Depends on the place, for sure. Where I currently reside, the town is named after a particular species of tree, and it was required when all the homes were bui

Depends on the place, for sure. Where I currently reside, the town is named after a particular species of tree, and it was required when all the homes were built that each property had one of this species of tree on the property. You are obligated to both maintain that tree (or replace it if it dies) and to have a lawn, this is actually the ordinance here. I agree it's kind of ridiculous, but I also live in an area known for its onerous HOAs, and these ordinances are basically just a subset of that writ large, but without the worst of it. I'll still take this over living in an HOA.