Missouri Covenant & Architectural Enforcement (Declaration + § 213.041)

Missouri courts enforce recorded covenants as written under common-law principles — restrictions must be reasonable, are construed against the drafter where ambiguous, and may be lost through waiver, abandonment, or changed conditions. Architectural-review authority comes from the declaration, not statute. The key statutory limit is § 213.041 (eff. Jan. 1, 2006): an HOA board 'shall amend, without approval of the owners,' any governing document containing a covenant that violates § 213.040 (Missouri's fair-housing ban). If it fails to remove the covenant 'within thirty days' of written notice, 'the [Missouri Commission on Human Rights], a municipality, or an individual may bring an action against the homeowners' association for injunctive relief,' and 'the court may award attorney's fees to the prevailing party.'

Covenant and architectural disputes are resolved by civil suit under the recorded declaration and common law. A discriminatory covenant must be removed within 30 days of notice (§ 213.041); failure exposes the HOA to an injunctive-relief action by the Human Rights Commission, a municipality, or an individual, with possible attorney fees to the prevailing party.