On Aug. 26, 2024, CAI’s Heartland Chapter and the CAI Missouri Legislative Action Committee filed a lawsuit against the state of Missouri challenging HB 2026. The sweeping omnibus bill included a provision prohibiting Missouri community associations from restricting owners from building a chicken coop and/or raising up to six chickens on an area 2/10 of an acre or larger.
Despite the Missouri LAC’s strong grassroots and lobbying opposition throughout 2024, HB 2062 was signed into law by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson in July 2024 and became law on Aug. 28, 2024.
Initially, this specific chicken provision was a standalone bill during the 2023 and 2024 legislative sessions. The Missouri LAC succeeded at killing or stalling each individual bill. However, at the end of its 2024 session the legislature passed HB 2062, which focused on evictions. Eight last-minute amendments included language from the chicken bill.
In Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association v. State of Missouri, the chapter and legislative action committee argued the chicken provision infringed on the rights of community associations in the state and also violated Article III of the Missouri Constitution that states “no bill shall contain more than one subject.”
CAI argued the original purpose of HB 2062 focused on political subdivisions with a focus on moratoriums to evictions, and the end-of-session chicken provision was unconstitutionally amended to the bill. The lawsuit also included three additional unconstitutional claims.
In October 2025, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Stumpe issued a judgment that HB 2062 was in direct violation of the Missouri Constitution, Article III as well as all additional constitutional claims in the suit. This judgment immediately invalidated HB 2062 in its entirety. CAI anticipates the state to appeal this ruling. We will update membership with the news.
This is a huge win for CAI Heartland Chapter, CAI Missouri Legislative Action Committee, and CAI’s advocacy efforts. Each year, CAI tracks legislation undermining community association covenants and restrictions. This initiative illustrates CAI’s advocacy efforts, which include lobbying, grassroots, advocacy, and litigation, to protect the community association housing model on behalf of the 51,000+ CAI members and the 77.1 million Americans living and working in these communities.
For its work in this matter, MO LAC was awarded the LAC of the Year award at the 2025 CAI annual conference, formally recognizing it as a leading resource for the industry’s advocacy efforts.
Throughout this initiative, MO LAC hired a new lobbyist, increased member engagement and advocacy efforts, and advanced CAI’s legislative agenda. It also successfully raised money to fund attorneys’ fees around this lawsuit. The Four Seasons Lakesites Property Owners Association is managed by MO LAC member Della Miller, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM.
Congratulations to CAI Heartland and the MO LAC!
To learn more about CAI’s Missouri legislative resources and initiatives, visit: https://www.caionline.org/advocacy/missouri-legislative-resources/.
That was excellent work, and it is amazing how cheeky they were to stuff their bill with the add-ons, against their constitution. They lost big time, their entire bill. This is good because it is likely they will be a tad more circumspect about thinking their hoped for ends justify their means. It can take a fierce fight to stave off erosion of rights, this is going on in general, and community interest properties have to use the law, whereas the legislature often can use loopholes and the popularity of a bill, that can make it an uneven struggle.