California HOA Recordkeeping Query

R.B. from California writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

In California, how long must the condo HOA keep copies of the minutes on file?

Mister Condo replies:

East Coast Greetings, R.B.! I am a Connecticut person so my knowledge of California HOA laws is quite limited. I would suggest you contact a local expert for expert advice. My advice is for you to check out Community Association Institute’s website at http://caionline.org and search for your local chapter. That being said, most states require corporate records to be kept up to seven years. My guess is that is true in California as well although HOAs and condominium laws do vary by state. Interestingly enough, when I performed an internet search on the topic I found an interesting list at http://www.davis-stirling.com/MainIndex/RecordsRetentionPolicy/tabid/1573/Default.aspx#axzz3Lb5MpCqW, which would suggest minutes need to be kept forever. I found plenty of laws about transparency of recordkeeping and the rights of California HOA residents to inspect all kinds of HOA records. Best wishes!