Borowski bill takes aim at overbearing HOA bans on drying clothes outside
Rep. Lisa Borowski May 13, 2025 | 3:41 PM
HARRISBURG, May 13 – In a victory for common sense, the Pennsylvania House passed legislation today that would ensure Pennsylvanians are free to dry their clothes outside at their own home.
Authored by state Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware, the measure is aimed at residents of condominiums, cooperatives and planned communities where homeowners’ associations, also known as HOAs, have banned the traditional practice.
Borowski noted clotheslines have been a back yard or porch staple for most of our history as a country, and that air drying laundry in the sun saves people money, reduces pollution and prolongs the life of many fabrics.
“Banning outdoor clothes drying for an entire community of people because a few HOA board members prefer not to look at clotheslines or drying racks is ridiculous and goes against American values about what it means to live among each other,” Borowski said. “This is a measure I introduced directly in response to concerns brought to me by my neighbors in the 168th Legislative District. If we don’t secure this right, we’re telling Pennsylvanians they don’t deserve the right to use the sun to dry their clothes unless they can afford their own single-family homestead, out of the line of sight of other homes. That’s embarrassing in a nation that prides itself on freedom.”
The lawmaker also noted many constituents are reporting difficulty meeting the costs of living – an issue for which there’s no relief in sight at the federal level – and outdoor drying is a sustainable cost-saving solution too many Pennsylvanians are barred from using.
“Cutting spending on luxuries is the first line of defense people have under economic hardship. That includes skipping the clothes dryer at the laundromat or their building’s coin-operated machines, or at home to save money on utility bills,” Borowski said. “But that’s not feasible for people under the thumb of overreaching HOAs that ban outdoor clotheslines and drying racks for not meeting their extravagant aesthetic desires.
“A neighborhood isn’t a picture-perfect movie set – it’s composed of actual homes where people live out their lives,” Borowski continued. “I think it’s rather absurd we need to pass legislation to ensure people are free to use the sun to dry their clothes, but that’s the situation we’re in. I’m grateful for the help I got from the Keystone Chapter of the Community Associations Institute in getting the bill’s details right.”
Borowski says the bill also takes HOA interests into account by allowing them to limit clotheslines and racks to back yards or shielded areas. If H.B. 67 is successful, Pennsylvania would be the 21st state to enact legislation ensuring the right to use the sun to dry clothes.
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