Vermont HOA & condo compliance, with the statute behind every deadline
Vermont regulates condominiums and planned communities (Vermont's own term for what this product calls an HOA) under one law: the Common Interest Ownership Act, 27A V.S.A. — Vermont's law explicitly excludes housing cooperatives, which run on an entirely separate title. GnomeOwner's compliance calendar tracks the duties that reach a self-managed Vermont association, and shows the exact statute sentence behind each one, not just a due date.
Vermont gives owners a real right most states don't: a genuine open-board-meeting duty, not just an annual owner meeting — see the fact below.
Vermont board meetings have to stay open — a genuine, rare duty
Most states that regulate condo or HOA board meetings at all are silent on the subject. Vermont isn't: every meeting of the executive board has to stay open to unit owners, closable only for a named list of reasons — consulting the association's attorney, ongoing litigation or mediation, personnel matters, sensitive commercial negotiations, or protecting someone's privacy — and the board can take no final vote during a closed session. During declarant control, the board must also meet at least four times a year, and every meeting needs at least 10 days' notice with an agenda attached.
“Meetings shall be open to the unit owners except during executive sessions.”
A few of the duties GnomeOwner tracks for Vermont common interest communities — condominiums and planned communities — governed by the Vermont Common Interest Ownership Act, 27A V.S.A.
Every deadline here shows you the exact sentence of the statute it comes from, so you — or your attorney — can check it in seconds.
Hold the annual meeting of unit owners
Hold a meeting of unit owners annually, at a time, date, and place stated in or fixed under the bylaws.
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list.
“An association shall hold a meeting of unit owners annually at a time, date, and place stated in or fixed in accordance with the bylaws.”
Give 10-60 days' notice of every annual or special unit owner meeting
Notify unit owners of the time, date, and place of each annual and special meeting not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days before the meeting date, stating the agenda — including the general nature of any proposed declaration or bylaw amendment, budget changes, and any proposal to remove an officer or board member.
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list.
“An association shall notify unit owners of the time, date, and place of each annual and special unit owners meeting not less than 10 days or more than 60 days before the meeting date.”
Hold executive board meetings open to the unit owners
Keep meetings of the executive board (and committees authorized to act for the association) open to unit owners. Close a meeting to an executive session only to consult the association's attorney, discuss existing or potential litigation, mediation, arbitration, or administrative proceedings, discuss labor or personnel matters, discuss commercial negotiations still in progress if early disclosure would disadvantage the association, or protect someone's privacy — and take no final vote or action during an executive session.
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list.
“Meetings shall be open to the unit owners except during executive sessions.”
Give 10 days' notice of each executive board meeting, with an agenda
Unless the meeting is already on a schedule given to unit owners or is called for an emergency, give notice of each executive board meeting to each board member and to unit owners at least 10 days before the meeting, stating the time, date, place, and agenda. Make any materials distributed to the board before the meeting reasonably available to unit owners at the same time (except unapproved minutes or executive-session materials).
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list.
“The notice shall be given at least 10 days before the meeting and shall state the time, date, place, and agenda of the meeting.”
Maintain property, liability, and fidelity insurance
Starting no later than the first conveyance of a unit to someone other than the declarant, maintain — to the extent reasonably available and subject to reasonable deductibles — property insurance on the common elements for at least 80% of actual cash value, commercial general liability insurance (including medical payments coverage), and fidelity insurance. If coverage is not reasonably available, promptly notify every unit owner by mail or hand delivery.
Applies to a Vermont residential condominium created on or after January 1, 1999 (any size), or another common interest community with 12 or more units created on or after that date, that doesn't fit the Act's small-project or nonresidential exemptions.
“Property insurance on the common elements and, in a planned community, also on property that will become common elements, to insure against risks of direct physical loss commonly insured against, which insurance, after application of any deductibles, shall be not less than 80 percent of the actual cash value of the insured property at the time the insurance is purchased and at each renewal date, exclusive of items normally excluded from property policies.”
Adopt a proposed budget each year and disclose the reserve amount and funding basis
At least annually, adopt a proposed budget for the community. Within 30 days after adopting it, give every unit owner a summary of the budget — including any reserves and the basis on which they are calculated and funded — and set a date, 10 to 60 days later, for a meeting of unit owners to consider ratifying the budget. Unless a majority of all unit owners reject the budget at that meeting, it is ratified whether or not a quorum is present; a rejected budget means the last-ratified budget continues.
Applies to a Vermont residential condominium created on or after January 1, 1999 (any size), or another common interest community with 12 or more units created on or after that date, that doesn't fit the Act's small-project or nonresidential exemptions.
