unit, even if the roof is a common element. Associations may still bar solar on shared common elements (other than single-unit roofs), set reasonable nuisance-prevention guidelines, and assign maintenance responsibility, but may not impose aesthetic restrictions. For flags, the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act (4 U.S.C. § 5) prevents banning display of the U.S. flag on an owner's property, subject to reasonable time, place, and manner rules; D.C. has no separate flag or sign statute, so sign rules turn on the declaration.
An association that bans rooftop solar on a single-unit roof or relies on aesthetic objections violates § 8-1774.51; banning the U.S. flag violates the federal Freedom to Display the American Flag Act. No specific statutory penalty; owners enforce by suit.
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