Florida’s “Right to Dry” Bill: Letting the Sunshine Do the Laundry
Florida was the trail-blazer of the modern “right-to-dry” movement. More than three decades ago the Legislature added clotheslines to Florida’s renewable-energy protections, making it illegal for cities or counties to adopt ordinances that ban them. The language now appears in §163.04, Florida Statutes, alongside solar collectors and other “energy devices based on renewable resources.” (163.04 — Energy devices based on renewable resources. - Justia Law) Environmental advocates hailed the measure, and several other states later copied Florida’s approach. (Right to Dry | Clotheslines.com)
While §163.04 stopped local governments from outlawing clotheslines, homeowner-association (HOA) covenants sometimes filled the gap, citing aesthetics. That loophole became a frequent source of neighborhood disputes, pushing lawmakers to revisit the issue during the 2024 Session.
House Bill 1203, signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 24 and effective July 1, 2024, rewrote portions of the HOA Act. The bill created §720.3045, which explicitly bans HOAs from restricting clotheslines, vegetable gardens, boats, artificial turf, and other items so long as they are not visible from the home’s frontage, an adjacent parcel, common area, or community golf course. (HB 1203: Changes Impacting Homeowners’ Associations in Florida, Chapter 720 Section 3045 - 2024 Florida Statutes - The Florida Senate) In other words, if your clothesline is tucked in a side- or back-yard, the HOA may no longer fine you or demand its removal.
Lower utility bills: Air-drying can cut a typical household’s electric-dryer costs by 10–15 percent a year.
Climate benefits: Replacing one electric-dryer load with line drying avoids roughly 2 kg of CO₂; over a year that’s comparable to taking a car off the road for several days.
Consumer confidence: The new law removes uncertainty for nearly 3 million Floridians who live in HOA-governed communities, giving them the same freedom already enjoyed by residents outside deed-restricted neighborhoods.
Check the sight line: Place the line where it can’t be seen from the street or an adjoining lot.
Mind local building codes: Some cities set height, setback, or material rules even though they can’t prohibit the line itself.
Keep it tidy: The statute protects the device, not clutter; an HOA may still enforce general property-maintenance clauses that apply to everyone.
Florida’s refreshed right-to-dry framework pairs its early 1990s environmental foresight with 2020s homeowner-rights reform. Sunshine-state residents can now catch the breeze—without catching a citation.
