Neil Heuer, a semiretired tech entrepreneur in Waxhaw, North Carolina, filed a lawsuit against his homeowners association in early October 2026 after a hearing found him in violation over the holiday light shows he builds at his home each year. Heuer and his wife, Stephanie, say they plan to leave their neighborhood once their youngest daughter, now a high school sophomore, graduates, and that the next house will not be in an HOA community. The dispute was reported on Nov. 13 by Realtor.com in a story syndicated on Yahoo News.
A 60,000-Light Show in a Fly-In Neighborhood
The Heuers live in Aero Plantation, a community of private roads, a private airstrip, tennis courts and an equestrian center. Heuer has run Halloween and Christmas displays at the family’s home for five years, according to the Realtor.com report. The shows use more than 60,000 lights, animatronic figures and music, and Heuer estimates he has spent more than $70,000 on them.
He says the displays started with his interest in technology and with how much his children enjoyed them. A year ago, Queen City News in Charlotte reported that the show ran nightly until 10 p.m., with more than 60,000 LED lights set to a playlist of 15 Christmas songs. Heuer told the station the average visitor stays about three minutes and that the show draws around four cars a night.
What the HOA Hearing Decided
In an August letter, the association’s attorney, Benjamin Karb, told Heuer that inviting members of the public into the subdivision was a nuisance and a violation of the HOA’s declaration. In September, the board held a hearing on a list of complaints: exterior lighting, the size of a sign, traffic and guest limits, and architectural alterations.
The outcome was split. A Sept. 15 letter from Karb said the board found no violation on visitor traffic at that time. Heuer was found in violation for the lighting and for the size of a sign that read “SHERIFF HIRED BY THE HOA – NOT US,” which he says was meant to tell visitors that off-duty deputies patrolling the neighborhood work for the association. The board could not settle the parking question or whether the exterior of the house had been architecturally altered.
The Lawsuit in Union County
Heuer filed suit in Union Superior Court in early October. He alleges the HOA exceeded its authority, failed to follow proper notice and hearing procedures, and enforced restrictions that were never formally adopted in the bylaws. The case is ongoing. HOA president David Arno confirmed the filing in an emailed statement to Realtor.com that read, “Mr. Heuer filed a lawsuit against the Association,” and said the board would not comment further…