HOA tells Navy wife to remove flag from front yard

A homeowners’ association in Lehi, Utah, is facing backlash online after sending a letter to a resident telling her to remove a U.S. Navy flag displayed in her front yard.

Lucia Sandoval says she put the flag up to remember her husband, who is currently deployed with the U.S. Navy. But shortly after the flag went up, she received a notice stating it was out of conformity with neighborhood standards.

“In a recent review of the community, it was brought to our attention that you may not be aware of one or more of the rules for the community,” the letter from the HOA reads. “Your front yard had a flag displayed not in accordance with the accepted standards. Please remove the flag ASAP.”

In the letter, the HOA cites community guidelines, which read, “Flags and flagpoles shall be uniformly placed and consistent in size and shape and shall not interfere with on site utilities.”

Sandoval says she didn’t understand how her flag violated any of those policies and is refusing to take it down.

“They told me to remove it ASAP, but I am willing to fight for this,” Sandoval said. “We should be able to display whatever flag we feel passionate about.”

2News contacted a representative of the Spring Creek Ranch Homeowners’ Association, who did not want to go on camera, but said that he was not sure who sent Sandoval the letter and was looking in to the matter. He would not comment further on the record.

Sandoval says, regardless of what the HOA tells her, she will not take the flag down.

“It’s a spit to the face for a lot of people,” she said. “Especially the ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us to proudly wave the flag that represents what the freedom of being a United States citizen means.”