Realtors and resale homeowners in Tehaleh, the Brookfield owned master planned community near Bonney Lake, say their A frame open house signs were quietly plucked from streets, sidewalks and roundabouts during a Brookfield hosted model home Tour of Homes on May 16, leaving agents scrambling in a hailstorm and out several hundred dollars. At a packed homeowners association meeting on May 26, residents pressed the board and demanded that the removals stop. The fight, which pits resale sellers and independent agents against the developer’s new home builders, has gotten heated enough that some are talking about calling law enforcement if signs disappear again.
Tour of Homes and who ran it
The weekend model home event was promoted by the Tehaleh sales center and participating builders, and Tehaleh lists a Tour of Homes for May 16–17 with 17 model homes and multiple builders. The site also notes that Brookfield Properties owns and develops Tehaleh and that Cohere handles community operations and property management duties. That very visible builder presence is what agents say made the alleged selective removals so hard to miss.
Realtors say signs vanished
Agents including Janet Erickson told The News Tribune that Erickson put out six A frame open house signs on May 16 and later found two missing while she searched in a hailstorm. Homeowner Steve Lawson and other neighbors told the paper they believe the takedowns singled out resale listings and independent agents while builder and developer signage stayed put. The News Tribune also reported that public comment at the May 26 HOA meeting lasted more than an hour and included frustration from multiple Realtors.
Developer and HOA response
In a statement to The News Tribune, Brookfield said signs that violated association rules were removed and later returned to owners and that “there is no correlation” between the removals and Brookfield’s event. The developer added that sign decisions are made by the Tehaleh Owners Association under its governing documents. Residents counter that the board includes Brookfield employees, which they say creates the appearance of a conflict of interest and leaves them skeptical of any neutral explanation.
What the rules say
Pierce County’s Tehaleh sign regulations define temporary signs, including A boards, limit residential real estate signs to 4 square feet and require removal within 14 days of a sale or expiration of a listing, as outlined in Pierce County. The county code also prohibits placing signs in a public right of way except where a license allows it, and the full Tehaleh rules set standards for temporary signage, permitted locations and how long signs can stay up. At the association level, Tehaleh’s Use Restrictions permit one sign advertising a rental unit and outline enforcement procedures and fines for violations, and the association’s rules are posted on Tehaleh.
Legal questions
The county directs residents to file reports online or call the Sheriff’s non emergency line for incidents that do not meet online reporting criteria, according to the county FAQ, and that is the route homeowners say they will take if signs are taken and not returned. The association’s enforcement process also allows fines and other sanctions under the governing documents, so any takedown touches both criminal and civil questions about who has authority to pull signs and how that power is supposed to be used.
What’s next
Homeowners asked the board to consider a temporary moratorium on sign removals and said they will keep a close eye on weekends when model home events are held. The association has not announced any policy change. Residents say they will call the Sheriff’s Office if signs disappear again and may pursue further action if they believe selective enforcement continues. They are now waiting to see how the board and the county respond in the days ahead.
