FAQ

The lake is owned and managed by the Brook Highland Common Properties Association and is controlled by a separate set of covenants. Although the lake is not part of the Brook Highland Homeowners’ Association, we have some liability as to its maintenance.  It is not a public lake and does not have public access (the dam has a utility easement access only).  Please respect the property of lake lot owners.  Please do not litter or leave fishing tackle along the shore where children and pets play.

Four. There are two Flock Safety cameras at both entrances to the neighborhood. These cameras capture vehicles entering and leaving the neighborhood.

Sort of… law enforcement agencies that participate in the Flock Safety network can see that Brook Highland has cameras and where those cameras are located.

We do not currently openly share our cameras. However, those agencies can request access to our cameras through the Flock Safety network. When a request is made, temporary access can be provided to those agencies.

Sharing footage with local law enforcement can help prevent and solve crime. As more law enforcement agencies participate in Flock Safety’s network, access to our cameras can be shared with them.

The images are stored for 30 days. Images can be obtained/accessed by two ways:

Primary Access

1. Tell the Law Enforcement Officer that your neighborhood has Flock Safety cameras, and asking the officer if their department has access to the Flock Safety network.
2. The officer can request access to Brook Highland’s camera feed to perform the searches. The officer will make these access requests through their department’s Flock Safety network. A member of the Board of Directors will approve the access request temporarily.

The officer will need a succinct reason for the search and as much as the following information as possible (to help narrow their search results):

• License Plate Number
• License Plate State
• Body type of vehicle (SUV, Truck, etc.)
• Make of vehicle (Honda, BMW, etc.)
• Color of the vehicle
• Date and Time Range

Secondary Access

If the officer’s department does not have access to the Flock Safety network, then have the officer contact the Board of Directors for temporary access to the camera feed to perform searches. Contact the Board of Directors by emailing HOA@BrookHighland.org.

Leash Law

This law applies only to dogs. Animal Control can only collect a dog in violation of the leash law if it does not have a current rabies tag. The State of Alabama Department of Health and Shelby County recognizes a current rabies immunization as being a vaccination within a one year period. Should a citizen contact Animal Control with a complaint concerning a possible leash law violation, the county will mail a notice letter to the possible dog owner. The complainant can elect to report to the Sheriff’s Office for the processing of a written complaint and subsequently take action through the District Attorney’s office if need be. The owner of a dog in violation of the leash law can be subject to a misdemeanor offense and payment of a fine of $2.00 to $50.00 if a warrant is processed against them.

Section 3-1-5

Permitting dogs to run at large; applicability of provisions of section in counties and certain cities or towns.

(a) Every person owning or having in charge any dog or dogs shall at all times confine such dog or dogs to the limits of his own premises or the premises on which such dog or dogs is or are regularly kept. Nothing in this section shall prevent the owner of any dog or dogs or other person or persons having such dog or dogs in his or their charge from allowing such dog or dogs to accompany such owner or other person or persons elsewhere than on the premises on which such dog or dogs is or are regularly kept. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than $2.00 nor more than $50.00.

(b) This section shall not apply to the running at large of any dog or dogs within the corporate limits of any city or town in this state that requires a license tag to be kept on dogs nor shall this section apply in any county in this state until the same has been adopted by the county commission of such county.

(Acts 1915, No. 185, p. 259; Code 1923, §3221; Code 1940, T. 3, §5.) [State of Alabama Leash Law Section 3-1-5, Code of Alabama 1975]

The above was sourced from Shelby County AL Website.

Brook Highland participates in Halloween festivities on the day of the week that October 31st falls on.

There is a pet directory on NextDoor. Pet directories could assist with identifying lost pets, and hopefully returning them to their owners.

There are around 811 lots and 799 houses.

Brook Highland Drive has 88 houses and Brook Highland Ridge has 80 houses. Ashington Lane and Briarcliff Circle have 4 houses.

