How often must a Washington reserve study be updated?

Update interval: Annual. Site visit: Every 3 yrs.

What must a Washington association disclose about reserves?

Budget states contribution + per-unit deficiency. Applies to: All common interest communities (since Jan 2026).

State profile

Washington

Yes

Washington's WUCIOA requires associations to update their reserve study every year, and at least every third year to have it prepared by an independent reserve study professional based on a visual site inspection. Since January 1, 2026 the duty reaches every common interest community — including condos and HOAs created before WUCIOA's 2018 effective date, whose old "unreasonable hardship" opt-out no longer applies. Exemptions are narrow: nonresidential communities, communities with only nominal reserve costs, certain middle-housing communities, and cases where the study itself would cost more than 10% of the annual budget. Owners can compel a study, but the statute bars monetary damages for noncompliance.

Update every

Annual

Site visit

Every 3 yrs

Applies to

All common interest communities (since Jan 2026)

What your board must do

01Prepare and update a reserve study every year, and at least every third year have it prepared by a reserve study professional based on a visual site inspection (RCW 64.90.545(1)). The professional must be independent — no employee, officer, or director role and no pecuniary interest — but needs no specific license, only suitable qualification (RCW 64.90.010(48)).

02Include the statutory contents — a component list covering every component whose replacement cost exceeds 1% of the annual budget, useful and remaining life, replacement costs, the reserve balance and its percentage of the fully funded balance, contribution rates for both a full funding plan and a baseline funding plan, 30-year projections for each plan, and the reserve deficit or surplus stated per unit (RCW 64.90.550(2)).

03Disclose in every annual budget the amount budgeted for reserves, whether the association has a study meeting RCW 64.90.550 and how far the budget deviates from its recommendations, and the per-unit reserve deficiency or surplus (RCW 64.90.525(2)(d)-(f)).

04If your community was created before July 1, 2018, these duties have applied since January 1, 2026 (RCW 64.90.365(1)(g)-(h)) — the legacy condo and HOA chapters' hardship opt-out is displaced, and those chapters are repealed outright on January 1, 2028 (2024 c 321).

05Claim an exemption only if one of the four narrow grounds applies — nonresidential-restricted communities, only nominal reserve costs, qualifying middle-housing-only communities, or a study whose cost exceeds 10% of the annual budget (RCW 64.90.545(2), rewritten effective June 11, 2026) — and note the governing documents may require a study anyway.

06Expect owner enforcement rather than state enforcement — owners holding 20% of votes may demand a professionally prepared study whenever the last one is more than three years old, and courts may order specific performance and award attorney fees, though monetary damages for reserve failures are barred (RCW 64.90.555, 64.90.560).

Quick answers

Does Washington require a reserve study?: Reserve study required. Yes. Washington's WUCIOA requires associations to update their reserve study every year, and at least every third year to have it prepared by an independent reserve study professional based on a visual site inspection. Since January 1, 2026 the duty reaches every common interest community — including condos and HOAs created before WUCIOA's 2018 effective date, whose old "unreasonable hardship" opt-out no longer applies. Exemptions are narrow: nonresidential communities, communities with only nominal reserve costs, certain middle-housing communities, and cases where the study itself would cost more than 10% of the annual budget. Owners can compel a study, but the statute bars monetary damages for noncompliance.
How often must a Washington reserve study be updated?: Update interval: Annual. Site visit: Every 3 yrs.
What must a Washington association disclose about reserves?: Budget states contribution + per-unit deficiency. Applies to: All common interest communities (since Jan 2026).

Statutes

RCW 64.90.545Study requirement, annual/3-year cycle, exemptions RCW 64.90.550Required contents — 1% component threshold, funding plans RCW 64.90.525Annual budget reserve disclosures RCW 64.90.365Application to communities created before July 2018 RCW 64.90.555Owner demand and enforcement (with the .560 damages bar)

Last statutory change Jun 2026 · Page reviewed Sep 2026 · Not legal advice