For volunteer board members
Massachusetts HOA Rules for Board Members (2026)
New to a Massachusetts HOA or condo board? Before you send a violation letter or set a fine, it helps to know what the law actually says. Here are the Massachusetts rules in plain words, each with its statute section and a link to the official text.
Massachusetts condominium associations (M.G.L. c. 183A) and homeowners associations (which have no statute of their own; incorporated ones follow c. 180 and their recorded covenants). c. 183A lets a condominium levy reasonable fines but sets no notice, cure-period, hearing or fine-cap rule, and no statute does so for HOAs, so your master deed, trust, bylaws, declaration, rules and enforcement policy control the process. Kindly Board walks a fair notice-and-hearing order and cites the Massachusetts rules that do apply. Massachusetts law sets no cure period or hearing-notice period; your documents control.
- Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Massachusetts rule): massachusetts sets no cure period. The fix-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents, or 10 to 30 days if they're silent) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check.
- Kindly Board's suggested hearing date (10 days after the hearing notice; not a Massachusetts rule): no Massachusetts statute sets a hearing-notice period. Kindly Board suggests at least 10 days so the owner can prepare; your documents control if they say otherwise.
Updated October 2026. Not legal advice.
Key Massachusetts deadlines at a glance
| Deadline | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Massachusetts rule) | Massachusetts sets no cure period. The fix-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents, or 10 to 30 days if they're silent) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check. M.G.L. c. 183A §2; §10(b)(5) (absence of procedure) |
| Kindly Board's suggested hearing date (10 days after the hearing notice; not a Massachusetts rule) | No Massachusetts statute sets a hearing-notice period. Kindly Board suggests at least 10 days so the owner can prepare; your documents control if they say otherwise. M.G.L. c. 183A §2; §10(b)(5) (absence of procedure) |
Which Massachusetts law applies
Massachusetts has no general statute for homeowners associations. Condominiums are governed by the Condominium Act, c. 183A, which applies only to land submitted by a recorded master deed. c. 183A allows reasonable fines but sets no notice content, delivery method, cure period, hearing process, hearing deadline or dollar cap: your master deed, trust, bylaws, rules and any enforcement policy set the violation, hearing and fine process.
The organization of unit owners may impose charges or interest for late payment of common expense assessments or other charges, and may levy reasonable fines for violations of the master deed, trust, by-laws, restrictions, rules or regulations.
An incorporated homeowners association (a c. 180 nonprofit corporation) sets the manner of calling and conducting meetings, quorum, proxies and officers in its by-laws, and may annex suitable penalties to those by-laws, not exceeding twenty dollars for one offense. Whether that $20 limit caps fines an HOA levies under recorded covenants is not settled in the statute; ask a Massachusetts attorney before fining more than $20.
How Massachusetts counts days
Except as otherwise provided, when the day or the last day for performing an act authorized or required by statute or by contract falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday, the act may be performed on the next succeeding business day.
Massachusetts legal holidays: January 1, June 19 (Juneteenth), July 4, November 11 and Christmas Day (or the day following when any of them falls on a Sunday), the third Monday in January, the third Monday in February, the third Monday in April (Patriots' Day), the last Monday in May, the first Monday in September, the second Monday in October, and Thanksgiving Day. In Suffolk County only, Evacuation Day (March 17) and Bunker Hill Day (June 17) are also legal holidays.
Violation notices and the chance to fix in Massachusetts
Each unit owner must give the organization written notice of the owner's name and mailing address, and of any change. The organization may rely in good faith on the most recent notice, and notices sent to that address are sufficiently given.
Assessments, late fees and liens in Massachusetts
If the organization incurs an expense because an owner (or the owner's family, tenants or invitees) failed to follow the documents or rules, or by misconduct, it may assess that expense to that owner alone, as a lien enforceable like a common expense.
Fees, attorneys' fees, late charges, fines, collection and enforcement costs, court costs and interest assessed against a unit owner are a lien on the unit from when due, enforceable as common expense assessments, and the owner is personally liable for them. Whether a particular fine can be collected through the lien may depend on how your documents adopt the rule (a Superior Court case refused to treat fines under rules not unambiguously incorporated in the bylaws as common expenses): ask a Massachusetts attorney before relying on the lien for a fine.