According to the Protective Covenants, Article 7.01b:

7.01 Use Restrictions. The Property will be used for residential purposes only, and no trade or business purposes, including all types of home industry, will be permitted. No building or structure other than a single family dwelling shall be erected on any Lot within the Property except as otherwise prohibited permitted herein. Uses include, but are not limited to:

(b) raising, breeding, or keeping of any animals, birds, or fowl; provided that an Owner shall be permitted to keep not more than two dogs and/or cats as domestic pets on a single Lot and provided further that the Association, in its sole discretion, may approve more animals to be kept as domestic pets on a Lot; and

Generally this question comes up during political seasons. From Article XII of the Protective Covenants you can find the following.

7.09 Signs. No sign of any kind shall be displayed to the public view on any Lot except one professional sign of not more than two (2) square -feet, one sign of not more than six square feet advertising the property for sale or rent, or signs used by a builder to advertise during the construction and sales period. All signs shall comply with design specifications of the ARB. No signs shall be nailed to trees. This provision shall not apply to the Developer during the sales period.

You can find the some neighborhood governing documents by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the Protective Covenants, By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation are in the documents section of the portal.

Below is a section from the Declaration of Protective Covenants Article VI – Architectural Control.

6.01 Necessity of Architectural Review and Approval. No improvement or structure of any kind, including, without limitation, any building, fence, wall, sign, lighting system, site paving, grading, parking lot, screen enclosure, sewer, drain, disposal system, decorative building, satellite dish, landscaping, landscape device or object, shall be commenced, erected, placed or maintained upon the Property, nor shall any addition, change or alteration therein, thereof or thereto be made, nor any subdivision platting or replatting of the Property be made, unless and until the plans and specifications, showing the color, nature, kind, shape, materials and location of the same, shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by, the Association. All plans and specifications shall be evaluated as to harmony of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures and topography.

If you have questions regarding covenant restrictions or are planning to modify/add/remove to your house and/or yard, then you must complete an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) form and obtain approval from the HOA.

Contact the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) below:

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (Jay, David and Sheri) can be contacted by emailing HOA@Brookhighland.org

Neighborhood Management, LLC

Lauren Berzette at Lauren@nhmllc.org or 205-877-9480

Pay Dues, Visit Owner’s Portal: Neighborhood Management

Yes. You are required to submit and have approved new homes and/or home additions.

You can obtain the ARC form by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the ARC form covers the following changes:

• New Homes or Additions
• Fences
• Decks
• Patios
• Screened in Porch
• Sunrooms
• Landscaping
• Removal of trees
• Playset, trampolines, and sheds, etc.
• Swimming Pools
• Paint Requests
• Retaining walls
• Driveways
• Doors or Window Installation/Replacement
• Lighting, Satellite Dish, Lawn or Home Ornaments

Be sure to check the official ARC form for any additions or deletions.

A majority of the home owner restrictions are located in the Declaration of Protective Covenants Article VII – Restrictions.

You can find the some neighborhood governing documents by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the Protective Covenants, By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation are in the documents section of the portal.

Below is a section from the Declaration of Protective Covenants Article VI – Architectural Control.

6.01 Necessity of Architectural Review and Approval. No improvement or structure of any kind, including, without limitation, any building, fence, wall, sign, lighting system, site paving, grading, parking lot, screen enclosure, sewer, drain, disposal system, decorative building, satellite dish, landscaping, landscape device or object, shall be commenced, erected, placed or maintained upon the Property, nor shall any addition, change or alteration therein, thereof or thereto be made, nor any subdivision platting or replatting of the Property be made, unless and until the plans and specifications, showing the color, nature, kind, shape, materials and location of the same, shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by, the Association. All plans and specifications shall be evaluated as to harmony of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures and topography.

If you have questions regarding covenant restrictions or are planning to modify/add/remove to your house and/or yard, then you must complete an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) form and obtain approval from the HOA.

