Bylaws Condo Association With Regulations In California
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The CC&Rs simply state that any of the homeowners subject to the CC&Rs can sue another homeowner for not following the rules. And they are perpetually enforceable unless the government overrides them (for instance, California made it illegal to prevent short-term rentals, so that rule can no longer be enforced).
The CC&Rs must be recorded with the county recorder's office in order to create certain restrictions on the property and provide recorded notice of the contractual obligations on the deed to prospective buyers. You should be able to find a copy of the CC&Rs on your county assessor's official government website.
Generally, a condo owner in California is responsible for the interior of their unit. The Condo Association (or HOA), is responsible for shared areas and the structure of the building.
California Secretary of State Filings This process legalizes the HOA and creates a public record of its existence. The filings include not only the Articles of Incorporation but can also encompass records of financial statements and any potential dissolution of the HOA.
If a CC&Rs expiration clause is written within the declaration, then the covenants will expire. For example, if your declaration says that covenants have a lifespan of 20 years, then they will no longer be enforceable past that point.
An HOA has the authority to enforce the rules and regulations of the community using the community rules, or “bylaws and covenants.” These rules are considered “agreed upon” since homeowners approve them through board-elected representatives.
While you can propose rule changes through proper channels, there's no legal way to simply ignore or “get around” the HOA's covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) that you agreed to when purchasing in the community.
HOAs are usually governed by a board of directors or governors that is elected by the homeowners to make decisions about the HOA and enforce its rules. Most HOAs in California are set up as nonprofit mutual benefit corporations, but some may be structured differently.
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.
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.
