Yes. Under WUCIOA (RCW 64.90.545), Washington common interest communities must have a reserve study prepared by a reserve study professional, updated annually, with a full visual-site-inspection update at least every three years — subject to narrow exemptions (nonresidential communities, nominal reserve costs, certain middle-housing-only communities, or study cost exceeding 10% of the annual budget). WUCIOA currently governs communities created on or after July 1, 2018 (plus opt-ins); on January 1, 2028, SB 5796 extends it to every common interest community in the state, replacing the older condo and HOA acts whose reserve-study duty was softened by an "unreasonable hardship" exception.
Verified against the statute 2026-07-06
All common interest communities — condominiums, HOAs/planned communities, cooperatives, and miscellaneous communities. WUCIOA's firm mandate currently applies to communities created on or after July 1, 2018 and those that opt in; pre-2018 communities follow the softer condo (RCW 64.34) and HOA (RCW 64.38) act rules until January 1, 2028, when WUCIOA applies to everyone. Exempt under WUCIOA: nonresidential communities, those with only nominal reserve costs, communities consisting only of middle housing that need no on-site wastewater reserve components, or where the study would cost more than 10% of the annual budget.
Annual update, with a full updated study prepared by a reserve study professional based on a visual site inspection at least every three years (RCW 64.90.545); the older acts prescribe the same cadence but with an unreasonable-hardship exception until 2028.
Washington imposes no minimum reserve funding level or percent-funded requirement. The reserve study must include a recommended funding plan, and governing documents may impose stricter requirements, but the statute does not force associations to fund to the plan.
Association budgets presented to owners must disclose reserve account balances, contributions, and funding status (WUCIOA budget provisions, RCW 64.90.525), and resale certificates provided to buyers include the association's current reserve study information (RCW 64.90.640). Under the pre-2028 acts, annual budget summaries carry similar reserve disclosures.
Requires an initial reserve study by a reserve study professional, annual updates, and an updated study based on a visual site inspection at least every third year. Exemptions: nonresidential-use communities, nominal reserve costs, communities consisting only of middle housing that need no on-site wastewater reserve components (added by SHB 2354, ch. 96, Laws of 2026, effective June 11, 2026), or study cost exceeding 10% of the annual budget.
Pre-WUCIOA rule for older HOAs: associations with significant assets shall prepare and annually update a reserve study (professional visual site inspection every three years) "unless doing so would impose an unreasonable hardship." Expires January 1, 2028 when WUCIOA takes over.
Parallel pre-WUCIOA rule for older condominiums, with the same unreasonable-hardship softening; also expires January 1, 2028 under SB 5796.
Re-fetched RCW 64.90.545 and RCW 64.38.065 on the official app.leg.wa.gov site and read the enrolled SHB 2354 session law (ch. 96, Laws of 2026) on lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov: confirmed the annual update and three-year professional visual-site-inspection cycle, the 10% exemption, the older act's unreasonable-hardship language and its official "(Effective until January 1, 2028)" annotation, and RCW 64.90.360's before-January-1-2028 applicability limits from SB 5796 (2024). Updated the exemption list to add the middle-housing-only exemption enacted by SHB 2354 § 5, effective June 11, 2026. Informational only — not legal advice. Confirm with the primary source and a community-association attorney licensed in Washington. Report an issue.
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