For volunteer board members
Washington HOA Rules for Board Members (2026)
Most Washington board members are volunteers who just want to get it right. Below is a plain-English summary of the Washington rules that come up when a board enforces its documents, each paired with its statute section and the official text.
Washington homeowners' associations and other common interest communities. Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 (or that opted in) follow WUCIOA, RCW 64.90; HOAs created before July 1, 2018 follow RCW 64.38 plus the WUCIOA sections in RCW 64.90.365 (the 2026 meeting rules among them) until January 1, 2028, when WUCIOA applies to all. Condominiums created before July 1, 2018 follow RCW 64.34 (pre-1990 condos RCW 64.32 plus parts of 64.34), which Kindly Board isn't written for. Fines are allowed only after notice and an opportunity to be heard, under a fine schedule the board adopted earlier and furnished to owners.
- Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Washington rule): washington sets no cure period. The cure-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check.
- WUCIOA tenant violations: 10-day cure before other lease-based rights: only for a WUCIOA community (created on or after July 1, 2018, or opted in) and only when a tenant is involved: lease-based rights beyond fines may be used only if the violation isn't cured within 10 days after the association notified the tenant and the owner. Counted as calendar days here.
- Earliest board-meeting hearing (14 days' owner notice with agenda): if the board itself hears the owner at a board meeting that isn't on the schedule given to owners, every owner must get at least 14 days' notice stating the time, date, place and agenda. Later is always fine. A hearing before a representative the board designates isn't a board meeting.
Updated October 2026. Not legal advice.
Key Washington deadlines at a glance
| Deadline | What the law says |
|---|---|
| Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Washington rule) | Washington sets no cure period. The cure-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check. RCW 64.38.020(11); 64.90.405(2)(l) (absence) |
| WUCIOA tenant violations: 10-day cure before other lease-based rights | Only for a WUCIOA community (created on or after July 1, 2018, or opted in) and only when a tenant is involved: lease-based rights beyond fines may be used only if the violation isn't cured within 10 days after the association notified the tenant and the owner. Counted as calendar days here. RCW 64.90.405(5) |
| Earliest board-meeting hearing (14 days' owner notice with agenda) | If the board itself hears the owner at a board meeting that isn't on the schedule given to owners, every owner must get at least 14 days' notice stating the time, date, place and agenda. Later is always fine. A hearing before a representative the board designates isn't a board meeting. RCW 64.90.445(2)(f) |
Which Washington law applies
Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 (and older ones that amended their declaration to opt in) are under the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA), RCW 64.90. HOAs created before July 1, 2018 stay under the Homeowners' Associations Act, RCW 64.38, plus the WUCIOA sections listed in RCW 64.90.365, until January 1, 2028, when RCW 64.38 is repealed and WUCIOA applies to all.
The board may enforce the governing documents and, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, impose and collect reasonable fines for violations in accordance with a previously established schedule of fines adopted by the board and furnished to the owners under the notice rules of RCW 64.90.505.
Unless the governing documents provide otherwise, a pre-2018 HOA may, after notice and an opportunity to be heard by the board or a representative the board designates, and following the procedures in its bylaws or rules, levy reasonable fines in accordance with a previously established schedule adopted by the board and furnished to the owners, for violations of the bylaws, rules and regulations.
How Washington counts days
The time within which an act is to be done is computed by excluding the first day and including the last, unless the last day is a holiday, Saturday or Sunday, and then it is also excluded. The statute's history note says it was enacted as part of civil-procedure acts; whether it reaches a period set by your governing documents is not something the text says.
Washington's state legal holidays: Sunday, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January), Presidents' Day (third Monday in February), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day (November 11), Thanksgiving Day, Native American Heritage Day (the Friday after Thanksgiving) and Christmas Day. The statute lists no observed-day rule for a holiday on a Saturday.
Violation notices and the chance to fix in Washington
Notice to an owner must be in the form of a record (in writing). In a tangible medium it goes by mail, private carrier or personal delivery to the unit address, unless the owner has asked in a record for another address or method. Electronic notice is effective only for owners who consented in a record to receive electronic notices.
For a pre-2018 HOA, notice to an owner must be in writing, by personal delivery, public or private mail or delivery service, or electronic transmission as the section allows (electronic notice only to owners who consented in writing), notwithstanding any inconsistent provision in the governing documents.
Hearings in Washington
No Washington statute sets a cure period, a deadline to ask for a hearing, a hearing-notice period or a dollar cap for HOA fines. Those come from your governing documents and fine schedule. Washington law sets no cure period or hearing-notice period; your documents control.
WUCIOA: if a tenant violates the governing documents, the association may, after notice to both the tenant and the owner and an opportunity to be heard, fine the tenant and the owner. Other lease-based rights may be used only if the violation is not cured within 10 days after the association notifies the tenant and the owner; no lease termination or eviction unless the declaration permits it.
