Can my HOA or neighbors stop me from putting a porta potty in my driveway during a remodel?

Rina is correct about the HOA's authority, but the city permit office can also require a temporary use permit for a portable toilet in a residential driveway. Some municipalities treat any structure on the property, even a temporary one, as requiring a permit if it stays beyond a few days. The rental company may have asked you about this when you ordered. If you haven't already, call your city's building or code enforcement department to confirm if a permit is needed. A permitted unit may change how the HOA views the situation. Your contractor should also have the OSHA-required toilet available, so if the HOA forces removal, the work cannot legally proceed without an alternative solution.

Yes, your HOA can usually force the unit off the driveway if the CC&Rs ban temporary structures or require architectural approval for anything visible from the street. Aesthetic standards clauses are common, and a certified letter with a seven day deadline is how boards enforce them. Your rental contract does not override the association rules you agreed to when you bought the house.

City rules are a separate track. Many cities treat a standard portable toilet on a private driveway differently from one in the public right of way. On your own asphalt, the city may not care as long as the service visit truck can reach it and it is not creating a code violation. The HOA fight is about appearance and covenants, not OSHA. OSHA 1926.51 still requires toilets for the crew, so you need a workable location either way.

What usually works: ask the board for a temporary variance for the remodel window, offer a privacy screen or lattice, and move the unit to the least visible corner of the driveway or behind a fence if you have one. Check your CC&Rs for construction exception language before you argue. Neighbors calling it an eyesore rarely create a city citation by themselves, but they do push the HOA to act. If the board denies a variance, your options are relocating the unit on your lot or risking fines and removal under the governing documents.