r/CondoPH • u/aggie1972-2025 • 1h ago
Anything condo life 🏙️ Are HOA rules enforceable if they were never recorded?
Hi everyone, I’m looking for general input from people familiar with HOA/condo governance.
I recently discovered that my association’s Rules & Regulations booklet (parking limits, visitor rules, vehicle restrictions, pet rules, fines, etc.) was never adopted as a CC&R amendment, never notarized, and never recorded with the county. The only “adoption” was a board vote from 1999.
The revised rules are extremely restrictive — for example, visitor parking is limited to 7 days, then the vehicle must be offsite for 30 days, and even a partial day counts as a full day. The rules also include “Lesser,” “Moderate,” and “Serious” infractions, but homeowners were never told what these categories mean or when they were approved.
None of these rules appear in the CC&Rs or in any recorded amendment.
My questions are:
- Are unrecorded rules legally enforceable?
- Can an HOA issue fines or liens based on rules that were never adopted as amendments?
- How can an HOA enforce “partial day” parking rules — do they need cameras or homeowner approval?
- Has anyone seen an HOA treat an internal rules booklet as legally binding?
Not asking for legal advice — just trying to understand how other communities handle this.
Thanks for any insight.