Contact the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) below:

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (Jay, David and Sheri) can be contacted by emailing HOA@Brookhighland.org

Neighborhood Management, LLC

Lauren Berzette at Lauren@nhmllc.org or 205-877-9480

Pay Dues, Visit Owner’s Portal: Neighborhood Management

You can obtain the ARC form by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the ARC form covers the following changes:

• New Homes or Additions
• Fences
• Decks
• Patios
• Screened in Porch
• Sunrooms
• Landscaping
• Removal of trees
• Playset, trampolines, and sheds, etc.
• Swimming Pools
• Paint Requests
• Retaining walls
• Driveways
• Doors or Window Installation/Replacement
• Lighting, Satellite Dish, Lawn or Home Ornaments

Be sure to check the official ARC form for any additions or deletions.

• The previous waste collection company (Republic Services) chose to not renew the contract with Shelby County. Therefore, the county had to re-bid the contract for service after October 1, 2022.
• This resulted in two re-bids in order to be the most cost effective for residents (see link below for bid results). The first bid received on May 5, 2022, was near triple the current rates. Discussion with contractors after the bid suggested that curbside recycling and fuel costs were the primary reason for the significant increase in prices.
• The County chose to re-bid the service again and bid documents were adjusted and results were more favorable with curbside recycling will no longer be an option in the June 21, 2022, bid. Waste Management has been awarded the contract and will take effect on October 1, 2022.
• The market for recycling materials has diminished to the point that we must pay significantly higher costs for the recycling facility to take the materials. China and other foreign countries no longer take materials that they did in the past.
• The cost of off-loading Recyclables to the facility in Birmingham has increased from $5/ton in 2013 at the time of the last bid to $75/ton Avg in 2022.
• Recycling is not free. The material has to be relocated and managed prior to being used in new products.
• Recycling is labor and energy intensive and materials are more expensive than the manufacturing costs of producing virgin materials.
• It costs approximately ¼ of the recycling cost to dispose of materials. REDUCTION of waste streams are key to reduction in environmental impacts!

The above information was sourced from www.shelbyal.com

Per the Shelby County website https://www.shelbyal.com/249/Animal-Control.

Currently, Animal Control perform services five days per week. Citizens can request a cage trap for domestic animals, such as stray cats and dogs, from Animal Control. The citizen will be responsible for the operation and activities associated with the trap.

• Animals that are destroyed and located on county roads and right of ways will be picked up by
  • the Environmental Services Department (205-669-3737 or eyes@shelbyal.com) or
  • the County Highway Department (205-669-3880).
• Citizens are responsible for managing the remains of destroyed animals located on private property. Any remains not managed within the citizen’s property must be transported to the Animal Shelter in Columbiana for cremation. Animal remains cannot be placed with the garbage containers and/or processed by your garbage service provider. The County Landfill cannot accept animal remains.
• Domestic Livestock – Animal Control cannot independently capture and transport livestock. The Sheriff’s Office (205-669-4181) must first be contacted and the applicable report prepared. Upon the request of the Sheriff’s Office, Animal Control can perform services.

Shelby County Animal Control Office: 205-669-8766.

If you are located within a city, contact your local municipality for the applicable animal control information. The County does not have jurisdiction within a city.

For adoption of animals, spay and neuter information, vaccine information and services, please contact the Shelby County Humane Society.

According to the Shelby County website:

New Service / Questions / Problems

Waste Management (800) 607-9509.

If you have any problems, please contact Shelby County Environmental Services at (205) 669-3737.

To report a street light outage, visit the Southern Company customer service website.

Your mailbox may need replacing from time to time. This website contains pre-approved mailboxes by the ARB. Contact Alabama Mailbox Co. at 594-4413

Contact Custom Sign Express at 942-7446 for pre approved ARB mailbox numbers.

Under the Articles of Incorporation, the Brook Highland Homeowners’ Association is composed of all owners of lots in Brook Highland with the Board of Directors (who are also residents).

