Hawaii Condo, HOA & Co-op Quick Reference

A board member’s plain-English cheat sheet. Condos: Condominium Property Act (HRS 514B) — DCCA registration if more than five units. Subdivision HOAs: Planned Community Associations Act (421J) — no state agency. Co-ops: 421I. Corporate fill-in: 414D. Chapter 514A is repealed.

Condo meetings, registration, lien, reserves

• CONDO §514B-103Projects / associations with more than five units biennially register with the Real Estate Commission, keep a fidelity bond (or an approved exemption), and pay into the condominium education trust fund. That registration is the statewide condo roster.
• CONDO §514B-121Annual meeting required, under Robert’s Rules. Special meeting: president, board majority, or a petition of 25 percent of unit owners. Owner-meeting notice at least 14 days. If the secretary does not notice a petitioned meeting within 14 days, the petitioners may notice it at association expense; meeting no later than 60 days after the petition.
• CONDO §514B-146Unpaid common-expense assessments are an automatic lien. A recorded notice of lien expires in six years unless enforcement is started. After a first-mortgage foreclosure the association may specially assess up to six months of regular assessments against the acquirer. Fines-only liens may not be nonjudicially foreclosed.
• CONDO §514B-148 / §514B-150The annual budget includes a reserve-study summary; an independent preparer reviews it at least every three years if the association did not use one. Annual audit plus an unannounced cash-balance check; associations of fewer than 20 units may waive both by majority vote.

Planned-community HOA meetings, records, lien

• PCA §421J-3.5Owner-meeting notice at least 14 days (hand, mail, email, or a members-only website post), with agenda items including amendments, special assessments, and board removal. Remote meetings may follow 414D. Does not apply to board or committee meetings.
• PCA §421J-5 / §421J-7Board meetings are open except listed executive-session topics. Directors may not vote by proxy. Governing documents, current financials, and the latest non-executive board minutes are available at no cost on 24-hour loan. Board minutes for this year and last year are kept at least five years.
• PCA §421J-10.5Unpaid assessments are a lien. A recorded association lien expires in six years unless enforcement is started. After a first-mortgage foreclosure, a later purchaser can be specially assessed up to six months of regular assessments. An owner may not withhold assessments — pay first, then mediate or sue.
• PCA §421J-9Written notice at least 30 days before any increase in regular assessments.

What DCCA will and will not do

• CONDO vs 421J vs 421IDCCA Real Estate Branch registers condominium AOUOs with more than five units. It has no jurisdiction over planned-community HOAs (421J) or cooperative housing corporations (421I). There is no statewide HOA or co-op roster.
• CONDO §514B-1 / 514A repealedThe current condo act is Chapter 514B. Chapter 514A was repealed July 1, 2020. Do not cite 514A as in-force law.
• NP §414D-105 / §414D-111Nonprofit fill-in: member-meeting notice 10 to 60 days; member quorum defaults to 10 percent. 514B and 421J are stricter for association owner meetings and control where they speak.
• No 421J rosterFlorida has DBPR. Texas has TREC. Colorado has DORA. Hawaii has a downloadable condo AOUO contact list at DCCA — and nothing equivalent for 421J HOAs.

Hawaii Board Meeting Checklist

Notice, quorum, the two different six-year liens, and what DCCA will not do for you. Confirm against your declaration and bylaws.

Notice Requirements by Meeting Type

• Condo owner meetingAnnual required. Notice 14 days (§514B-121).
• Condo special meetingPresident, board majority, or 25 percent of unit owners (§514B-121).
• PCA owner meetingNotice 14 days. First annual meeting no later than one year after the first non-developer conveyance (§421J-3.5 / §421J-14).
• Condo / PCA assessment increasePCA: 30 days written notice before a regular-assessment increase (§421J-9). Co-op: same (§421I-8).
• NP member notice10 to 60 days unless the articles or bylaws say otherwise (§414D-105). 514B and 421J are stricter for association owner meetings.

Quorum & Voting

Records, Minutes & Disclosures

• Condo booksIsland-stored records; current financials on 24-hour loan; electronic governing documents at no cost (§514B-152 / §514B-154 / §514B-154.2).
• PCA booksDocuments, current financials, and latest board minutes on 24-hour loan; five years of board minutes (§421J-7).
• Nonprofit inspectPrincipal-office packet on five business days' notice; accounting and the membership list need a proper purpose (§414D-302).
• DCCACondo AOUO registration and a public contact list. Not an HOA roster. Not an arbiter of 421J or 421I disputes.