Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions that come up most often here, drawn from the community's recorded governing documents. Each answer notes where it comes from so you can check it yourself.
Making changes to your property
This is the most common question here, and the rules are strict. When in doubt, ask the board before you start.
- Do I need approval before I build, add, or change something outside?
Yes. No structure may be erected, placed, or altered, and no building permit may be obtained, until the board (or an Architectural Control Committee it designates) has approved your plans in writing.
Your plans need to show:
- Where the improvement will sit on your property
- Grade elevation, including front, rear, and side
- Exterior and roof materials, with samples
- Paint or stain colors for any exterior surface, and roof color, with samples
- Driveway location and size, if applicable
Start with the Request for Approval Form in Documents.
Master Deed, Section 15(a)
- What about changes inside my unit?
You may make alterations, additions, or improvements inside your unit without board approval. You remain responsible for any damage those changes cause to other units, the common elements, or the property.
Master Deed, Section 15(b)
- What color and height can my privacy fence be?
Khaki, sand, or white only, and six feet tall. See the Privacy Fence Guidance in Documents for the full specification, and submit a Request for Approval before building.
Privacy Fence Guidance (board-approved)
- Can I put up a shed, garage, or other outbuilding?
Not without prior written consent from the board. Temporary structures, trailers, motor homes, boats, tents, shacks, garages, barns, and other outbuildings are prohibited on the property, temporarily or permanently. The one exception is a temporary structure used during repair or rebuilding.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 1
- Can I put up a sign, awning, or antenna?
Not without prior written permission from the board or the managing agent. This covers signs visible from outside your unit, canopies, awnings, outside radio or television antennas, and CB radio transmitters. Outdoor furniture and decorative foliage of a customary appearance are allowed on a patio that belongs to your unit.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 1
Pets
- What pets am I allowed to have?
Dogs, household cats, and small birds kept as household pets. No other animals may be raised, bred, or kept in a unit. Pets may not be kept for any commercial purpose, and may not become a nuisance to neighbors in the board's judgment.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 2
- Does my dog have to be on a leash?
Yes. All dogs must be on a leash any time they are outside the unit, and must be exercised in places that do not interfere with other owners' use and enjoyment of the property. You are responsible for any damage your dog causes to the common elements.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 2
Who fixes what
The split between owner and association responsibility surprises people. Windows and doors are the ones most often assumed wrong.
- What am I responsible for maintaining?
Everything inside your unit — plumbing, pipes, wiring, appliances, and structural components — at your own expense.
You are also responsible for all exterior glass, windows including storm windows, screens, and doors including storm doors. These are not maintained by the association.
Master Deed, Section 14(a)
- What does the association maintain?
The common elements, including landscaping and yard maintenance. On the units themselves, the association handles exterior landscaping, walkways, porches, decks and balconies, painting, and non-structural maintenance and repair of roofs, gutters, downspouts, trim, and caulking — but not glass, windows, screens, or doors.
Master Deed, Section 14(b)
- What if damage is caused by me or my guest?
If damage to the common elements or another unit results from the act or neglect of an owner — or their family, tenant, guest, or pet — that owner pays for the repair, to the extent it is not covered by the association's insurance.
Master Deed, Section 14(c)
Parking and storage
- Can I keep a boat, camper, or trailer here?
No. Storage of boats, trailers, campers, and motor homes on the property is not permitted.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 5
- Can I leave things in the common areas?
No. Personal property such as bicycles, baby carriages, wagons, toys, furniture, and clothing may not be stored or kept in common areas.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 5
- How does parking work?
Parking spaces within the property are used subject to whatever rules and regulations the board prescribes. Check with the board for the current rules.
Master Deed, Section 9
Dues and assessments
- When are my dues due?
On or before the first day of each month. Your monthly assessment is one-twelfth of your share of the annual budget, and the board furnishes the budget to every owner at least thirty days before the fiscal year begins.
Bylaws, Article IV, Section 2
- What happens if I pay late?
Unpaid amounts accrue interest at 8% per annum and become a lien on your unit. After ten days' notice, the board may cure the default and charge the cost back to you.
If a default continues for ninety days, the board has authority to post the owner's name on a list of delinquent owners.
Master Deed, Sections 10(a) and 10(b); Section 20
- Can I withhold dues if I disagree with something?
No. No owner is exempt from paying by not using the common elements or by abandoning their unit. You may protest the amount of an assessment, but it must still be paid while the protest is pending.
Master Deed, Section 10(a); Bylaws, Article I, Section 7
- What is a special assessment?
An additional assessment the association may levy to cover construction, reconstruction, repair, or replacement of capital improvements. It requires the assent of two-thirds of the votes of unit owners.
Master Deed, Section 10(d)
Voting and meetings
- How many votes do I get?
One vote per unit. An owner who holds more than one unit has one vote for each unit they own. If a unit is owned by more than one person, the unit still gets a single vote.
Master Deed, Section 5(a); Bylaws, Article I, Section 7
- Can I vote if I'm behind on dues?
No. An owner in default on assessments is not entitled to vote until the default is cured. An owner is considered in default if assessments are not paid within ten days after they are due.
Bylaws, Article I, Section 7
- What counts as a quorum?
A majority of the votes entitled to be cast must be represented at a meeting. Because each unit carries one vote, that means a majority of units.
Bylaws, Article I, Section 8
- When is the annual meeting?
On the sixtieth day following the end of the association's fiscal year, held within five miles of the property. Notice goes out no fewer than ten and no more than forty-five days beforehand. Directors are elected and reports on the association's activities and finances are given.
Bylaws, Article I, Sections 3 and 5
- Can owners call a special meeting?
Yes. Owners holding at least ten percent of the votes may demand one in writing to the secretary. The demand must describe the purpose, and only business within that stated purpose may be conducted.
Bylaws, Article I, Section 4
- Who can serve on the board?
The board is five directors serving two-year terms. A director must be a unit owner or the spouse of a unit owner. Directors serve without compensation unless the owners expressly resolve otherwise.
Bylaws, Article II, Sections 1, 2, and 13
Living here
- Can I run a business from my unit?
Units are residential. A professional may use their residence as a secondary facility to an office established elsewhere, provided local zoning allows it. Keeping a professional library, keeping business records, and handling business calls or correspondence from home are all expressly permitted.
Master Deed, Section 19
- Can I hang laundry outside?
No. Clothing, sheets, blankets, laundry, and similar articles may not be displayed, hung, stored, or used outside your unit, or anywhere they are visible from outside. Draperies, curtains, and shades of a customary appearance are fine.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 1
- What are the rules about noise and nuisance?
No unlawful, noxious, or offensive activity may be carried on in any unit or elsewhere on the property, and nothing may be done that constitutes a nuisance or, in the board's judgment, causes unreasonable noise or disturbance to others.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 1
- How should trash be handled?
Trash, garbage, and other waste must be kept in sanitary containers and disposed of in a clean and sanitary manner, following whatever rules the board sets.
Bylaws, Article V, Section 3
Not answered here?
The governing documents cover more than this page does, and some questions they don't address at all. Read the full documents, or reach the board directly and someone will follow up.