Louisiana is genuinely different from the rest of the country — it's a civil-law state, and that shows up in how HOAs and condominiums are regulated. For most planned communities the main statute is the Louisiana Planned Community Act, R.S. 9:1141.1 et seq. — rewritten in 2024 (Acts 2024, No. 158) to replace the older Louisiana Homeowners Association Act — but several other layers apply on top, and condominiums sit under a separate statute entirely.
The full Louisiana stack typically includes:
- Louisiana Planned Community Act, R.S. 9:1141.1 et seq. — the primary statute for planned-community HOAs (formerly the Homeowners Association Act).
- Louisiana Condominium Act, R.S. 9:1121.101 through 9:1124.115 — the separate statutory regime for condominiums.
- Civil Code Building Restrictions, La. C.C. Arts. 775–783 — the underlying civil-law framework for community restrictions. The Civil Code says the Planned Community Act controls in case of conflict (Art. 783).
- The association privilege, R.S. 9:1145–1148 — the lien-equivalent for unpaid assessments and fines.
- Louisiana Nonprofit Corporation Law, R.S. 12:201 et seq. — the entity law for most HOAs.
- Federal law — Fair Housing Act, ADA, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, OTARD (satellite antennas), and the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act.
Because the right combination depends on what kind of community you live in (condo or planned community) and when it was created, a licensed Louisiana attorney is the right resource for how it all applies to your specific situation. See Which Louisiana Laws Govern Your HOA or Condo? for the full breakdown.
The 2024 rewrite, and what it means for older communities
The Planned Community Act took effect January 1, 2025 for newly filed declarations and January 1, 2026 for communities that already existed. For an existing community it largely fills gaps rather than overriding the recorded documents: it applies "only to the extent the community documents are silent" and does not force an existing association to amend its documents (R.S. 9:1141.3). So the declaration and bylaws still lead where they speak.
Association records (§ 9:1141.36)
The Act gives owners a right to inspect and copy a broad set of association records:
"Upon receipt of a request for specific records, the association shall make the records available for examination and copying by a lot owner, the lot owner's agent, or persons with a valid contract of sale." — R.S. 9:1141.36(B)
This is the hook owners commonly use to obtain the rules, bylaws, ledgers, and other documents the association relies on. See Getting Your HOA's Documents in Louisiana.
The assessment privilege (§ 9:1141.35; § 9:1145–1148)
Instead of a "lien," Louisiana's civil-law system calls it a privilege. A privilege arises for any assessment or fine (R.S. 9:1141.35), and the Privileges Part (R.S. 9:1145–1148) governs how it works. Generally, after a lot owner has been delinquent for at least three months in any eight-month period and the association has given notice, the association may accelerate up to twelve months of assessments (R.S. 9:1141.32(C)); it must then make written demand and wait thirty days before filing a sworn detailed statement of privilege in the parish mortgage records. To keep the privilege alive, the association must enforce it (file a notice of pendency of action) within five years for unpaid dues, or within one year for assessments based on community-document violations. Enforcement runs through the courts. See Can a Louisiana HOA Foreclose Over Unpaid Dues?.
Building restrictions and the Civil Code
Because Louisiana's covenant framework lives in the Civil Code, the law explicitly addresses conflicts: the Planned Community Act supersedes the Civil Code building-restriction articles where they conflict (La. C.C. Art. 783). That is unique to Louisiana and matters anytime an old restriction is at issue. See Building Restrictions: Why the Civil Code Still Matters.
Fines and rules
The Act lets an association "impose reasonable fines" for violations of the community documents (R.S. 9:1141.20(A)(2)(l)), but ties the power to those documents and to reasonableness. Whether a fine is authorized, reasonable, and consistently applied are routine points of dispute — see Fighting an HOA Fine in Louisiana.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Planned Community Act apply to condos?
No — residential condominiums fall under the separate Louisiana Condominium Act (R.S. 9:1121.101 et seq.).
Can the HOA take my home over unpaid dues?
The association's remedy is the assessment privilege (R.S. 9:1141.35 and R.S. 9:1145–1148), enforced through court — not a private power of sale.
How long is the HOA's privilege good for?
It must be enforced within five years for unpaid dues, or within one year for assessments based on community-document violations, under R.S. 9:1148.