HOA fines in Arizona: what the law says

My HOA hit me with a fine or fee

State law

What the statute says

Governing statute: Arizona has TWO separate statutes and both were checked. (1) Single-family / detached HOAs: Planned Communities, A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 16 (§§ 33-1801 to 33-1820) - the fine/notice section is § 33-1803 'Assessment limitation; penalties; notice to member of violation'.
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(2) Condominiums: Arizona Condominium Act, A.R.S. Title 33, Chapter 9 (§§ 33-1201 to 33-1270) - the parallel fine/notice section is § 33-1242 'Powers of unit owners' association; notice to unit owner of violation'. Arizona has no single named act (no Davis-Stirling equivalent). The fine, notice, hearing and records rules in the two chapters are worded almost identically.
Notice they must give you: Planned community: the board may impose reasonable monetary penalties only 'after notice and an opportunity to be heard' (§ 33-1803(B)).
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Separately, a member who receives a written notice that the condition of the member's property violates the community documents - whether or not a monetary penalty is imposed in that notice - may respond in writing by certified mail within 21 calendar days after the date of the notice, sent to the address identified in the notice (§ 33-1803(C)). Within 10 business days after receiving that certified-mail response the association must respond in writing with, at a minimum (unless already given in the notice of violation): (1) the provision of the community documents allegedly violated; (2) the date of the violation or the date it was observed; (3) the first and last name of the person or persons who observed the violation; (4) the process the member must follow to contest the notice (§ 33-1803(D)). Condominium: identical scheme - 21 calendar days for the unit owner's certified-mail response, 10 business days for the association's written explanation with the same four items (§ 33-1242(B), (C)).
Your right to a hearing: Yes, two statutory layers. (1) Board level: a monetary penalty may be imposed only 'after notice and an opportunity to be heard' - § 33-1803(B) (planned communities) and § 33-1242(A)(11) (condominiums). The statutes do not prescribe the format of that board hearing.
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(2) State administrative hearing: the owner (or the association) may petition the Arizona Department of Real Estate for a hearing, heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings, on disputes involving associations governed by Title 33, Chapter 9 or Chapter 16, including alleged violations of the governing documents or of those chapters (§ 32-2199.01). A filing fee applies 'in an amount to be established by the commissioner' (amount is set administratively, not in the statute). The department has no jurisdiction over owner-vs-owner disputes that do not involve the association, or over claims against developers/builders about design, construction or sale. § 33-1803(E) / § 33-1242(D) require the association to give the owner written notice of this right to petition. The owner may petition at any time before or after the statutory exchange of information. If the petitioner prevails, the administrative law judge orders the respondent to pay the petitioner the § 32-2199.01 filing fee; the ALJ may also levy a civil penalty per violation; the order is subject to judicial review under § 41-1092.08 and rehearing under § 32-2199.04 (§ 32-2199.02).
Cap on the fine: No statutory dollar cap on the fine itself. The only statutory limit on a monetary penalty is that it must be 'reasonable' (§ 33-1803(B); § 33-1242(A)(11)).
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Statutory dollar caps apply only to LATE CHARGES: for planned communities, charges for late payment of assessments are limited to the greater of $15 or 10% of the unpaid assessment, and, notwithstanding anything in the community documents, the board may not impose a late-payment charge on an unpaid penalty exceeding the greater of $15 or 10% of the unpaid penalty; a payment is late only if unpaid 15 or more days after the due date unless the documents allow longer (§ 33-1803(A), (B)). Regular assessments may not be raised more than 20% over the prior fiscal year without majority member approval (§ 33-1803(A)).
Right to inspect records: All financial and other records of the association must be made reasonably available for examination by any member or by a person the member designates in writing as the member's representative. The association may not charge for making material available for review.
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The association has 10 business days to fulfill a request for examination, and 10 business days to provide copies when copies are requested; the copying fee may not exceed 15 cents per page. Records may be withheld if they relate to attorney-client privileged communications, pending litigation, executive (closed) session minutes or records, personal, health or financial records of an individual member or employee, or an employee's job performance, compensation, health records or complaints - and need not be disclosed where disclosure would violate state or federal law. Planned communities: § 33-1805. Condominiums: § 33-1258 (same 10-business-day and 15-cents-per-page terms).
Required dispute process: No mandatory mediation or arbitration prerequisite to suit in the statutes. What is mandatory is the statutory exchange of information: unless the information required by § 33-1803(D)(4) (§ 33-1242(C)(4) for condominiums) - the process for contesting the notice - was already given in the notice of violation, the…
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association 'shall not proceed with any action to enforce the community documents, including the collection of attorney fees,' before or during the exchange-of-information period, and must give the owner written notice of the right to petition for an administrative hearing under § 32-2199.01 (§ 33-1803(E); § 33-1242(D)). The § 32-2199.01 administrative petition is an optional alternative forum, not a precondition to court, and may be filed before or after the information exchange.
Attorney's fees: There is no fee-shifting provision specific to HOA fine disputes in Title 33, Chapter 9 or Chapter 16. Two statutory points that were verified: (a) § 33-1803(E) / § 33-1242(D) prohibit the association from proceeding with any enforcement action 'including the collection of attorney fees' before or during the statutory exchange-of-information period when the required contest-process information was not in the notice of violation; (b) generally, A.R.S.
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§ 12-341.01 provides that 'in any contested action arising out of a contract, express or implied, the court may award the successful party reasonable attorney fees' - the award is discretionary, is decided by the court not a jury, and may not exceed the amount actually paid or agreed to be paid. § 32-2199.02 provides only that a prevailing petitioner recovers the administrative filing fee; it says nothing about attorney fees in the administrative forum.
Time limit to sue: 6 years
Who handles complaints: Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE) is the only state-level body with a role: it accepts petitions for administrative hearings on condominium and planned-community disputes, which are then heard by the Office of Administrative Hearings (A.R.S. §§ 32-2199.01, 32-2199.02).
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ADRE does not license, register or otherwise supervise HOAs, and Arizona has no HOA ombudsman; anything outside the § 32-2199.01 jurisdiction goes to court.

