North Carolina Condo & HOA Quick Reference

A board member’s plain-English cheat sheet for the two statutes that run most North Carolina communities. Condos after 1 October 1986: Chapter 47C. Planned-community HOAs after 1 January 1999: Chapter 47F (20 lots or fewer can sit outside unless they opt in). Older condos still live in Chapter 47A, with a listed 47C overlay. The numbers are close, not identical — read the column that matches your community.

Meetings and notice

• 47C / 47F §3-108Owner-meeting notice 10 to 60 days (mail, hand-delivery, or designated email). Annual meeting required. Condo special-meeting threshold 20 percent; HOA 10 percent. Owners get a speak-to-the-board window at regular intervals.
• 47C §3-109Condo owner quorum 20 percent. HOA (47F §3-109) is 10 percent. Board quorum 50 percent. Adjourn for lack of quorum and the next try is half.
• 47C §3-110Condo proxy lasts one year. HOA proxy (47F §3-110) lasts 11 months.

Budget, assessments, lien

• 47C / 47F §3-103(c)Budget summary to owners within 30 days of board adoption. Ratification meeting 10 to 60 days after mailing; no quorum. It stands unless a majority of all owners reject it.
• 47C / 47F §3-118Year-end income-and-expense plus balance sheet within 75 days of fiscal year-end, no charge. Unpaid-assessment (payoff) statement within 10 business days; fee cap $200 plus $100 to expedite inside 48 hours of closing.
• 47C / 47F §3-11630 days unpaid → claim of lien after a 15-day first-class-mail statement. 90 days unpaid → power-of-sale foreclosure like a mortgage, but only if the board votes to proceed against that specific unit. Three years to enforce or the lien dies. Junior to prior recorded mortgages.
• 47C / 47F §3-102Late fees capped at the greater of $20/month or 10 percent of the unpaid installment. Boards may budget for reserves; there is no statutory reserve-study mandate.

Fines, and which chapter you are under

• 47C / 47F §3-107.1Hearing required. Fine cap $100, then $100/day after five days. 15-day appeal from a panel to the full board.
• 47C §1-102Chapter 47C applies to condos created after 1 October 1986. A listed overlay (meetings, liens, records, fines, flags) also applies to older condos.
• 47F §1-102Chapter 47F applies to planned communities created on or after 1 January 1999, except 20 lots or fewer (and wholly nonresidential) unless they opt in. A listed overlay also applies to pre-1999 planned communities unless the declaration says otherwise.
• 47A-20Older condos keep chronological books at announced convenient working-day hours and must have an outside audit at least once a year.

North Carolina Board Meeting Checklist

Notice, budget, records, lien clocks, and which chapter you are under — what your North Carolina board needs to get right every time. Confirm against your declaration and bylaws.

Notice Requirements by Meeting Type

• Owner meetings10 to 60 days (47C / 47F §3-108). Annual meeting required. Condo special meeting: 20 percent. HOA special meeting: 10 percent.
• BudgetSummary within 30 days of board adoption. Ratification 10 to 60 days later. Majority of all owners to reject (§3-103(c)).
• Year-endIncome-and-expense + balance sheet within 75 days of FYE, no charge (§3-118).
• Payoff10 business days. Fee cap $200 + $100 expedite inside 48 hours of closing (§3-118).
• Lien30 days unpaid, 15-day pre-lien letter, 90 days then power-of-sale if the board votes on that unit. Three years to enforce (§3-116).

Quorum & Voting

Records, Minutes & Disclosures

• Year-end financialsIncome-and-expense plus balance sheet within 75 days of FYE, no charge (§3-118).
• Payoff statement10 business days. $200 cap + $100 expedite inside 48 hours of closing (§3-118).
• Fine hearingHearing required. $100 cap, then $100/day after five days. 15-day appeal to the full board (§3-107.1).
• Older condosChapter 47A books at convenient working-day hours, plus an outside audit at least once a year (47A-20).