Submit plans to the architectural review committee and wait for written approval before starting. Review periods are commonly 30 to 60 days. Starting without approval can mean being required to undo completed work at your cost.
More detail
An HOA architectural review is a separate approval from the city permit and neither substitutes for the other. Plenty of projects have a valid building permit and no HOA approval, which is a problem the city will not help with. What the process usually looks like. Obtain the covenants and the architectural guidelines, which are typically recorded documents you already received at closing. Submit an application with plans, elevations, a site plan showing setbacks, material and color selections, and often a contractor name. Wait for the committee to meet, which is where most of the calendar time goes, since many committees meet monthly. Receive a written decision. What commonly triggers review beyond additions: fences, roof material or color changes, exterior paint, driveways and walkways, pools, sheds and outbuildings, solar panels, and mature tree removal. Budget the time. A 30 to 60 day review is common, and a submission that arrives incomplete restarts the clock at the next meeting. Build it into the project schedule ahead of the permit application rather than in parallel, because a design change required by the committee means redrawing anything already submitted to the city. What happens if you start without approval. The association can demand removal or modification of completed work at your expense, can levy fines, and in most states can place a lien for unpaid assessments and fines. That is a far worse position than a delayed start. If the committee denies. Read the covenants for an appeal process, which many have. Ask specifically what would be approvable, since a denial is often about a material or a placement rather than the project. And keep the correspondence, because an inconsistent application of the guidelines is the strongest argument available.