What Is WUCIOA? Washington's 2026 HOA and Condo Law Explained

WUCIOA is the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act. It is codified at Chapter 64.90 RCW. It is the unified statute for Washington condominiums, HOAs, and cooperatives. New communities operate under WUCIOA from formation. Enacted in 2018, it replaces the three older HOA and condominium operating statutes — RCW 64.32, RCW 64.34, and RCW 64.38. By January 1, 2028, every Washington common interest community operates under WUCIOA.

That is the short answer. Here is what boards need to know.

This guide is for Washington board members, managers, owners, resale certificate coordinators, and buyers who want to understand which association statute applies now, what changed in 2026, and what happens in 2028.

Scope note. This guide focuses on residential Washington HOAs, condominium associations, and cooperatives. WUCIOA includes partial-application rules for certain plat, small, nonresidential, and mixed-use communities — boards in those categories should consult Washington association counsel.

Key takeaways

• WUCIOA is Chapter 64.90 RCW.
• It has governed new Washington common interest communities since July 1, 2018.
• Several provisions apply to pre-2018 communities as of January 1, 2026 under ESSB 5129 (Chapter 119, Laws of 2025).
• WUCIOA applies to every Washington common interest community beginning January 1, 2028 under ESSB 5796 (Chapter 321, Laws of 2024).
• For HOA and condominium operations, the relevant older acts — RCW 64.32, RCW 64.34, and RCW 64.38 — are repealed effective January 1, 2028 under ESSB 5796 (which also repeals the Land Development Act, chapter 58.19 RCW).

WUCIOA at a glance

What "common interest community" means

WUCIOA uses common interest community as the umbrella term. It covers three types of association: condominiums, planned communities, and cooperatives. Owners hold an individual property interest. They also hold mandatory membership in an association that owns or manages common elements. If you pay HOA dues, you live in a common interest community.

The older statutes split these by type. RCW 64.32 (1963) and RCW 64.34 (1990) covered condominiums. RCW 64.38 (1995) covered planned communities. Pre-2018 cooperatives had no dedicated Washington common-interest-community statute comparable to the condominium and HOA acts; they were generally governed by their organizational documents and Washington's general cooperative-corporation statute (Chapter 23.86 RCW). WUCIOA brings cooperatives into the common-interest-community framework.

Why Washington adopted WUCIOA

The patchwork was the problem. A 1985 condominium operated under RCW 64.32. A 1995 condominium operated under RCW 64.34. A 2005 planned-community HOA operated under RCW 64.38. Each statute had different rules for governance, liens, resale certificates, and owner protections. Boards, managers, and attorneys had to know which statute governed which community.

In 2018, the Legislature adopted WUCIOA. It is Washington's version of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act, a model statute drafted by the Uniform Law Commission. The goal was unification. One statute. One framework. One disclosure standard. The transition was designed to be gradual — new communities first, older communities later.

What WUCIOA governs

WUCIOA governs the core statutory framework for Washington association operations. The provisions that matter most:

Governance. Board composition (RCW 64.90.410 — at least three directors, majority unit owners), officer election, fiduciary standard of care, conflict of interest rules, removal procedures.

Meetings. Open-meeting requirements, executive session limits, owner notice rules, the 15-minute owner comment period, secret ballots, remote participation (RCW 64.90.445).

Financial operations. Budget adoption, owner ratification, reserve study requirements, assessment levies, late fees, lien enforcement.

Payments. Under RCW 64.90.480(10), every association must provide at least one method of accepting payment of assessments from unit owners "at no charge or as a common expense." Owners cannot be forced into a third-party processor fee as the only available channel. Effective January 1, 2026 for every Washington community under ESSB 5129.

Resale certificates. RCW 64.90.640 sets the standard. Twenty-six statutory disclosure items. Ten-day delivery deadline. $275 fee cap. $100 cap on updates within six months. Statutory five-business-day buyer cancellation right after first receipt of the certificate (subject to the certificate-unavailability waiver under RCW 64.90.600(4)).

Insurance. Mandatory property and liability coverage standards.

Architectural control. Authority and limits on the association's review of owner modifications.

Enforcement. Fines, hearings, lien priority, foreclosure, dispute resolution.

The three older statutes

Until January 1, 2028, three predecessor statutes still govern most operations for many Washington communities.

RCW 64.32 — Horizontal Property Regimes Act (1963). Washington's first condominium statute. Modeled on the 1960s federal "Section 234" framework. Governs condominiums whose declarations were recorded before July 1, 1990. Mostly small mid-century apartment-style condos. Sunsets January 1, 2028.

