Mo Mufti, REALTOR® LPT Realty, LLC FL Lic. SL3600299
THE VILLAGES DOCUMENTS · BUYERS, SELLERS, AND OWNERS
Homes in The Villages are covered by a recorded Declaration of Restrictions for their unit. It sets the amenity fee terms, the age and visitor rules, and what you can build, park, or post. The wording differs by unit, so read the one for that address.
The short version: A Villages Declaration of Restrictions is a set of covenants the developer recorded for each unit, and they bind every later owner. You can download the one for a home from District Government’s Community Standards page by county, district, and unit, and the recorded original is in the county Clerk’s official records. District Community Standards enforces the exterior restrictions under each district’s adopted rule. The declarations give the amenity fee and amendment powers to the developer or its assignee, not to a homeowners’ association, and they are separate from the CDD assessments on your tax bill.
Mo read four declarations from District Government’s lookup, picked to span the community’s history: Orange Blossom Gardens Unit No. 10 in Lady Lake (L-10, 1987), The Villages of Sumter Unit No. 1 (S1-1, 1992), The Villages of Sumter Unit No. 70 (S5-70, restated in 2004), and Villages of Southern Oaks Unit No. 277 (S16-277, listed in the District lookup as Wallace Villas, recorded February 6, 2026). They follow one outline, but the details change. Unit 277 is a villa unit; the other three are home units.
| Topic | What the declarations say |
|---|---|
| Amenity fee | Monthly, in the amount set in the owner’s deed, adjusted by the Consumer Price Index and secured by a lien. Details are below. |
| Age and visitors | Units 70 and 277: at least one resident 55 or older in every occupied home, no permanent resident under 19, and visits by anyone under 19 capped at 30 days a calendar year. Units 1 and 10: no one under 19 may live there, with visits capped at 30 days a year. |
| Exterior changes | Unit 277 requires the developer’s or its designee’s prior written approval for structural alterations, exterior repainting, or additions that substantially change the exterior, and for pergolas, gazebos, and awnings. |
| Pets | Unit 1: one dog. Unit 70: up to two pets (birds, fish, dogs, or cats). Unit 277: domestic pets, leashed and not a nuisance. |
| Vehicles | Units 1 and 277 bar trucks over 3/4 ton, boats, and recreational vehicles (Unit 277 adds trailers and aircraft) from the homesite and street, apart from temporary service vehicles. Unit 277 also exempts vehicles and boats fully enclosed in a garage. The District’s Lady Lake / Lake County standards use a Ford F-250 as the 3/4-ton example. Unit 10’s declaration is stricter, barring trucks “of 3/4 ton size and up,” so check the exact wording for the unit. |
| Signs | Unit 277: no sign in public view, including “for sale.” Unit 70: one for-sale or for-rent sign up to 12 by 12 inches, inside and visible only through a window. |
| Leasing | Unit 277: written leases only, for residential use, with a one-month minimum. |
| How long it lasts | Unit 1 to January 1, 2030, Unit 70 to January 1, 2034, and Unit 277 to January 1, 2056, then automatic 10-year renewals unless the developer or its assignee records a change. |
Older Lady Lake declarations can describe a different kind of home. Unit No. 10 allows only double-wide homes at least 24 feet wide, with the axles and wheels removed and the home permanently attached to the land. Check the home type before you assume an older resale was built on site.
Private covenants the developer recorded. In Units 70 and 277, any owner may sue to enforce them, the losing side pays a reasonable attorney’s fee, and the developer may enforce them or assign that right to a person, committee, or governmental entity. Unit 277 can’t be amended without the developer’s signature.
The District is a separate body: a community development district created under Chapter 190, Florida Statutes, as Unit 277’s declaration says of District No. 16 (see CDD vs bond). Community Standards enforces the exterior restrictions under each District’s adopted deed compliance rule, on complaint only: staff verify the complaint and send up to three notices, the last setting a hearing before the District’s Board of Supervisors or Deed Compliance Hearing Officer, who can impose fines and seek remedies such as a lawsuit, an injunction, or a lien. Complaints about internal restrictions go to the declarant.
