Many HOAs maintain a website where governing documents are posted. To find HOA rules and regulations online: Navigate to the HOA's official website. Look for sections labeled “Documents,” “Governing Documents,” or “Rules and Regulations.”
What are unenforceable HOA rules? Keep you out of court. Hush up litigation. Discriminate indiscriminately. Enter your home without cause or notice. String you out on the (clothes)line. Fine you for fun. Change rules on the fly. Demand you take down your dish.
The remaining states allow a household to own one to six dogs. Some states set a limit for all pets in the household, so other animals would be included in this number. California allows a household to own more that the limit of four dogs if they apply for a kennel permit.
An HOA can enforce pet limits in the community. Your HOA dog rules can have limitations on breed, the number of pets, and maximum size or weight. For example, if the community is comprised of families with a lot of young children, you might want to prohibit dangerous dog breeds, such as pit bulls and rottweilers.
In 2024, the California legislature passed an amendment that allowed online elections to be held within HOAs. It recognized that this could open the door to digital vote manipulation within the HOA's management, though, so the state mandated that each HOA election needed to have an independent inspector of elections.
Typically, a condo association can't deny a service dog access to the property where all the legal requirements have been met. The COA can't ask a person with a disability accompanied by a service animal to provide documentation about their disability or request to instruct the animal to demonstrate its work.
AB1033 is a California state law passed in October 2023 that aims to promote affordable homeownership by allowing ADUs to undergo inium conversion.
New California laws taking effect July 1, 2024 ban hidden fees, limit deposits to one month's rent and double the fines for illegal fireworks.
Laws always supersede governing documents IF they conflict and the law applies to your HOA. In California, the Davis-Stirling Act may take precedent over general corporation codes because it's specific to HOAs.