Nearly half of Colorado residents live in communities governed by homeowners associations, and for those homeowners, picking a new exterior paint color often starts with a rulebook rather than a color wheel. According to The Colorado Division of Real Estate’s 2024 HOA Information and Resource Center Annual Report, there are 8,362 active common interest community registrations in the state, and approximately 2.7 million people—about 46 percent of Coloradans—live in one.
That means covenant rules on exterior appearance affect a large share of homeowners. The same report shows that in 2024, the HOA Center received 3,811 inquiries and complaints from 300 individuals. Among complaint categories, improper or selective enforcement of covenants and not following governing documents each appeared 67 times.
The state office, however, has limited authority to resolve such disputes. The Division of Real Estate states that its HOA Center does not mediate or arbitrate on behalf of homeowners, board members, or community association managers, and does not investigate or intervene in disputes between homeowners and associations. That leaves it to homeowners to read their governing documents before beginning a project.
Tom Reber, founder of Simplify Painting, one of the painting companies colorado springs homeowners have worked with since 2015, said association approvals come up often in newer neighborhoods. “In a lot of the communities we work in, the color question gets answered by the HOA before it gets answered by the homeowner,” Reber said. “We’d much rather see the approved palette at the first walkthrough than find out after the first coat is on.”
Exterior projects are the most visible and therefore the most likely to require prior approval. Simplify Painting’s exterior painters colorado springs crews schedule work only after any required association approval is in place. “My advice to a neighbor is to pull the design guidelines and submit the request before booking a painter,” Reber said. “A few weeks of approval time is a lot easier to plan around than repainting a house twice.”
Interior work typically falls outside association review. Homeowners waiting on exterior approval often move ahead with colorado springs interior painting projects in the meantime. The same applies to kitchens, where cabinet painting colorado springs projects can usually proceed on their own schedule while exterior plans are reviewed. Simplify Painting offers complimentary estimates.
The takeaway for homeowners is clear: with HOA rules affecting nearly half the state’s population and state agencies unable to intervene in most disputes, checking design guidelines before hiring a painter can prevent costly repainting and conflict.
