Records & TransparencyOR
Getting Your Oregon HOA's Records
By The HOARebel Team · June 1, 2026 · 2 min read
Oregon's Planned Communities Act gives homeowners a direct right to inspect and copy association records — and it specifies both what must be provided and the limited categories the board may lawfully withhold. For your specific situation, a licensed Oregon attorney is the right resource. This is general information, not legal advice.
The statutory right: ORS 94.670
Under ORS 94.670, the association must make its "documents, information and records ... reasonably available for examination and, upon written request, available for duplication by an owner" who makes the request "in good faith for a proper purpose." The association must also deposit assessments in federally insured accounts in the association's name and pay expenses from those accounts, giving the financial records a clear paper trail.
The board may adopt "reasonable rules governing the frequency, time, location, notice and manner of examination and duplication of association records and the imposition of a reasonable fee for furnishing copies," including reasonable personnel costs. The board cannot, however, use its rulemaking authority to effectively deny the right.
What the association may withhold
ORS 94.670 identifies categories the association may lawfully decline to produce:
- Personnel and medical matters — records relating to employment or individual health information
- Active business negotiations — documents pertaining to ongoing contracts where disclosure would harm the association's position
- Attorney communications — communications with legal counsel and attorney work product relating to potential, threatened, or pending litigation
- Executive session records — matters discussed in properly convened executive sessions
- Individual owner files — files of other owners, except the requesting owner's own file
What owners commonly request
People reviewing the association's books often look at:
- Annual budgets, reserve studies, and financial statements
- Bank statements, vendor contracts, and bids
- The declaration, bylaws, adopted rules, and fine schedule
- Board and member meeting minutes and notices
- Assessment statements and lien notices for the lot
Records frequently feed other disputes — questioning a fine or the assessment lien usually starts with the underlying documents.
For the recorded documents themselves
The recorded declaration and any recorded amendments are available from the county deed records office. The declaration's recording also perfects the association's assessment lien under ORS 94.709 — which is another reason the declaration is the first document to obtain.
If records are withheld
ORS 94.780(1) authorizes a "suit or action to remedy the violation" and gives the prevailing party "reasonable attorney fees and court costs" — which cuts both ways. Note that ORS 94.780(3) requires any such action to be brought within one year of discovering the alleged violation. Owners commonly put requests in writing, cite ORS 94.670, state a proper purpose, name the records specifically, and consult a licensed Oregon attorney if the refusal appears unjustified.