Minnesota HOA compliance, enforced as code

Decision body — the board

The opportunity to be heard is before the board or a committee appointed by it; the owner may be advised by an attorney or designated representative at the hearing. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: CommonGround routes the fine decision to the board and requires the recorded decision before any fine is assessed.

Notice, opportunity to be heard, and a recorded decision

A fine requires notice, the opportunity to be heard (on the owner's timely request), and a recorded decision; attorney fees and costs may not be charged unless a hearing is held and the board/committee adopts a final resolution upholding the fine. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: The workflow has no path around it: the notice must be sent, the opportunity to be heard must be offered, and the decision must be recorded — in that order — before a fine can exist.

Required violation-notice contents

Written fine notices must state the amount, reason, violation, date, and governing-document section, the right to a hearing (element (5) now includes the hearing-scheduling steps), the lien/foreclosure warning (narrowed to unpaid fines for certain violations subject to § 515B.3-116(h)), the collection-cost warning, and the Minnesota Homeownership Center notice (now also referencing the common interest community ombudsperson). This notice opens the 30-day hearing-request window. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(c) (as amended by 2026 ch. 82, eff. 1/1/2027)

• Amount
• Reason
• Violation description
• Violation date
• Governing document section
• Hearing right
• Lien foreclosure warning
• Collection cost warning
• Homeownership center notice

In CommonGround: CommonGround drafts the notice with all 9 statutory elements in place; a notice missing any of them cannot be sent.

Owner's hearing-request window — 30 days

The unit owner must request a hearing within 30 days after receipt of the notice, unless the declaration provides for a different period. A no-hearing fine may proceed only after the window expires unused. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: The 30-day request clock starts when the notice goes out. The fine is blocked until the window closes with no request — and an owner request routes the case to a hearing automatically.

Written findings due in 30 days

The association must provide, in any reasonable manner, a copy of the final resolution within 30 days of its adoption; the resolution must contain an explanation for upholding the fine. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: CommonGround drafts the written findings from the hearing record and counts down the 30-day deadline.

Single-fine cap — $100

A fine for a single violation may not exceed $100. Statutory exceptions: a greater amount approved by owners of units holding a majority of votes at a board meeting; a subsequent violation for the same conduct; serious and immediate health/safety impact; physical damage to another unit or a common element; financial enrichment/rental violations. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82, eff. 1/1/2027)

In CommonGround: A single fine over $100 can't be recorded — the form rejects it with the citation.

Documents may authorize higher caps

'Unless, at a board meeting, a greater amount is approved by owners of units to which a majority of the votes in the association are allocated' — the member-majority approval raises the $100 cap. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: A higher document-authorized cap is accepted only with a recorded governing-document reference attached to the fine.

Health-and-safety exception

A fine greater than $100 is permitted where the violation has a serious and immediate impact on the health or safety of a resident, occupant, or guest. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11)(i) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: Above-cap amounts require a recorded health-and-safety finding before the software accepts them.

Adopted fine schedule / policy required

If the governing documents authorize fines, the association must provide a list of fines for common violations and a description of available remedies to every unit owner in any reasonable manner — the distributed fine schedule is a prerequisite artifact. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(11) (2026 ch. 82)

In CommonGround: No fine can be generated without the adopted fine policy or schedule on file — CommonGround checks for the artifact before the workflow opens.

No late charges or interest on fines

Interest may be imposed ONLY on delinquent assessments for common expenses or special assessments (max 8%), and the late-payment fee power (greater of $20 or 5%) covers assessments — the former (a)(11) interest/late-charge power over fines is struck. No interest or late charges on fines. Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-102(a)(17)–(18) (2026 ch. 82, eff. 1/1/2027)

In CommonGround: Late charges and interest on fine balances are blocked at the ledger — they can't be added even by accident.