Fines in Washington
WUCIOA: before adopting, amending or repealing a rule (including a fine schedule), the board must give owners notice of its intention with the text and the date it will act (unless the declaration provides otherwise), and after adoption give notice of the action and a copy of the rule.
No fine or sanction for reducing or stopping lawn or vegetation watering while a Department of Ecology drought order covers the property.
Assessments, late fees and liens in Washington
Under WUCIOA an 'assessment' includes fines, so unpaid fines are covered by the association's statutory lien, but fines are excluded from the minimum amount owed before an association may foreclose.
Meetings and votes in Washington
Unless the meeting is on a schedule given to the owners, notice of each board meeting must go to every owner at least 14 days before it, stating the time, date, place and agenda. For an unforeseeable event, at least seven days, by electronic communication to owners whose electronic address or phone number is known.
Since January 1, 2026 the WUCIOA meeting rules apply to every Washington community: board meetings (and meetings of committees authorized to act for the board) are open to owners except during executive session, and a final vote or action may not be taken in executive session. Executive session is allowed only for the listed purposes (attorney consultation, litigation, personnel, contracts being negotiated, privacy); a violation hearing is not itself a listed ground.
At least 15 minutes at the beginning of each board meeting are set aside for owner comments on agenda items before the board votes.
Other rules boards should know
Materials relied on for enforcement decisions and architectural decisions must be kept for seven years after the decision.
The board may decide not to pursue enforcement in a particular case, but may not be arbitrary or capricious in taking enforcement action. Same rule, same steps, every owner.
Step by step: a Washington violation case
The order Kindly Board walks a Washington board through, from the first look to the last letter.
- Check before you start Every case
Know which Washington law applies, confirm the fine schedule was adopted and furnished to owners, and find the exact rule. - Courtesy reminder Optional
Optional friendly reminder. It isn't the written notice unless your documents say so. - Written notice and time to fix Required before any fine
Required. In writing, delivered or mailed to the home address (or the owner's requested address); email only with written consent. - Opportunity to be heard Before any fine
Required. The owner's chance to be heard by the board or its designated representative, before any fine. - Decide in open session Before any fine
The decision is a board action: taken in the open part of a meeting, never in executive session, and recorded. - Notice of fine Only after the opportunity to be heard
Reasonable, and only the amount on your previously established schedule of fines. - Close the case Every case
Confirm the fix and keep the file seven years.
Washington HOA rules: FAQ
What HOA law applies in Washington?
Washington homeowners' associations and other common interest communities. Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 (or that opted in) follow WUCIOA, RCW 64.90; HOAs created before July 1, 2018 follow RCW 64.38 plus the WUCIOA sections in RCW 64.90.365 (the 2026 meeting rules among them) until January 1, 2028, when WUCIOA applies to all. Condominiums created before July 1, 2018 follow RCW 64.34 (pre-1990 condos RCW 64.32 plus parts of 64.34), which Kindly Board isn't written for. The main sources: Washington's HOA fining rules (RCW 64.90.405 and RCW 64.38.020).
How are days counted for Washington HOA deadlines?
Washington sets no statutory cure or hearing-notice days for HOAs; the periods come from your documents. Kindly Board counts calendar days, with no weekend or holiday extension promised. The 14-day board-meeting notice (RCW 64.90.445) is the one statutory count.
What are the key deadlines in a Washington HOA violation case?
Kindly Board's suggested check-in on the fix (not a Washington rule): washington sets no cure period. The cure-by date you wrote in the notice (from your documents) controls; this is only a 14-day reminder to check. (RCW 64.38.020(11); 64.90.405(2)(l) (absence)) WUCIOA tenant violations: 10-day cure before other lease-based rights: only for a WUCIOA community (created on or after July 1, 2018, or opted in) and only when a tenant is involved: lease-based rights beyond fines may be used only if the violation isn't cured within 10 days after the association notified the tenant and the owner. Counted as calendar days here. (RCW 64.90.405(5)) Earliest board-meeting hearing (14 days' owner notice with agenda): if the board itself hears the owner at a board meeting that isn't on the schedule given to owners, every owner must get at least 14 days' notice stating the time, date, place and agenda. Later is always fine. A hearing before a representative the board designates isn't a board meeting. (RCW 64.90.445(2)(f))
What does Washington law say about HOA fines?
WUCIOA: before adopting, amending or repealing a rule (including a fine schedule), the board must give owners notice of its intention with the text and the date it will act (unless the declaration provides otherwise), and after adoption give notice of the action and a copy of the rule. (RCW 64.90.505(1)-(2))
What does Washington law say about violation hearings?
No Washington statute sets a cure period, a deadline to ask for a hearing, a hearing-notice period or a dollar cap for HOA fines. Those come from your governing documents and fine schedule. Washington law sets no cure period or hearing-notice period; your documents control. (RCW 64.38.020(11); 64.90.405(2)(l) (absence))