Can You Paint Your House Any Color You Want in Lubbock?

Growing up, I always wondered why nobody chose to paint their homes with brighter colors. So much boring beige, brown, white, and gray. Why? It's never made sense to me. I vowed I'd have a home painted bright purple when I was a kid, and at 37, I'm busy squirreling away acorns to buy one, and you'd better believe, I've not given up on my purple plan...

But could I actually get away with it?

Let's take a peekie poo at the rules...

Can You Paint Your Lubbock Home Any Color You Want?

closed door of house

The answer is "yes," but there are a few catches.

For the majority of ordinary homes, Lubbock doesn't appear to prescribe any kind of city-wide palette of colors from which to choose, so if you want your house to be green, blue, yellow, or any other color that you fancy, you're generally free to do so.

There Are A Few Exceptions...

According to Lubbock's Unified Development Code, some portions of Lubbock have special historic or overlay district rules that govern exterior appearances. In those areas, paint colors may be subject to review, and bright, high-intensity, metallic, or fluorescent colors may even be restricted. Bummer! No lime green!?

Read More: Lubbock Home Business Rules You Should Know Before Starting

Then, There's The HOA Wildcards...

white and brown concrete house

Even if the city doesn't care much about you painting your house hot pink, your Home Owners Association might have a meltdown over it. HOA rules can be highly specific, and they typically require approval before you paint your home.

So...

Before you buy 15 gallons of "Electric Eel Blue," check for any property zoning rules or HOA rules you might have missed.

Otherwise, congrats! Your house, your paint, your questionable color palette. Get funky with it! Just don't be surprised when your neighbors start gawking. Nothing you can really do about that but smile, wave, and remind them that it's okay to be different.

Learn more about what you can and can't do to your home in Lubbock's Unified Development Code.