A Las Vegas military veteran is pushing back against his homeowners’ association (HOA) after reportedly being cited for displaying vintage fire hydrants tied to his military service and decades-long firefighting career.
Brent Saba — a fire inspector and firefighter — said his HOA recently ordered him to remove three non-operational hydrants placed in front of his home. The association claimed the items violate neighborhood rules governing front and side yard landscaping, according to local outlet KSNV News 3 Las Vegas.
Saba said the hydrants, including one he brought back from Iraq during a deployment, have been on display since he moved into the neighborhood over a year ago without prior issue.
“This hydrant right here, I brought this fire hydrant home from Iraq,” Saba said. “I served over in Iraq for about a year, year and a half or so. So that one there was a special piece.”
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He added that many of his neighbors support the display, according to KSNV News 3.
“How are they going to tell the guy with over 30 years in the fire service, you got to get rid of your fire hydrants? I mean, it’s not like it’s clutter,” Saba said. “It’s not like it’s defacing anything. … My neighbors all even think it looks good.”
After receiving the citation, Saba said the HOA instructed him to submit an application to keep the hydrants.
Despite providing written support from neighbors, Saba’s request was denied. He said he later received additional communication suggesting further homeowner approval might be required, KSNV News 3 reported.
“I’m a fire inspector and when I write up a violation on a building, imagine if I wrote up something that didn’t even apply to what the write up was,” he said. “I would look like a fool.”
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The HOA has since informed Saba he may keep the hydrants, he confirmed Saturday to FOX Business.
“I mean this HOA in this neighborhood is out of control,” Saba said. “… The HOA thought that they could bully me and manipulate me.”
The dispute has left Saba reconsidering his future in the neighborhood, according to KSNV News 3.
“It was just kind of for me was the last straw,” he said. “And I was like, ‘I’m not gonna go down without a fight.’ I’m hoping things actually improve for this neighborhood.”
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Attorney Chad Cummings of Cummings & Cummings Law told Realtor.com that disputes like this are not uncommon.
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“HOA boards misapply their own governing documents all the time, and this case is a textbook example,” Cummings said. “The board cited a rule about ‘storage items’ to regulate what are decorative display pieces. That distinction matters.”
The Antelope HOA could not be immediately reached by FOX Business for comment.
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