Read this before relying on the numbers above

Arizona's planned community and condominium chapters do not set a deadline of their own for a fine dispute. The six years shown is the general period for a debt founded on a written contract (A.R.S. § 12-548), which reaches a recorded declaration because such a declaration is treated as a written contract.

Arizona lawmakers took up a bill in the 2026 session that would rewrite the violation-notice and response rules in both chapters. Among other things it would cut the window for your written response from 21 calendar days to 10 days, counted from when the notice reaches you rather than from the date on the notice. Confirm the current wording of A.R.S. § 33-1803 for a planned community, or § 33-1242 for a condominium, before you count days.

Arizona statute sets a floor and little more. The amount charged for a given violation, how long you get to fix it, how a board hearing is run, and whether any internal appeal exists all come from your community's own recorded documents and rules.

Read it yourself

Official sources. If a number below matters to your case, open the statute and read it — laws get amended, and cities often stack stricter local rules on top.

A.R.S. § 33-1803(A)-(E) — A.R.S. § 33-1803 - Assessment limitation; penalties; notice to member of violation (planned communities)
A.R.S. § 33-1242(A)(11), (B), (C), (D) — A.R.S. § 33-1242 - Powers of unit owners' association; notice to unit owner of violation (condominiums)
A.R.S. § 33-1805(A)-(C) — A.R.S. § 33-1805 - Association financial and other records (planned communities)
A.R.S. § 33-1258(A) — A.R.S. § 33-1258 - Association financial and other records (condominiums)
A.R.S. § 32-2199.01 — A.R.S. § 32-2199.01 - Petition to Department of Real Estate for administrative hearing on HOA/condo disputes
A.R.S. § 32-2199.02 — A.R.S. § 32-2199.02 - Hearings; filing fee to prevailing petitioner; civil penalty; judicial review
A.R.S. § 12-341.01(A) — A.R.S. § 12-341.01 - Attorney fees in contested action arising out of contract
A.R.S. § 12-548(A) — A.R.S. § 12-548 - Contract in writing for debt; six year limitation
A.R.S. Title 33, Chapters 9 and 16 — A.R.S. Title 33 chapter/section index (confirms Ch. 9 Condominiums 33-1201 to 33-1270 and Ch. 16 Planned Communities 33-1801 to 33-1820 are separate acts)
Ariz. S.B. 1440 (57th Leg., 2d Reg. Sess. 2026), introduced version — S.B. 1440, 57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session (2026), as introduced - 'HOAs; condominiums; enforcement; due process' (amending 33-1242 and 33-1803). Read for pending-change context only; enactment NOT verified.

Last checked: 2026-08-17

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Jab Today is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. This page describes how the statutes read, which is a different thing from what will happen in your case. Laws are amended and local ordinances often add stricter rules. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.