There is also an inflatable Grinch. “This is the HOA,” the sign he’s holding reads — a reference to the homeowners’ association.

Are bans on yard Santas and snowmen common?

Yes, and they are becoming more common every year.

More than 70 million people in the United States belong to a homeowners’ association, condominium community or other planned community, according to the Community Associations Institute, an international organization that provides support to such associations.

Most of these communities, which are usually governed by volunteers elected by residents, have rules dealing with holiday decorations, according to Matt Ober, the president of the institute’s College of Community Association Lawyers.

“There has to be some standard when governing how a community is going to operate,” Mr. Ober said. “But you have to fit your community.”

Mr. Ober, who has worked for community associations for 30 years, said he noticed more conflict among neighbors when there were no established rules about holiday decorations and displays of religious belief.

Around 50 years ago, there were only 10,000 community associations in the country, but now there are more than 380,000, according to Dawn Bauman, the institute’s senior vice president for government and public affairs. The country is becoming more and more diverse, and associations need to be more diligent in defining rules, she added.

And most people seem to like the rules.

Last year, 63 percent of residents in community associations said they had a positive experience, and 62 percent said the rules enhanced their property values, according to the 2018 Homeowner Satisfaction Survey.