Meetings and votes in Massachusetts
The governing body may meet by telephone, video or other interactive electronic means if all participants can communicate simultaneously; electronic presence counts toward quorum, and it may vote and approve minutes electronically, notwithstanding the documents. c. 183A sets no open-meeting rule and no notice or quorum rule for board meetings; your bylaws decide who may attend.
Records in Massachusetts
The organization must keep the master deed, by-laws, minute book (to the extent minutes are kept) and financial records up to date and within Massachusetts, available for reasonable inspection by owners during regular business hours, and retain all records at least seven years.
Every member of a c. 180 corporation (and every person with an interest in its funds) is entitled to examine its books and records.
Other rules boards should know
Each unit owner must comply with the by-laws, the rules and regulations adopted under them, and the restrictions in the master deed or unit deed.
Many deed restrictions imposed after 1961 cannot be enforced after 30 years unless extended as c. 184 §27 allows, and no restriction is enforced unless it is of actual and substantial benefit to the person claiming enforcement. Before enforcing an older covenant, check its age and extension with a Massachusetts attorney.
Step by step: a Massachusetts violation case
The order Kindly Board walks a Massachusetts board through, from the first look to the last letter.
- Check before you start Every case
Know whether you're a condominium or an HOA, what process your documents set, and that the rule is one you can enforce. - Courtesy reminder Optional
Optional friendly reminder. It isn't the written notice unless your documents say so. - Written notice and time to fix Kindly Board's fair-process order (your documents may require it)
Written notice to the owner's address on file, with a fix-by date from your documents (10 to 30 days if silent). Certified plus first-class mail is good practice. - Opportunity to be heard Kindly Board's fair-process order (your documents may require it)
Give the owner a chance to be heard before any fine. Kindly Board suggests 10 days' notice of the hearing. - Decide and record it Before any fine
Decide as your documents provide and record the vote. Remote meetings and electronic votes are allowed for condominiums (c. 183A §24). - Notice of fine Only after notice and the chance to be heard
Condominiums: reasonable fines under c. 183A §10(b)(5). HOAs: your covenants, and the unsettled $20 question for incorporated ones. - Close the case Every case
Confirm the fix and keep the file (condominium records: at least seven years).
Massachusetts HOA rules: FAQ
What HOA law applies in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts condominium associations (M.G.L. c. 183A) and homeowners associations (which have no statute of their own; incorporated ones follow c. 180 and their recorded covenants). c. 183A lets a condominium levy reasonable fines but sets no notice, cure-period, hearing or fine-cap rule, and no statute does so for HOAs, so your master deed, trust, bylaws, declaration, rules and enforcement policy control the process. Kindly Board walks a fair notice-and-hearing order and cites the Massachusetts rules that do apply. The main sources: Massachusetts law (the Condominium Act, M.G.L. c. 183A; no HOA statute).
How are days counted for Massachusetts HOA deadlines?
Massachusetts sets no statutory notice or hearing days for associations; your documents set the periods. Kindly Board counts calendar days; a computed owner date that lands on a Sunday or legal holiday moves to the next business day under c. 4 §9 (Saturdays don't move).
What are the key deadlines in a Massachusetts HOA violation case?
Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Massachusetts rule): massachusetts sets no cure period. The fix-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents, or 10 to 30 days if they're silent) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check. (M.G.L. c. 183A §2; §10(b)(5) (absence of procedure)) Kindly Board's suggested hearing date (10 days after the hearing notice; not a Massachusetts rule): no Massachusetts statute sets a hearing-notice period. Kindly Board suggests at least 10 days so the owner can prepare; your documents control if they say otherwise. (M.G.L. c. 183A §2; §10(b)(5) (absence of procedure))
Can Massachusetts owners see the association's records?
The organization must keep the master deed, by-laws, minute book (to the extent minutes are kept) and financial records up to date and within Massachusetts, available for reasonable inspection by owners during regular business hours, and retain all records at least seven years. (M.G.L. c. 183A §10(c))