Olathe does not have a dedicated ordinance regulating residential lawn ornaments, statues, garden art, or seasonal yard decorations. Display is permitted on private property subject to general nuisance, setback, sight-distance, and right-of-way rules. Homeowner association covenants frequently impose stricter aesthetic limits but are enforced privately, not by the City.
Lawn ornaments — garden statues, gnomes, flamingos, religious displays, seasonal yard signs, and similar decorative items — are not specifically regulated under the Olathe Code of Ordinances or the Unified Development Ordinance. Residents may display lawn ornaments on private property in residential districts without a City permit. General constraints apply: items may not encroach into the public right-of-way or sidewalk under O.M.C. Title 12; items may not block the sight-distance triangle at intersections or driveway exits as defined in UDO Sec. 18.30.220; nuisance provisions under O.M.C. Title 8 (Health and Safety) may be invoked for displays that constitute an attractive nuisance, accumulate debris, or create a hazard. Many Olathe subdivisions, particularly in the south and west of the city (Cedar Creek, Forest View, Brittany Meadows, Stonebridge, Heritage Park), have active HOAs with CC&Rs that may restrict lawn ornament size, quantity, location, or duration of seasonal displays. HOA enforcement is private — through CC&R violation notices, fines, and lien proceedings — and is not handled by the City. Olathe Code Enforcement (913-971-7900) responds only to violations of City ordinances, not HOA rules. Kansas state law (KSA 58-3801 et seq., the Kansas Uniform Common Interest Owners Bill of Rights Act) governs HOA dispute procedures for communities formed after January 1, 2010. Political and religious yard signs receive First Amendment protections that override most municipal sign restrictions, subject to reasonable time/place/manner limits.
Lawn ornaments that block a sidewalk, encroach into the public right-of-way, obstruct sight-distance at intersections, or constitute a nuisance under O.M.C. Title 8 may draw a Code Enforcement notice with order to relocate or remove. HOA violations are enforced privately under recorded CC&Rs and the Kansas Uniform Common Interest Owners Bill of Rights Act (KSA 58-3801 et seq.).
Olathe, KS
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Olathe, KS
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