NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio — A homeowners association in North Ridgeville has ordered a resident to remove a Little Free Library from her front yard by Sept. 30, saying the book exchange box violates bylaws against yard storage.
A family tradition
Lana Carter and her husband James installed the box outside her home on West Shore Parkway in late June. Lana said she and her family moved to the area from Denver, Colorado, where their previous neighborhood had at least eight Little Free Libraries.
“So we have 3 grandchildren, and we moved here from Denver, Colorado and we had at least eight little libraries in a new neighborhood and anytime that they would visit, they would say, from the time they were two and four, ‘can we go to the little libraries?’ And I said, yeah.” Carter said.
Little Free Library is a worldwide nonprofit that encourages reading through neighborhood sharing boxes. Carter said the box in her front yard became a popular stop within a few months.
“I’ve had grandmas come up and say, we’ll be playing in the backyard and the little one says, can we go to story time? And that’s what he calls it.” Carter said.
Bylaw dispute
Weeks after Carter installed the box, she received a letter and emails from Lawrence Community Management Group, which manages the North Ridge Pointe HOA.
In letters sent to the Carters, the board cited rule 9.2.5 on ‘Front Porch Storage,’ declaring the stand-alone box is considered unauthorized storage.
“I received an e-mail from the HOA Association, and the letter was dated on the 14th, but we did receive it on the 20th, and they said you are in violation. We did an inspection of the properties, and we noticed that you have a little library that is in violation of having storage on your front lawn and it needs to be removed by July 31st,” Carter said.
The letter also said that Carter needed to request a hearing within 10 days of receiving it if she wanted to contest the decision. Carter said she made that request, and the board held a Zoom hearing with its three members in late August.
“We did reply to that letter, and we said we don’t feel that we’re in violation of that, but we would like to discuss it further and that we weren’t going to take it down at this time,” Carter said.
After reviewing the Carters’ reasons, the HOA sent a letter stating the box violates bylaws prohibiting “storage of any kind” in front yards and threatened $50 weekly fines.
“Before I even purchased it or anything, I did read through all the bylaws and I did see the one about storage and I thought, great, well, it’s not a storage shed for bikes, it’s just a little library. It’s not a storage shed. So, I did not think anything of it and that’s what we told the HOA, that we did not do anything on purpose out of malice to try to scoot it in under something, that was not even an option for us. We wouldn’t do that,” Carter said.
Board upholds decision
The Carters met with the board in late August to try to change its decision. They then received a final letter stating the decision stands.
“It says, ‘The board upholds its position that the installation of the little library in your front yard is a violation and in bold letters it says, the little library must be removed from your front yard by Wednesday, September 30th, 2026,” Carter said.
Asked how she felt after receiving the letter, Carter said she was “defeated.”
“I don’t even know if defeated is the word. I was just really sad that I could not share this special thing that had been part of our family with our new neighbors in our neighborhood,” Carter said.
Response and alternative
19 News reached out to Lawrence Community Management Group for comment and received the following. The Carters say they will close the Little Free Library by Sept. 30.
“The board is elected to steward the community by managing association finances, maintaining common property, enforcing the governing documents, and making decisions that protect the interests and property values of all homeowners. We have a fiduciary duty to act fairly, legally, and in the best interests of the association as a whole.
The board has a responsibility to enforce the rules, and in this case we did so. At the same time, twice we offered the homeowner the option to move the Little Free Library to HOA property that is safer, because of parking lot lighting and security cameras, and more central to the community. The homeowner chose not to relocate it, and we respect that decision."
Denny Abbuhl, Board Member, NRP HOA
The HOA offered an alternative of moving the box to the community recreation area. Carter said that location is more than half a mile from her home, making it inconvenient to keep up with it every day.
“We are volunteer stewards for literacy,” Carter said. “We just really feel that it’s important to put books in the hands of any age, but especially children.”
Carter said she posted a note on the box to give neighborhood children and their parents time to prepare before it comes down. The note explains the box is being removed because of the HOA violation and invites neighbors to take any remaining books for friends, family or neighbors.
Carter said it was her family’s joy to share the library with the neighborhood.
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