until WUCIOA's reserve study rules cover every Washington association
On January 1, 2028, Senate Bill 5796 repeals Washington's older condominium and HOA acts (RCW 64.34 and 64.38), and WUCIOA (RCW 64.90) applies to every common interest community in the state. The reserve study exemptions for small and low-budget associations sunset with them: from that date, RCW 64.90.545 requires a professionally prepared reserve study with a visual site inspection, updated every year, with a fresh professional inspection at least every third year.
Communities created on or after July 1, 2018 already live under WUCIOA. The 2028 deadline is about everyone else — pre-2018 Washington HOAs and condominiums that have been lawfully skipping reserve studies under exemptions in the older acts. Three groups lose coverage at once, and a fourth loses its soft landing:
RCW 64.38.090 exempts associations with ten or fewer homes from the reserve study requirements. That section is repealed January 1, 2028, and WUCIOA's reserve section has no small-association successor.
The same section exempts associations when a study would cost more than 5 percent of the annual budget, or when the association has no significant assets. WUCIOA replaces the 5 percent test with a 10 percent test — which sounds more generous but is much harder to qualify for.
RCW 64.34.392 lets a condominium with ten or fewer units exempt itself by a two-thirds owner vote, renewed every three years. Those votes cannot be renewed past the repeal — an 8-unit condo that has faithfully re-upped since 2012 needs a first study like everyone else.
The older acts required a study only "unless doing so would impose an unreasonable hardship" (RCW 64.38.065, 64.34.380). WUCIOA has no hardship clause — and under RCW 64.90.555, owners can sue to enforce the reserve study requirements, with attorneys' fees to the prevailing party.
What survives is narrow: WUCIOA's own exemptions in RCW 64.90.545(2) — nonresidential communities, communities with only nominal reserve costs, certain middle-housing-only communities (added effective June 11, 2026), and associations where every study quote exceeds 10 percent of the annual budget. Full statutory breakdown on our Washington reserve study requirements page.
The real deadline is your fall 2027 budget season — the fiscal 2028 budget is the first that must carry a WUCIOA-compliant reserve disclosure with nothing to hide behind. Work backward from there:
List everything the association must repair or replace — roofs, private roads, fencing, retaining walls, mailbox clusters, pool equipment. Pull install dates and past invoices. A clean inventory gets you a cheaper quote and a better study.
Before a professional ever visits, run your component list and current reserve balance through the free percent funded calculator so the board sees where it stands. WUCIOA studies must state this figure for the record (RCW 64.90.550).
The initial study must be prepared by an independent reserve study professional based on a visual site inspection — a board cannot DIY this part. Get at least three quotes in 2026 and sign an engagement early in 2027: every exempt association needs its first study inside the same 18-month window, and firms will book out.
The study recommends contribution rates under both a full funding plan and a baseline funding plan. Decide which target you're funding toward, model the dues change with the free reserve fund calculator, and bake it into the fiscal 2028 budget through WUCIOA's 14-to-50-day ratification window in fall 2027.
Compliance is a cadence, not a one-time purchase: an update every year, and a professional site-inspection update at least every third year. The gap-year updates can be self-prepared — that's exactly what Reserve Planner ($49/yr) keeps current between professional studies.
Join the list below and we'll send the board starter kit now, plus WUCIOA reserve-study reminders as the January 1, 2028 deadline approaches — timed to the quote, engagement, and budget-ratification milestones above.
Get meeting agenda templates, a budget planning worksheet, and a compliance checklist — built for volunteer board members who want to run their community like a pro.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Disclaimer: This page is general information, not legal advice. Statutory citations were last reviewed in July 2026 against the official Washington State Legislature website — verify current text of RCW 64.90 (including RCW 64.90.545 and 64.90.550) at app.leg.wa.gov before acting, as the legislature can amend the transition. Consult your association's attorney about how the January 1, 2028 changes apply to your community's governing documents and circumstances.