The Association is currently being managed by Neighborhood Management, LLC.

Neighborhood Covenants and an Architecture Review Board were established to maintain the value of our neighborhood. Among their many responsibilities, the Association monitors covenant compliance and maintains common areas. Contact information for the Brook Highland Homeowners’ Association is provided below.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (Jay, David and Sheri) can be contacted by emailing HOA@Brookhighland.org

Neighborhood Management, LLC

Lauren Berzette at Lauren@nhmllc.org or 205-877-9480

Pay Dues, Visit Owner’s Portal: Neighborhood Management

This question is asked when someone receives a “compliance” letter from the HOA and they may feel that another neighbor is defiant of the covenants. The feeling is understandable because we often don’t know if the other neighbor also received a compliance letter (or multiple ones previously).

If you feel someone is out of compliance with the neighborhood covenants, try reaching out to your neighbor or visit some of the social networks representing Brook Highland for other ideas. If all else fails, contact the Homeowners’ Association.

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (Jay, David and Sheri) can be contacted by emailing HOA@Brookhighland.org

Neighborhood Management, LLC

Lauren Berzette at Lauren@nhmllc.org or 205-877-9480

Pay Dues, Visit Owner’s Portal: Neighborhood Management

A majority of the home owner restrictions are located in the Declaration of Protective Covenants Article VII – Restrictions.

You can find the some neighborhood governing documents by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the Protective Covenants, By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation are in the documents section of the portal.

Below is a section from the Declaration of Protective Covenants Article VI – Architectural Control.

6.01 Necessity of Architectural Review and Approval. No improvement or structure of any kind, including, without limitation, any building, fence, wall, sign, lighting system, site paving, grading, parking lot, screen enclosure, sewer, drain, disposal system, decorative building, satellite dish, landscaping, landscape device or object, shall be commenced, erected, placed or maintained upon the Property, nor shall any addition, change or alteration therein, thereof or thereto be made, nor any subdivision platting or replatting of the Property be made, unless and until the plans and specifications, showing the color, nature, kind, shape, materials and location of the same, shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by, the Association. All plans and specifications shall be evaluated as to harmony of external design and location in relation to surrounding structures and topography.

If you have questions regarding covenant restrictions or are planning to modify/add/remove to your house and/or yard, then you must complete an Architectural Review Committee (ARC) form and obtain approval from the HOA.

Contact the Architectural Review Committee (ARC) below:

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors (Jay, David and Sheri) can be contacted by emailing HOA@Brookhighland.org

Neighborhood Management, LLC

Lauren Berzette at Lauren@nhmllc.org or 205-877-9480

Pay Dues, Visit Owner’s Portal: Neighborhood Management

You can obtain the ARC form by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the ARC form covers the following changes:

• New Homes or Additions
• Fences
• Decks
• Patios
• Screened in Porch
• Sunrooms
• Landscaping
• Removal of trees
• Playset, trampolines, and sheds, etc.
• Swimming Pools
• Paint Requests
• Retaining walls
• Driveways
• Doors or Window Installation/Replacement
• Lighting, Satellite Dish, Lawn or Home Ornaments

Be sure to check the official ARC form for any additions or deletions.

You can find the some neighborhood governing documents by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

As of writing this FAQ, the Protective Covenants, By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation are in the documents section of the portal.

You can find the HOA budget by logging into the Neighborhood Management portal and selecting to view the documents. The Neighborhood Management portal is the same website often used to pay HOA dues. The documents link is in the top-right corner of the screen after you have logged into the portal.

The covenant letters are mailed after a tour of the neighborhood by the HOA Management Company and discrepancies noted. Occasionally, the discrepancy will be cleared by the homeowner just before the letter is put in the mail. Don’t be upset that you received a letter. Just clear the discrepancy and be glad that the HOA is enforcing appearance standards for all of us.