As the United States prepares to mark its 250th birthday, a dispute over the American flag is unfolding in an upscale Southern California neighborhood, where several homeowners say they are being threatened with fines for displaying the Stars and Stripes outside their homes.
The conflict centers on the Ambiance Owners Association, which governs a townhome community in San Marcos, where properties are valued at just under $1 million, according to real estate websites.
Residents Amy and Christopher Cooke, along with neighbor Terri Collins, say they have no intention of removing the American flags displayed outside their homes despite receiving violation notices from the homeowners association.
Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate the disagreement stretches back at least three years. In May 2023, the HOA informed one homeowner that sports flags were prohibited while stating that “the American flag is the only approved flag to be hung on and within common property.”
By May 2026, however, the association notified the Cookes that the American flag mounted outside their home violated the HOA’s flag policy. The notice directed them to remove the flag mount within 15 days or face enforcement action.
Collins also received a violation notice over the American flag outside her home and said she intends to continue challenging the HOA alongside the Cookes.
“The journey has been long and hard, and we are ready to put an end to it once and for all,” Collins told Fox News Digital.
According to Amy Cooke, the issue surfaced after another resident attempted to display a San Diego Padres flag, prompting the homeowners association to revisit its flag rules.
“Both American flags had been flying around here for decades without issue,” Cooke said. “The fact is it’s about the American flag, distinctly.”
Cooke said she initially dismissed the violation notice because she believed it could not be legally enforced.
“My first reaction was, ‘No,'” she said. “‘Wait a minute, this isn’t legal.'”
She said the flag has flown from the frame of her garage door for more than 20 years in honor of her husband’s grandfather, who was killed during World War II while rescuing fellow sailors. According to Cooke, he was posthumously awarded both the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart.
Cooke also argues that the HOA has failed to explain why it considers her garage door frame to be part of the community’s common area instead of an exclusive-use common area under the association’s governing documents.
In a June 19 letter obtained by Fox News Digital, the Cookes asked the HOA to provide board meeting minutes showing when the flag policy was adopted, records supporting its interpretation of the property’s common areas, and documentation outlining the authority behind the violation notice. They also requested that their disciplinary hearing be postponed until those records are produced, writing that their questions “remain unanswered.”
The couple says they have spent nearly two years researching federal and California law, reviewing HOA records, corresponding with the association and preparing for what they believe could become a lengthy legal fight.
To help offset potential attorney fees, court costs and other legal expenses, they have launched an online fundraiser.
“This isn’t about refusing to follow reasonable rules,” Cooke wrote on the fundraising page. “We believe this is about preserving the right to display the American flag in our own community and ensuring that HOA rules are enforced fairly and consistently.”
Cooke added that any money left over after legal expenses would be donated to patriotic organizations or causes supporting Gold Star military families.
The dispute has also drawn attention from legal advocates.
“California law is clear. While homeowners associations may adopt reasonable rules governing the manner, placement, or safety of flag displays, they cannot prohibit homeowners from flying the American flag on their own property,” Courtney Corbello, counsel at the Center for American Liberty, told Fox News Digital.
Corbello added that homeowners should not face fines for respectfully displaying the American flag and said policies targeting longstanding flag displays are likely to face legal scrutiny.
The controversy has also entered California politics. Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton criticized the HOA, calling the timing especially troubling as the country approaches its 250th birthday. Hilton encouraged residents to disregard the association’s demands and instead celebrate the occasion by displaying even more American flags.
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