“the executive board shall provide to all the unit owners a summary of the budget, including any reserves, and a statement of the basis on which any reserves are calculated and funded.”
Give notice and a hearing before levying a fine
Before levying a fine for a violation of the declaration, bylaws, or rules, give the unit owner (or, for a tenant's violation, the tenant and unit owner) notice and an opportunity to be heard.
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list. Your executive board is considering levying a fine against a unit owner or tenant for a violation of the declaration, bylaws, or rules.
“after notice and a hearing, may impose reasonable fines for violations of the declaration, bylaws, and rules of the association”
Keep association records and make them available to owners
Retain detailed accounting records, minutes of unit-owner and executive board meetings (other than executive sessions), the owner roster, organizational documents and current rules, three years of financial statements and tax returns, current board and officer contact information, the association's most recent annual report to the Secretary of State, current contracts, design/architectural-approval decisions, records sufficient to prepare a resale certificate, and ballots, proxies, and other voting records (retained at least one year). Make records available for examination and copying by any unit owner or their authorized agent, during reasonable business hours or a mutually convenient time, upon 5 days' written notice.
Applies to every Vermont common interest community the Act covers at all — a residential condominium (or 12-or-more-unit community) created on or after January 1, 1999, and an older community that isn't a small 24-or-fewer-unit planned community, a low-capped limited-expense community, or restricted entirely to nonresidential use. 27A V.S.A. § 1-207(b) excuses a fully nonresidential common interest community from nearly the whole title regardless of age, so it falls into that exemption instead of this reach-back list.
“all records retained by an association must be available for examination and copying by a unit owner or the owner’s authorized agent”
Every item above is drafted from Vermont’s statute text and shown beside the exact sentence it comes from — check any claim against the law’s own words. This page hasn’t had a full attorney review. Confirm anything you plan to act on with your own attorney or CPA; law as reflected here is current as of 2026-08-16.
This calendar is built from a Justia mirror of Title 27A, self-labeled the "2025 Vermont Statutes" — the newest amendment year visible on any cited section in our captured text is 2013, which by itself doesn't rule out an uncaptured later amendment. Confirm current law with your attorney before relying on any exact figure or deadline.
Vermont questions we hear a lot
Does Vermont require open board meetings?
Yes — a genuine, if limited, right most states don't give owners. Vermont's Common Interest Ownership Act states plainly: “Meetings shall be open to the unit owners except during executive sessions” (27A V.S.A. § 3-108(b)(1)). The board may close a meeting only to consult the association's attorney, discuss litigation or personnel matters, discuss sensitive commercial negotiations, or protect someone's privacy — and no final vote may happen during that closed session.
What are a Vermont condo or HOA association's annual requirements?
An annual meeting of unit owners, at a time and place the bylaws set (27A V.S.A. § 3-108(a)(1)), with 10-to-60 days' notice for both the annual meeting and any special meeting (§ 3-108(a)(3)); a budget adopted at least annually, with a reserve summary given to owners within 30 days (§ 3-123(a)); and property, liability, and fidelity insurance starting no later than the first unit conveyance (§ 3-113(a)).
Does Vermont require HOA or condo reserve funds?
Not a specific funding level — Vermont's reserve rule is tied to the annual budget cycle, not a numeric mandate. The executive board must adopt a budget each year and, within 30 days, give owners “a summary of the budget, including any reserves, and a statement of the basis on which any reserves are calculated and funded” (§ 3-123(a)). The statute sets no required percentage and no reserve-study requirement — that's a board decision.
Does Vermont require condo or HOA insurance?
Yes. Starting no later than the first conveyance of a unit to someone other than the declarant, the association must maintain property insurance on the common elements for at least 80% of actual cash value, commercial general liability insurance, and fidelity insurance (27A V.S.A. § 3-113(a)). Flood insurance is not separately required the way it is in some neighboring common-interest-ownership states.
Is GnomeOwner's Vermont compliance calendar reviewed by a lawyer?
Every deadline on this page is shown beside the exact sentence of the statute it comes from — so you can check each claim against the law's own words, right here on the page. What this page hasn't had yet is a full attorney review. It's legal information, not legal advice: confirm anything you plan to act on with your own attorney.
Also covered: North Carolina, Nevada, Virginia, Arizona, Washington, South Carolina, Illinois, Oregon, Utah, California, Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Florida, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Dakota, Wyoming, Connecticut, Alaska, West Virginia, Delaware, Alabama, Montana, Hawaii, New Hampshire, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Maine, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Tennessee. More states are added as their compliance calendars are built — see the full list.
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