District of Columbia association records requests
The District's Condominium Act gives unit owners a right to examine records on business days during reasonable hours, with no set response deadline. HOAs and co-ops organized as nonprofit corporations fall under the Nonprofit Corporation Act, where the member gives at least 5 business days' signed notice before inspecting. The District has no HOA-specific act.
| Association | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Condominiums | A reasonable timereasonable hours on business days | D.C. Code 42-1903.14 |
| Nonprofit associations | 5 business days' noticemember gives signed notice first | D.C. Code 29-413.02 |
Condominiums
This section covers condominiums under the District of Columbia Condominium Act.
- Who may ask
- A unit owner in good standing or an authorized agent.
- What starts the clock
- A proper purpose related to membership, not for pecuniary gain or commercial solicitation.
- Deadline
- The statute sets no response deadline. The right of examination may be exercised only during reasonable hours on business days. Records are available in the District or within 50 miles of it.
- Copies and costs
- A fee for the actual costs of materials and labor.
- What may be withheld
- Unfinished drafts; identified personnel matters including medical; contracts or commercial deals in negotiation; pending or anticipated litigation (a specific threat); government proceedings to enforce condominium documents; communications with legal counsel; information whose disclosure would violate the law; executive session minutes or executive board records; materials compiled for executive session; and other owners' individual files.
- If the deadline is missed
- The section states no penalty.
Nonprofit associations
HOAs and co-ops organized as nonprofit corporations fall under the District's Nonprofit Corporation Act.
- Who may ask
- A member.
- What starts the clock
- A signed notice in the form of a record. For the second group of records (subsection (b)), the member must act in good faith, for a proper purpose, describe the records with reasonable particularity, and the records must be directly connected to the purpose. Certified mail is not required.
- Deadline
- The member gives notice at least 5 business days before the date the member wishes to inspect and copy. This is a notice period, not an association response deadline. For the first group of records, inspection is during regular business hours at the principal office. For the second group, at a reasonable location the corporation specifies. The articles and bylaws cannot limit the right.
- If the deadline is missed
- The section states no penalty.
How HOAChime handles District of Columbia requests
Each association's state and type sets the deadline automatically, using business days and District holidays for the 5 business day notice period. For condominiums, which have no number of days, HOAChime lets the company set its own target and still keeps the full history of the request. Records can be marked withheld with the reason, and copy costs are tracked as quoted, paid or waived.
Checked against the statute text on 2026-11-13. This page is a plain-English guide, not legal advice. Laws change; follow the citation links for the current text, and ask the association's attorney about a specific request.