Illinois ties records access to a clock the board can't just let run out. If you're in a common interest community association, 765 ILCS 160/1-30(i) requires the board to maintain the declaration and community instruments, financial receipts and expenditures, board minutes (for at least 7 years), ballots and proxies (for at least 1 year), and any reserve study, and to make them available on a written request within 30 days, failure to respond in that window "shall be deemed a denial." If you own a condo, 765 ILCS 605/19(a) lists an even longer roster, declaration, bylaws, plats, rules, articles of incorporation, 7 years of minutes, current insurance policies, contracts and leases, the membership list, ballots and proxies from the last 12 months, 10 years of books and records, and any reserve study, and 765 ILCS 605/19(b) cuts the clock to 10 business days before a non-response counts as a denial.
Not every record, and not every fee shift, is equal
Two nuances matter once you're actually enforcing this right. First, exemptions: 765 ILCS 605/19(g) lets the board withhold employee discipline records, documents tied to pending or threatened litigation, and other owners' individual financial or unit-sale records, so a partial refusal citing one of those categories isn't automatically stonewalling. Second, attorney's fees: for most condo records, win an enforcement action and 765 ILCS 605/19(b) entitles you to reasonable fees and costs, full stop. For the membership list and ballots or proxies specifically, 765 ILCS 605/19(e) raises the bar, you only recover fees if the court finds the board acted in bad faith in denying you. HOA owners have a similar fee right under 765 ILCS 160/1-30(i)(4), tied to the board's own acts or omissions causing the failure.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
765 ILCS 160/1-30(i)
Lists the HOA board's required records and sets a 30-day written-request clock; no response in that window is a deemed denial.
765 ILCS 605/19(a)
Lists condo records (declaration, minutes, insurance, contracts, membership list, ballots/proxies, 10 years of books, reserve study), with a 10-business-day deemed-denial clock in subsection (b).
765 ILCS 605/19(g)
The categories a condo board may withhold: employee discipline records, pending or threatened litigation documents, and other owners' individual financial or sale records.
765 ILCS 605/22.1(a)-(b)
A related resale disclosure right: the board must furnish a written statement of liens, reserves, financials, and insurance within 10 business days of a written request.
Step by step
How to make a records request in Illinois
A clean, statute-anchored records request that starts the clock under 765 ILCS 160/1-30(i) (HOA) or 765 ILCS 605/19 (condo).
- 01
Put it in writing, dated
Use certified mail or email with a read receipt so you can prove exactly when the response clock started.
- 02
List the records with particularity
Both statutes require this: name the declaration, bylaws, minutes, financials, contracts, insurance policies, and reserve study specifically rather than asking generally for "everything."
- 03
Cite the right statute and the deadline
765 ILCS 160/1-30(i) (30 days, HOA) or 765 ILCS 605/19(b) (10 business days, condo). Naming the clock puts the board on notice you're tracking it.
- 04
Note any exemption they cite
If the board withholds something under 765 ILCS 605/19(g)'s categories, get that in writing too; it narrows what's actually in dispute.
- 05
If it's a deemed denial, weigh the fee-shifting rule
Most condo records carry a straightforward prevailing-party fee award under 765 ILCS 605/19(b); the membership list and ballots/proxies need bad faith under 765 ILCS 605/19(e). Frame your enforcement action accordingly.
Straight answers
Common questions
How long does my Illinois HOA or condo board have to respond to a records request?
An HOA under CICAA has 30 days before non-response is a deemed denial (765 ILCS 160/1-30(i)). A condo association has 10 business days (765 ILCS 605/19(b)).
What records am I actually entitled to see?
At minimum, the declaration and bylaws, board and membership minutes, financial records, contracts and insurance policies, and any reserve study, under 765 ILCS 160/1-30(i) (HOA) or 765 ILCS 605/19(a) (condo). Condo owners also get the membership list and recent ballots and proxies, subject to an association-purpose certification.
Can the board refuse to hand over anything?
Yes, within limits. 765 ILCS 605/19(g) lets a condo board withhold documents about employee discipline, pending or threatened litigation, and other owners' individual financial or unit-sale records.
Do I automatically get my attorney's fees if the board wrongly denies my request?
For most condo records, yes, prevailing in an enforcement action is enough under 765 ILCS 605/19(b). For the membership list and ballots/proxies, 765 ILCS 605/19(e) requires you also show the board acted in bad faith. HOA owners recover fees under 765 ILCS 160/1-30(i)(4) when the failure is due to the board's own acts or omissions.