Summarized from public sources only, checked October 2026. Guidelines change, and we do not interpret them for you. Always confirm the current version with your association.
Before-you-install checklist
- Confirm which association governs your address. Some neighborhood names cover more than one HOA.
- Download the current architectural or modification guidelines and search for lighting, holiday, or exterior changes.
- Check whether colored or animated scenes are limited outside holiday periods, and whether there is a brightness or hours rule.
- Ask your installer for a product sheet and a simple drawing or photo showing where the track will run.
- Submit the request before the install date and wait for written approval. Review windows can run from days to weeks.
- If you are in a historic district, check with the city as well as any HOA.
- Keep a copy of the approval with your installer's contract.
What local associations have published
Plano (Collin County, immediately south of Frisco)
Willow Bend
The association’s published covenant summary says a written request and HOA Board approval are required before any exterior architectural change, using its Architectural Change Request form.
Deerfield
The HOA publishes architectural control guidelines and an architectural control request form on its documents page. Check them before scheduling an install.
McKinney (Collin County, east of Frisco)
Stonebridge Ranch
The community association has announced updated exterior lighting guidelines that permit permanent architectural lighting systems, with conditions such as no colored or flashing lights outside seasonal or holiday lighting and a combined lumen cap for lighting visible from the front. Village guidelines can add requirements.
Historic Overlay District
The City of McKinney says a Certificate of Appropriateness is required before work visible from the public right-of-way on properties in the Historic Overlay District, and its application checklist lists lighting among the exterior items to describe.
Prosper (North of Frisco, on the Collin and Denton county line)
Windsong Ranch
The community association says any physical change to the exterior of a home needs a Modification Application with photos, a lot survey, and details, and that its committee has up to 30 days to approve or deny.
Allen (Collin County, east of Frisco)
Watters Crossing
The HOA says you must request written approval from its Architectural Control Committee before making any improvement to your property, using its covenants as the guideline.
Source: Watters Crossing HOA Architectural Control Committee
Twin Creeks and Star Creek
The Texas HOA management certificate search lists more than one association using the Twin Creeks name in Allen, plus a separate Star Creek homeowners association. Confirm which association governs your address before you apply.
Source: Texas HOA management certificate search (Collin County)
Little Elm (Denton County, west of Frisco on Lewisville Lake)
Union Park
The HOA's welcome packet says written approval through an Architectural Control Committee request form is required before changes, additions, or improvements to a home's exterior.
Paloma Creek
The HOA says exterior modifications need Modifications Committee approval before the project begins. The committee has 30 days to decide, and it lists typical turnaround as two weeks.
Source: Paloma Creek HOA modifications
Valencia on the Lake
The HOA says even basic exterior changes need an ACC request and written approval before starting, and that review can take 30 to 60 days depending on its governing documents.
Town of Little Elm permits
The town says that if your project needs a permit and you live in an HOA, you may need to show proof of ARC approval before the town approves the permit. Ask your installer whether your job needs one.
We did not find published guidance for every community. If yours is not listed, ask your management company directly. Color rules matter most for game-day scenes and other non-holiday colors.
Want a rough number first? Try the instant price calculator. We are a referral service: an independent local installer measures, quotes, and installs.