Arizona HOA owner-records request rules

Start with the statute that fits the community

Arizona uses parallel association-records sections. A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805 applies to planned communities. A.R.S. Sec. 33-1258 applies to condominiums, except that subsection D excludes an association for a timeshare plan governed by Title 33, Chapter 20.

The two sections use the same core examination, copy, timing, and withholding language. Before sending a request, identify whether the property is a planned-community lot or a condominium unit so the request points to the right section.

What the two records sections say

Subject to the listed withholding categories, association financial and other records must be made reasonably available for examination by a member or by a person the member designates in writing as the member’s representative.

The current official text provides these request rules:

1. The association may not charge the member or written representative for making material available for review.
2. The association has 10 business days to fulfill a request for examination.
3. After a member or written representative requests copies, the association has 10 business days to provide them.
4. The association may charge no more than 15 cents per page for copies.

Those provisions establish access mechanics. They do not say that every record a member names exists, that every portion must be disclosed, or that the records establish whether an assessment or budget decision was proper.

Records that may be withheld

Both sections permit books and records kept by or for the association and board to be withheld to the extent the withheld portion relates to one of these categories:

• Privileged communications between association counsel and the association.
• Pending litigation.
• Minutes or other records of a board session that was not required to be open to all members under the applicable open-meeting section.
• Personal, health, or financial records about an individual member, an association employee, or an employee of a contractor for the association.
• Job-performance, compensation, health, or specific-complaint records about an association employee or a contractor employee working under the association’s direction.

The sections also say the association is not required to disclose records when disclosure would violate state or federal law. A focused request can ask the association to identify the statutory category for a withheld portion without assuming that the category does or does not apply.

A practical records request

For an assessment, dues change, or major-repair question, ask to examine the records that connect the decision to its inputs, while recognizing that the statute controls access rather than guaranteeing a particular document set. Depending on what the association keeps and what may lawfully be withheld, useful requests can include:

1. The current approved budget, assessment schedule, and notice of the change.
2. Open-session minutes or board records addressing the decision.
3. Current financial statements and reserve-account records used for the decision.
4. Any reserve study, capital plan, bid, contract, engineering report, or project schedule the association relied on.

State whether you want only an examination or also want copies. If someone is acting for you, designate that representative in writing. Keep the request narrow enough that the association can identify the records and respond to any unavailable or withheld portion specifically.

What to do next

Use the Arizona owner records checklist to turn these rules into a focused email. For buyer-facing reserve and resale records, read the Arizona reserve-disclosure explainer and Arizona resale-disclosure draft.

This page is an explainer, not legal advice. It does not decide whether a particular record must be produced, whether a withholding category applies, or whether an association complied with Arizona law. It remains noindex pending human legal review.