QUESTION: I live in a gated
over 55 adult community. One of the rules is that no one using the pool
is
allowed to use any kind of suntan oil/lotion. Is this legal?
ANSWER:
Yes, it's legal. The board is probably concerned about oil
transferring from swimmers to the water and then to the pool filters.
Some types
of filters are degraded by tanning oils and the cost and frequency of
cleaning
them goes up.
Possible Solutions. Not using protective lotions can lead
to skin cancer. Your
board may want to reconsider its policy. Since water soluble lotions are not a problem, the board can modify its rule to prohibit oil based lotions but allow water based lotions. Allowing one but not the other, however, makes enforcement of the restriction more difficult. Another possibility is to add more money to the budget for more frequent cleaning of
the
filters. A third option is to install a more
expensive filtration system
that is not affected by oil based lotions.
ASSISTANCE: Associations needing legal assistance can
contact us.
To stay current with issues affecting community associations, subscribe to the
Davis-Stirling Newsletter.