The questions
Ask these before the next meeting
Each question is tied to the Arizona rule it's based on. Skim all of them, then skip to the email template below if you want to send them as-is.
- 01
Which Arizona records statute fits this community?
Arizona uses parallel records rules: A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805 for planned communities and A.R.S. Sec. 33-1258 for condominiums. The request can name both, but the association should be able to say which chapter it uses for your property.
A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805; Sec. 33-1258
- 02
Can you make the current budget, year-to-date financials, and assessment schedule available for examination?
Both Arizona records statutes require association financial and other records to be made reasonably available to a member or the member's written representative, subject to the statutory withholding categories.
A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805(A); Sec. 33-1258(A)
- 03
Can you provide the reserve balance records and the most recent reserve study or capital plan, if one exists?
The owner needs the records that explain whether the assessment is tied to reserves, known capital work, or a current-year operating shortfall. Asking for the underlying records is more useful than asking the board to characterize the association as healthy or unhealthy.
- 04
Can you make available the open-session board minutes, notices, or resolutions where this assessment or project was discussed or approved?
The records statutes let associations withhold executive-session materials tied to the open-meeting exceptions, but that does not make every assessment discussion unavailable. Ask for the open-session record and let the association identify any specific withheld category.
A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805(B)(3); Sec. 33-1258(B)(3)
- 05
Can you provide bids, contracts, invoices, scopes of work, insurance correspondence, or engineering reports tied to the project?
An assessment notice often names a project but not the numbers behind it. These records help separate a board-approved cost from a rough estimate, an insurance gap, or a vendor quote that has changed.
- 06
If any record is withheld, which statutory category is the association relying on?
The statutes identify categories that may be withheld, including privileged attorney communications, pending litigation, certain closed-session minutes, personal health or financial records, and employee or contractor personnel records. A narrow category is more useful than a blanket refusal.
A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805(B)-(C); Sec. 33-1258(B)-(C)
- 07
If I ask for copies, what copy charge will be used?
The statutes say the association may not charge for making material available for review, and may charge not more than fifteen cents per page for copies. That lets you decide whether to inspect first and copy only the useful pages.
A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805(A); Sec. 33-1258(A)
Document request
Build your records email
Use the checklist from the Arizona records statutes, then edit the email so it matches your association and notice.
Records to ask for
- Assessment notice, current approved budget, and assessment schedule.
- Board resolution, written consent, or open-session minutes approving the assessment or dues change.
- Year-to-date income and expense statement, balance sheet, bank or reserve account summary, and current reserve balance.
- Most recent reserve study, capital plan, component list, or project schedule, if one exists.
- Bids, contracts, invoices, scopes of work, engineering reports, insurance correspondence, or claim records tied to the work.
- Open-session minutes or packets where the board discussed the project, vendor, funding source, or timing.
- Non-personal aggregate records the board used to evaluate cash timing, collection shortfalls, or payment timing.
Request details
Next step
Need help framing the request?
Continue with Arizona and the community details above already included.
Start with the official Arizona records rule
Arizona has two parallel owner-records statutes. Planned communities use A.R.S. Sec. 33-1805. Condominiums use A.R.S. Sec. 33-1258. Both say association financial and other records must be made reasonably available for examination by a member or by a person the member designates in writing.
The same core timing appears in both sections: the association has ten business days to fulfill an examination request, and ten business days to provide copies after a copy request. The statutes also say the association may not charge for making material available for review and may charge not more than fifteen cents per page for copies.
That does not mean every record is open. The statutes allow withholding for specific categories, including privileged attorney communications, pending litigation, certain closed-session minutes, personal health or financial information, certain personnel records, and records whose disclosure would violate state or federal law. The practical move is to ask for the financial records first and request a specific category for anything withheld.
Records checklist after an assessment notice
Ask for records that connect the assessment amount to board action and project facts:
- The assessment notice, current approved budget, and assessment schedule.
- The board resolution, written consent, or open-session minutes approving the assessment or dues change.
- Year-to-date income and expense statement, balance sheet, bank or reserve account summary, and current reserve balance.
- The most recent reserve study, capital plan, component list, or project schedule, if one exists.
- Bids, contracts, invoices, scopes of work, engineering reports, insurance correspondence, or claim records tied to the work.
- Open-session minutes or packets where the board discussed the project, vendor, funding source, or timing.
- Non-personal aggregate records the board used to evaluate cash timing, collection shortfalls, or payment timing.
Do not ask for individual owner account details, employee health records, or attorney advice unless a lawyer has told you those are appropriate for your situation. The goal is to get the records that explain the assessment, not to force the association into a broader privacy fight.
How to handle a partial answer
If the association produces some records but not the ones that explain the number, respond with a short follow-up: identify the missing item, ask whether it exists, and ask which statutory withholding category applies if the association will not make it available.
If the association says it has no reserve study or no capital plan, treat that as a document fact, not a legal conclusion. Compare the current budget, reserve balance, project cost, and board minutes before deciding what to ask next.
Useful next steps
Read the Arizona owner-records explainer for the access, timing, copy-charge, and withholding rules behind this checklist. The Arizona reserve-disclosure explainer and Arizona resale-disclosure draft cover buyer-facing disclosure records.
For follow-up help, start a document request for Arizona.
This is not legal advice, and it does not decide whether your association complied with Arizona law. It is a records checklist grounded in the official Arizona statutes so you can ask for the documents before arguing over conclusions.
The underlying rule
Arizona state law, in plain language
These questions come from the actual statute. If you want the full explainer before you send the email, start here.