Pennsylvania HOA laws

Pennsylvania HOA and Condo Laws, in Plain English

Pennsylvania has 3 statutes that govern community associations: Uniform Condominium Act, Uniform Planned Community Act, and Real Estate Cooperative Act. Here is what each covers, who it applies to, and the rules that come with a sale, with a link to the official text of every one.

A summary for boards and owners, not a substitute for the statute or your attorney. Every act links to its official text, and the association that acts on a rule is responsible for reading it.

The actsWhen a home sellsQuestions

HOA laws

Pennsylvania

PA
Uniform Condominium Act Uniform Planned Community Act Real Estate Cooperative Act
Resale documentResale Certificate
Fee capNo fixed dollar cap
Deadline10 days
Buyer may cancel5 days after receiving it

The Acts, and Who Each One Covers

Community type decides which act applies, and a community created before an act took effect may still be under the older one. The declaration says which.

68 Pa. C.S. 3101 (Uniform Condominium Act)

Condominiums

The Uniform Condominium Act governs condominiums created in Pennsylvania after mid 1980, and certain of its consumer protection and governance provisions also reach condominiums formed before that date. It sets the framework for creating, altering, and terminating a condominium, for the powers and governance of the unit owners' association, and for assessments, liens, and association records. It also establishes purchaser protections, including public offering statement and resale disclosure requirements.

  • 68 Pa. C.S. 3407 (Resales of units)

    This section requires an owner reselling a condominium unit to give the purchaser the governing documents and a certificate disclosing unpaid assessments and other fees owed along with financial, insurance, and governance information about the association. It also requires the association to furnish that certificate to the owner on request and limits a purchaser's liability to the amount the certificate discloses.

    Official text
Read 68 Pa. C.S. 3101 on the state's site

68 Pa. C.S. 5101 (Uniform Planned Community Act)

HOAs and planned communities

The Uniform Planned Community Act governs planned communities created in Pennsylvania after early 1997, covering homeowner associations for developments outside the condominium and cooperative forms. It addresses creation, alteration, and termination of the community, association powers and governance, assessments and liens, and association records. It also sets purchaser protections, including public offering statement and resale disclosure requirements.

  • 68 Pa. C.S. 5407 (Resales of units)

    This section requires an owner reselling a unit in a planned community to give the purchaser the governing documents and a certificate disclosing unpaid assessments and other fees owed along with financial, insurance, and governance information about the association. It also requires the association to furnish that certificate to the owner on request and limits a purchaser's liability to the amount the certificate discloses.

    Official text
Read 68 Pa. C.S. 5101 on the state's site

68 Pa. C.S. 4101 (Real Estate Cooperative Act)

Cooperatives

The Real Estate Cooperative Act governs cooperative housing associations formed in Pennsylvania after early 1993, where residents hold a proprietary lease or similar interest rather than direct title to a unit. It covers creation, alteration, and termination of the cooperative, association governance and powers, and assessments, liens, and records. It also sets purchaser protections, including public offering statement and resale disclosure requirements for proprietary lessees.

  • 68 Pa. C.S. 4409 (Resales of cooperative interests)

    This section requires a proprietary lessee reselling a cooperative interest to give the purchaser the governing documents and a certificate disclosing unpaid assessments and other fees owed along with financial, insurance, and governance information about the association. It also requires the association to furnish that certificate on request and limits a purchaser's liability to the amount the certificate discloses.

    Official text
Read 68 Pa. C.S. 4101 on the state's site

When a Home Sells in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania law has the association furnish resale certificate to the buyer, under 68 Pa. C.S. 3407. The figures below come from the rules Havn applies to every order.

What Pennsylvania calls the resale document
Resale Certificate
Fee cap
No fixed dollar cap
Delivery deadline
10 days
Buyer's right to cancel
5 days after receiving it

On a unit owner's written request, the association must furnish a statement in recordable form setting forth the amount of unpaid assessments currently levied against the unit and any credits of surplus, within ten business days after receipt of the request; once furnished it is binding on the association, the executive board, and every unit owner (68 Pa.C.S. 3315(g); 5315(h)).

The full Pennsylvania resale rules, who pays, and how to order are on the Pennsylvania resale certificate page. Every state's cap and deadline sit side by side in the fee and deadline table.

Pennsylvania HOA Law Questions

Which law governs condominiums in Pennsylvania?

68 Pa. C.S. 3101 (Uniform Condominium Act). The Uniform Condominium Act governs condominiums created in Pennsylvania after mid 1980, and certain of its consumer protection and governance provisions also reach condominiums formed before that date.

Which law governs HOAs in Pennsylvania?

68 Pa. C.S. 5101 (Uniform Planned Community Act). The Uniform Planned Community Act governs planned communities created in Pennsylvania after early 1997, covering homeowner associations for developments outside the condominium and cooperative forms.

Does Pennsylvania cap the fee for a resale certificate?

No. Pennsylvania sets no dollar cap on resale certificate, so the association or its management company sets the fee within the statute.

How long does a Pennsylvania association have to deliver resale certificate?

10 days, counted from the request.

Where can I read the Pennsylvania statutes?

Each act on this page links to its official text on the state legislature's site. Havn summarizes the law and links to the source rather than restating it.

Nearby States

New Jersey HOA laws

Resale fee: no fixed dollar cap · 10 days

New York HOA laws

Resale fee: no fixed dollar cap · no statutory deadline

Ohio HOA laws

Resale fee: no fixed dollar cap · no statutory deadline

Maryland HOA laws

Resale fee: $250 · 20 days

Delaware HOA laws

Resale fee: $200 · 10 days

Keep Reading

Guides

Templates

  • HOA Annual Meeting Notice TemplateA free HOA annual meeting notice template: date, place, agenda, the election, quorum, and the proxy or ballot enclosed, written to meet the notice window in your bylaws.
  • HOA Violation Notice TemplateA free HOA violation letter template: the rule cited, what was observed and when, the photo, the cure date, what happens next, and how the owner can respond or request a hearing.
  • HOA Dues Increase and Special Assessment Notice TemplateA free HOA letter template for a dues increase or a special assessment: the new amount and when it starts, why, the payment schedule, how to pay, and where to ask questions.
  • HOA Proxy Form TemplateA free HOA proxy form template: the owner, the home, the proxy holder, the meeting, directed instructions on each item, the expiration, and the signature.

Terms to Know

  • Resale certificateThe disclosure package an HOA or condo association furnishes when a home in the community is sold: what is owed, what is coming, and the documents that govern the home.
  • HOA lienThe association's legal claim on a home for unpaid assessments, created by the declaration and, in most states, by statute.
  • Super lienIn roughly twenty states, a slice of the association's assessment lien that takes priority over the first mortgage, usually a set number of months of assessments.
  • QuorumThe minimum number of owners, or share of the votes, that must be present or represented for a meeting to act.
  • Special assessmentA one-time charge beyond the regular assessment, levied to cover a shortfall or a project the budget and the reserves cannot: a roof, a lawsuit, a storm.

In Havn

  • Self-Managed HOAsEverything a volunteer board needs, for a dollar a home a month.
  • AccountingFund accounting, budgets, bank feeds, payables, and owner statements.
  • CommunicationsMeeting notices, violation letters, and dues notices by email, text, and mail, with delivery logged.

Run a Pennsylvania community with the rules built in.

HOA management software with a homeowner portal owners actually use. Resale documents are included; the requester pays for each one.

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