Akitas are one of the breeds that are regularly on "not allowed" lists. This is why anyone who doesn't already own their own home and know the HOA bylaws completely shouldn't own a breed like this (including a pit bull type dog, a German Shepherd Dog, a Malamute, a Siberian Husky, a Doberman, any Belgian Sheepdog breed, etc).
German Shepherd Dogs (not "shepard") are also frequently "not allowed".
As already mentioned, there isn't one giant HOA board that manages all properties in the US. I've never lived in a neighborhood with an HOA that had breed restrictions, but they did have limits on the number of pets you could have that were more restrictive than city laws.
If your neighborhood has had problems in the past with these macho breeds and their owners, it is quite possible that the association and neighbors came together to ban them from being in the neighborhood. It's not unheard of.
However, typically breed bans are because of liability insurance issues with renting, outside of pit bull breed bans that are city/county or even country.
You will need to pull out your CC&Rs to see if there is a banned breed list in it. If there is, then you can consult with an attorney to find out if such a thing is legal in your state. If it is, then you will have the choice to pay a regular fine, to move, or to give the dog to a good no-kill rescue group who will rehome the dog to someone responsible.
When I first started looking into 'power' dog breeds, the first call I made was to my insurance company to ensure the breed I was looking at was permitted. Luckily, my insurance company has no breed restrictions.
If your HOA does have a ban and it's legal, then you can ask them to consider your dog on a case by case basis. Show them the dog is fixed, show them he is trained (a CGC in hand would help), and tell them that the dog is never outside off leash or left alone in the yard (and then abide by that). Show them a copy of $100,000+ in liability insurance in your name as well. You may even want to offer to pay an increase HOA fee.
Good Luck
Every HOA list will be different, you'll have to get the list and look at it, there's no way anyone here can answer the question for an unknown HOA.
Yahoo is not just used by people in your community.
No one here would know. There is no magic list used by all HOAs.
Most apartments have a max poundage. @20
I need to know if my Akita /Shepard mix is on the HOA restricted list