RCW 64.34 — Washington Condominium Act (1990). The modern condominium statute. Based on the Uniform Condominium Act. Governs condominiums whose declarations were recorded between July 1, 1990 and June 30, 2018. Key sections: RCW 64.34.304 (association powers), 64.34.308 (board duties and budget ratification), 64.34.364 (liens), 64.34.425 (resale certificates). Sunsets January 1, 2028.

RCW 64.38 — Homeowners' Associations Act (1995). Governs planned-community HOAs whose declarations were recorded before July 1, 2018, unless the community has elected into WUCIOA. The Act itself was enacted in 1995. Key sections: RCW 64.38.025 (board standard of care, budget ratification, member removal), 64.38.100 (liens, delinquency notices, foreclosure). Sunsets January 1, 2028.

If your declaration was recorded on or after July 1, 2018, WUCIOA has applied since formation. None of these three apply to you.

The 2026 and 2028 inflection points

Two recent bills accelerate the transition.

ESSB 5796 (Chapter 321, Laws of 2024) — full transition by January 1, 2028. Extends WUCIOA to every Washington common interest community by January 1, 2028, regardless of formation date. The older acts (RCW 64.32, 64.34, 64.38) are repealed effective January 1, 2028. Boards governing pre-2018 communities need a compliance plan now. Governing-document provisions inconsistent with WUCIOA will not survive the transition.

ESSB 5129 (Chapter 119, Laws of 2025) — key provisions accelerated to January 1, 2026. Several high-impact WUCIOA provisions began applying to every Washington common interest community on January 1, 2026, regardless of formation date. The most visible:

• No-charge payment method (RCW 64.90.480(10)). Associations must provide at least one method of accepting payment of assessments from unit owners "at no charge or as a common expense."
• 15-minute owner comment period. Boards must reserve a comment window at the start of every board meeting.
• Open-meeting protections. Expanded notice and access requirements.

This is why boards started hearing about "WUCIOA for all" in early 2026. The phrase is informal but accurate. For a growing list of provisions, WUCIOA applies to every association — regardless of original statute.

What this means for boards today

Every Washington board falls into one of three categories.

Native WUCIOA communities. Declarations recorded on or after July 1, 2018. The full statute already applies. Boards should be reviewing compliance against the 26 statutory resale certificate disclosures, the no-charge payment-method requirement, the 15-minute owner comment period, the executive session limits, and the reserve study funding rules.

Pre-2018 communities. Declarations recorded before July 1, 2018. Currently governed by RCW 64.32, 64.34, or 64.38. The original statute still governs most operations. But the ESSB 5129 provisions apply as of January 1, 2026. The full WUCIOA framework applies January 1, 2028. The declaration and bylaw audit should start now. Caps on owner voting, weaker disclosure standards, restrictions on meeting participation — all those provisions are at risk.

Pre-1990 condominiums. Declarations recorded before July 1, 1990. Currently governed by RCW 64.32. The smallest universe. Also the steepest 2028 transition — many were formed before modern reserve study, lien priority, and resale certificate standards existed.

Cross-state context

Washington is one of roughly 15 states to enact some version of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act. Colorado adopted CCIOA (C.R.S. §38-33.3-101 et seq.) in 1992. Nevada adopted its version (NRS 116) in 1991. Vermont, Connecticut, and Delaware have UCIOA enactments. The substance is broadly similar. Each state's version has unique fee caps, timelines, and modifications. WUCIOA is Washington's version. It controls only Washington associations.

Resources

• RCW 64.90 — full text: app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.90
• RCW 64.34 — Washington Condominium Act: app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.34
• RCW 64.38 — Homeowners' Associations Act: app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.38
• RCW 64.32 — Horizontal Property Regimes Act: app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.32
• ESSB 5796 (2024) — Chapter 321, Laws of 2024: 2028 universal transition — bill page: app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5796&Year=2023
• ESSB 5129 (2025) — Chapter 119, Laws of 2025: key WUCIOA provisions accelerated to 2026 — bill page: app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5129&Year=2025

Operating under WUCIOA?

CommunityPay implements the WUCIOA operational framework end-to-end — the no-charge payment method under RCW 64.90.480(10), the 26-item resale certificate under RCW 64.90.640, fund segregation, reserve study tracking, and ledger enforcement against statutory requirements. See the accounting feature →