Florida law defines an HOA as a corporation of parcel owners with mandatory membership and assessments that can become liens, and the definition excludes community development districts. The declarations Mo read set up no owners’ association.
District Government says any exterior change needs an approved Architectural Review application before work starts. It also says Florida law bars its Boards of Supervisors from discussing deed compliance or architectural review cases with residents, so take questions to Community Standards at 352-751-3912.
The amenity fee comes from the declaration. All four that Mo read set it up along the same lines (Units 1 and 10 call it a monthly “assessment or charge” rather than a Contractual Amenities Fee):
So the seller’s bill may not be the buyer’s number. Ask the District’s Utility Billing Customer Service (352-750-0000) what the new owner will pay, and get it in writing. The other lines on a Villages bill are in the bond guide.
The Villages’ FAQ says someone under 55 can live there if at least one household member is 55 and the person is at least 19. Units 70 and 277 let the developer grant hardship exceptions for permanent residents between 19 and 55, but only while at least 80% of homesites keep a resident 55 or older, and residents must certify occupants’ names and birth dates on request. Florida’s fair housing law uses a similar 80% test for 55-and-older housing: at least 80% of occupied units must have at least one resident 55 or older (section 760.29(4)(b)3.a.). Owning and living there are separate questions; living in The Villages under 55 covers both.
Get the declaration and any amendments for the exact unit early, and test your plans against it: pets, a large truck or RV, how long younger visitors will stay, a future lease, a pergola. Ask for the Architectural Review approvals behind any existing addition or color change, and confirm the amenity fee you will pay.
Check your unit’s sign rule first. In the Lady Lake / Lake County portion, the District’s standards allow one professionally prepared window sign up to 24 by 24 inches on a home unit and don’t enforce for-sale signs in villa units. District Government says owners should have received a site plan with their closing documents; keep it with your approvals, and clear any open deed compliance notice before you list.
COMMON QUESTIONS
From District Government’s Community Standards page: pick the county, the district, and the unit. The recorded original and any recorded amendments are in the Sumter, Lake, or Marion County Clerk’s official records.
Not necessarily. The declarations Mo read limit the fee in a deed to the owner named in it, and a new owner pays the fee then in force for new owners in the most recent unit. Get the after-closing amount from the District’s Utility Billing Customer Service in writing.
The declarations Mo read don’t create a homeowners’ association. They give the amenity fee and amendment powers to the developer or its assignee (in Districts 1–4 and the Lady Lake/Lake County portion, amenity fees now go to the Village Center Community Development District), District Community Standards enforces the exterior restrictions, and Florida’s HOA definition excludes community development districts.
District Government requires an approved Architectural Review application before any exterior modification, such as a concrete patio. In the Lady Lake / Lake County portion, repainting in the original color or a current approved palette color needs no approval.
Community Standards handles complaints about external restrictions, which can lead to a hearing, fines, or a lien. Complaints about internal restrictions go to the declarant. The developer can enforce the declarations in court, and in newer declarations such as Units 70 and 277 any owner can too.
Mo will pull the declaration for the unit, flag the occupancy, pet, vehicle, sign, and lease terms that touch your plans, and get the amenity fee confirmed in writing before you commit.
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Mo Mufti, REALTOR® · LPT Realty, LLC · 352-298-8602
Checked October 10, 2026. Declarations can be amended and District rules are revised, so confirm the current version for the unit before relying on any term.
Important: General real estate information only—not legal advice. A declaration is a legal document; for the meaning of a specific clause or a hardship request, talk with a Florida real estate attorney. Mo Mufti is a Florida REALTOR® (license SL3600299) with LPT Realty, LLC, not an attorney, and is not affiliated with The Villages or District Government. The Villages® is a registered trademark of Holding Company of The Villages, Inc.
More Villages answers: Amenity fee · CDD vs bond · The bond · Living there under 55 · Homestead exemption · What is my home worth?