Washington association records requests
Washington communities under the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act must make records available on 10 days' notice, and never later than 21 days without a court order. The older condominium and HOA acts set no day count, only reasonable business hours. These records sections set no penalty of their own.
| Association | Deadline | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Common interest communities | 10 daysafter notice; 21 days at most without a court order | RCW 64.90.495 |
| HOAs | A reasonable timeno day count | RCW 64.38.045 |
| Condominiums | A reasonable timeolder condominiums, no day count | RCW 64.34.372 |
Common interest communities (Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act)
This act covers condominiums, planned communities, HOAs and cooperatives created on or after July 1, 2018, and older ones to the extent chapter 64.90 applies.
- Who may ask
- A unit owner.
- What starts the clock
- A notice requesting access.
- Deadline
- Records are available upon 10 days' notice, unless the size of the request or the need to redact reasonably requires a longer time. In no event later than 21 days without a court order allowing a longer time. The statute does not say whether these are business or calendar days.
- Also
- Outer limit: 21 days, unless a court orders a longer time.
- Also
- A managing agent must turn over electronic records within 5 business days of termination or the board's demand.
- Extensions
- A longer time is allowed if the size of the request or the need to redact reasonably requires it, but never past 21 days without a court order.
- Copies and costs
- A reasonable fee for copies and for supervising the inspection. The owner list (once a year) and preforeclosure information are free.
- What may be withheld
- Personnel and medical records, contracts under negotiation, litigation and other proceedings, enforcement matters before a governmental tribunal, attorney-client and work-product material, information whose release would break a court order or law, executive session records, other units' files, security access information, agreements that for good cause bar disclosure, and ballot secrecy information.
- What must be protected
- Unlisted phone numbers and confidential email addresses. Addresses of people in the state's Address Confidentiality Program.
- If the deadline is missed
- No penalty is written into this section.
- Record keeping
- Seven years for budgets, accounting, financial statements and tax returns, contracts, and design and enforcement decisions. One year after the vote for ballots and proxies.
Homeowners' associations (older act)
This act covers homeowners' associations under chapter 64.38 that are not governed by the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act as to records.
- Who may ask
- An owner.
- What starts the clock
- No request form is stated.
- Deadline
- No day count. Records are available during reasonable business hours or at a mutually convenient time and place.
- Copies and costs
- A reasonable fee for copies. The owner list (once a year) and preforeclosure information are free.
- What may be withheld
- Personnel and medical records, executive session records, and other lots' files.
- What must be protected
- Addresses of people in the state's Address Confidentiality Program.
- If the deadline is missed
- No penalty is written into this section.
- Record keeping
- Seven years for budgets, receipts, financial statements, contracts, and design and enforcement materials. One year for voting records.
Condominiums (older act)
This act covers condominiums created before July 1, 2018 and governed by chapter 64.34. Chapter 64.90 may also reach some of them.
- Who may ask
- A unit owner.
- What starts the clock
- No request form is stated.
- Deadline
- No day count. Records are available during reasonable business hours or at a mutually convenient time and place, at the offices of the association or its managing agent.
- Copies and costs
- A reasonable fee. The owner list (once a year) and preforeclosure information are free.
- What may be withheld
- Personnel and medical records, executive session records, other units' files, contracts being negotiated, litigation, privileged advice, information protected by court order or law, unlisted contact information, emergency security access information, and agreements that for good cause bar disclosure.
- What must be protected
- Addresses of people in the state's Address Confidentiality Program.
- If the deadline is missed
- No penalty is written into this section.
- Record keeping
- Seven years for budgets, accounting, financial statements and tax returns, and design and enforcement decisions. One year for voting records.
How HOAChime handles Washington requests
HOAChime sets the deadline automatically from each association's state and type, so a community under the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act gets the 10-day clock and the 21-day outer limit as a second clock. Reminder emails and a due-soon and overdue list cover every association. You can mark records withheld with the state's reason, find and black out Social Security, card, bank, licence, phone and email numbers before release, track copy charges as quoted, paid or waived, and keep a full history of each request. For older condominiums and HOAs with no day count, you set your own target number of days per association.
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.