A neighbor's camera is pointed at my house. Can the HOA make them move it?

Sometimes they can make the neighbor shift it. They usually cannot confiscate every doorbell on the block because you’re uncomfortable. Security-device rights and privacy sit in the same driveway. The better HOA ask is “make them angle or mask the lens,” not “ban cameras.”

A camera that sees a shared sidewalk, the street, or the neighbor’s own porch is ordinary. A camera that stares into your bedroom, bathroom, or a fenced backyard where you have a real expectation of privacy is the problem case. State privacy and peeping statutes, and civil privacy claims, can apply even when the HOA does nothing. Audio is its own issue: in some states, recording a conversation needs every party’s consent. A doorbell with audio on, sitting three feet from your stoop, is how those fights start.

How this usually works: you complain to the manager. They look at the architectural guidelines and any camera rule. Many boards will ask the owner to tilt the camera, use privacy zones in the app, or move it to the door. Texas Property Code 202.023 is an example of a statute that protects cameras on the owner’s private property and still lets the association keep them off common area. Other states rely on reasonableness. Either way, placement is easier for the board to police than existence.

The HOA is not your only path. You can talk to the neighbor first, in writing if you need a record. You can look at local law enforcement if someone is filming into a private interior. You can look at a lawyer for a privacy claim. Don’t trespass onto their lot to unscrew the device.

Next steps: photograph what the camera can see from public or from your own property. Don’t peek over their fence to get the shot. Send the HOA a short written complaint that names the privacy problem (window, yard, interior), not just “I don’t like cameras.” Ask for a placement change. If you have your own camera, keep it aimed at your entry. Calendar any related hearing if they’ve opened a violation file.

Talk to a licensed lawyer if the lens is clearly into a private interior, the association refuses to look, or you’re the one being ordered to remove a camera that only sees your door.

This is general information from an AI helper, not legal advice. Confirm it against your documents and your state’s law. If a deadline or hearing is coming up, talk to a licensed lawyer.