The District pairs its open-meeting rules with an open-books rule. Under D.C. Code § 42-1903.14, the association must keep detailed records of receipts and expenditures affecting the operation and administration of the condominium, and those books and records are open to examination by unit owners in good standing (or their authorized agents) during reasonable business hours, for purposes related to your membership, not for commercial solicitation or resale. The withholding categories are enumerated, not open-ended: personnel and medical files, contracts under active negotiation, pending or specifically threatened litigation, attorney-client communications, executive-session materials, disclosures barred by law, and other owners' individual files. Everything else is presumptively yours to examine, and copying charges are limited to the actual cost of materials and labor.
Meeting paper is covered separately and just as concretely: minutes of association and executive-board meetings must be recorded and made available for examination and copying by owners in good standing on written request, within a defined window and during reasonable business hours (§ 42-1903.03). Two more instruments round out the toolkit. Owners holding one-third of the votes (or fewer, if the bylaws lower the bar) can compel an audit of the association's books. And under § 42-1903.13(h), any owner or purchaser is entitled to a written statement of unpaid assessments against a unit within 10 days of request, a statement that binds the association and whose absence extinguishes the assessment lien, which makes it the single most consequential document request in District condo law.
Co-ops and non-condo HOAs
If you're in a housing cooperative or one of DC's few non-condo HOAs, § 42-1903.14 doesn't reach you, but corporate law usually does. For associations incorporated under the D.C. Nonprofit Corporation Act, § 29-413.02 entitles a member to inspect and copy core corporate records on five business days' signed notice, and accounting records and the membership list with a stated proper purpose, and the statute says these inspection rights cannot be abolished or limited by the articles or bylaws. A co-op or HOA board that claims its books are simply private is usually wrong as a matter of corporate statute, not just good governance.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
D.C. Code § 42-1903.14
Books and financial records are open to examination by owners in good standing for membership-related purposes, with enumerated withholding categories, at-cost copying, and an audit on demand of one-third of the votes.
D.C. Code § 42-1903.03
Meeting minutes must be recorded and made available for examination and copying by unit owners in good standing on written request.
D.C. Code § 42-1903.13(h)
A requested statement of unpaid assessments is due within 10 days, binds the association, and the lien is extinguished if the statement isn't furnished in time.
D.C. Code § 29-413.02
For incorporated co-ops and non-condo HOAs, members may inspect corporate records on 5 business days' notice, and the articles or bylaws cannot take that right away.
Step by step
How to make a records request in Washington, DC
A statute-anchored path to examine a DC association's minutes, books, and financial records.
- 01
Put it in writing and anchor the statute
Send a dated, written request identifying yourself as an owner in good standing, naming the records (minutes, budget, financial statements, contracts, enforcement ledger), and citing D.C. Code §§ 42-1903.03 and 42-1903.14. State the membership-related purpose in one sentence.
- 02
Ask for examination first, copies second
The statute grants examination during reasonable business hours; copying is at actual cost of materials and labor. Offering to examine on-site and photograph what you need removes the board's fee excuse entirely.
- 03
Make them invoke a category, in writing
Withholding is lawful only under the enumerated categories (personnel, active negotiations, specifically threatened litigation, privilege, executive-session materials, other owners' files). Ask the association to identify, in writing, which category covers each withheld record. Vague confidentiality claims don't qualify.
- 04
Use the 10-day statement when money is disputed
If the dispute involves your balance, request the statement of unpaid assessments under § 42-1903.13(h) with proof of delivery. It's due in 10 days, it binds the association, and a blown deadline extinguishes the lien.
- 05
Escalate with the audit lever or counsel
For community-wide financial doubts, organize owners holding one-third of the votes and demand the statutory audit. For a stonewalled individual request, a demand letter citing the sections above resolves most cases; a DC court can compel the rest.
Straight answers
Common questions
What records can I see as a DC condo owner?
The association's books and detailed records of receipts and expenditures, its contracts and financial records, and the minutes of association and board meetings, as an owner in good standing, for purposes related to your membership. Withholding is limited to the categories enumerated in D.C. Code § 42-1903.14, and copies are at actual cost.
Is there a deadline for the association to respond?
Minutes must be made available on written request within the statute's defined window, and examination of books happens during reasonable business hours; the hardest deadline is the 10-day statement of unpaid assessments under § 42-1903.13(h), whose breach extinguishes the assessment lien. Put every request in writing and keep proof of delivery.
Can they refuse because records are 'confidential'?
Only within the enumerated categories: personnel and medical files, contracts under negotiation, specifically threatened or pending litigation, privileged communications, executive-session materials, legally barred disclosures, and other owners' files. A blanket confidentiality claim outside those categories doesn't comply with the statute, and you should ask, in writing, which category is being invoked.
Can owners force an audit?
Yes. Owners holding one-third of the votes (or a lower share if the bylaws set one) may require the association's books to be audited. It's one of the strongest collective-transparency tools the Act provides, and organizing for it often changes board behavior before the audit even begins.