---
title: "Homeowner’s Association Fines Resident After Car Leaves Penis-Shaped Outline in Snowy Lot"
description: "A comically serious HOA in Tennessee has fined a resident because her car left a lewd outline on the snowy ground."
date: "2019-02-26"
modified: "2019-02-26"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/26630/homeowners-association-fines-resident-after-car-leaves-penis-shaped-outline-in-snowy-lot"
categories:
  - "News"
---

# Homeowner’s Association Fines Resident After Car Leaves Penis-Shaped Outline in Snowy Lot

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/02/hoa-snow.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Homeowner's associations: [Generally awful, often evil.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/17496/homeowners-association-enacts-insane-policy-forcing-residents-to-keep-garage-doors-open>) Now a comically serious board ruling a development in Tennessee with a frail fist has taken that reputation to new heights by fining a resident $100 after her car inadvertently left a penis-shaped outline in the condo complex's snowy parking lot.

This tale of misbegotten power and beautiful comeuppance comes from a woman named Kathryn, who shared her story with *The Drive* after venting about the bizarre experience on [Reddit.](<https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckHOA/comments/aufzpi/hoa_is_fining_me_for_something_beyond_my_control/?st=jskz2kve&sh=939c09ea>) Kathryn asked that we not use her last name, but she provided email proof of what might be the most asinine complaint we've ever read.

The trouble began early one cold morning in late January following a light snowfall overnight. It was barely a dusting, and Kathryn and her husband left for work and lived their lives like any other. But the next day, Kathryn was shocked to find an email in her inbox notifying her that she'd been fined $100 because her car had [violated the HOA's rules](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/14799/houston-area-homeowners-association-goes-to-war-with-man-over-his-wwii-sherman-tank>) on "displaying offensive images or slogans."

More ominously, the board claimed to have photographic evidence of the obscenity in question. Confused and annoyed, Kathryn pressed them for more information. Their response stands tall in the self-own hall of fame, along with the following photo.

![message-editor%2F1551155837632-l3zva4m.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1551155837632-l3zva4m.jpg>)
*"Hello, 911? Me again. There's a giant penis in the parking lot.", *Supplied**

"Your car, specifically the Honda, left this offensive image on the ground after you left," the email read. "I believe you will see why we have had complaints about it. One of our residents took the photo and reported it to us out of concern for our younger residents."

Finally, somebody thinks of the children. The picture shows a blob of clear pavement on the snow-covered lot where the car, a Honda Insight, sat and blocked the snow from accumulating. It's a weird sight; there are no tire tracks visible because it was still snowing when Kathryn and her husband left in the morning, which filled in the clearing's edges a bit where the pavement was colder before it stopped. If you squint, and if you're really looking for it, okay, it *kind of* looks like [a strange representation of male genitalia.](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/26584/flight-instructor-draws-pair-of-penises-writes-im-bored-in-sky-over-australia>)

Clearer is the fact that we never want to meet the person who made that report. Once Kathryn figured out what exactly the email was referring to—and once she stopped laughing—she fired off an angry counter. How could she possibly control the way the snow fell around her car? Didn't the bylaws state that offensive imagery had to be purposeful? She refused to pay the fine, threatened legal action, and received the following in response:

"We understand. We will not be pursuing this further, in good faith pursuant to the wording of the by-laws."

That's probably about as close to an apology as you'll ever get from an HOA without actually getting lawyers involved, so all's mostly well that ends well. For what it's worth, this isn't the first time Kathryn and her husband have tangled with their condo overlords. She also claims the board's former president arranged to have her car towed from the lot for expired tags when the replacements got delayed in the mail by one day. That story, along with a war's worth of other battles she's had to wage in her complex, can be read over [at the ever-entertaining r/f\*\*kHOA subreddit.](<https://www.reddit.com/r/fuckHOA/>)

We've detailed other stories of neighborhood tyrants run amok, like the homeowner's association in California that [attempted to fine residents for keeping their garage doors *closed*](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/17496/homeowners-association-enacts-insane-policy-forcing-residents-to-keep-garage-doors-open>) in a misguided effort to root out illegal living space conversions. This doomed quest quest to pin an unintentional penis drawing on a resident's car seems even more insane at first. But you know what they say: It takes one to know one.

*Got a tip? Email the author: kyle@thedrive.com*

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)