HOA Architectural Request Form and Review Steps

Sooner or later an owner wants to paint the front door, build a deck, swap the fence, or put up a shed. Most associations require the board, or an architectural committee, to approve changes like these before work starts. A good request form makes that easy for the owner and keeps the board out of arguments about who said what.

Below is a form you can copy, followed by a plain process for reviewing requests and writing down decisions. Adjust it to match your own documents, since every community has different rules.

Why a written form helps everyone

• The owner knows what to submit and does not have to guess.
• The board gets the same information every time, so reviews go faster.
• Approvals and denials are on paper, which protects the owner and the association.
• Years later, a new owner or a new director can see exactly what was allowed and why.

Verbal approvals in the driveway cause the most trouble, and a form heads that off. Even if someone says yes at the mailbox, the answer is still "please send the form."

The request form

Copy this into a document or your online form. The bracketed items are for you to fill in. Delete anything that does not apply to your community.

[Association name]
ARCHITECTURAL REQUEST FORM

Date submitted: [date]

OWNER INFORMATION
Owner name(s): ______________________
Property address: ______________________
Phone: ______________________
Email: ______________________

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED CHANGE
Type of change (check one): [ ] Fence  [ ] Deck or patio  [ ] Paint or exterior color  [ ] Roof  [ ] Windows or doors  [ ] Landscaping  [ ] Shed or outbuilding  [ ] Solar or other equipment  [ ] Other: ____________

Plain description of the work:
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Materials, colors, and dimensions (include brand and color name or number if you have it):
______________________________________________

Location on the property (front, side, rear, distance from property lines):
______________________________________________

Dates
Planned start date: ____________
Expected finish date: ____________

Contractor (if any): ______________________
Contractor phone: ______________________

ATTACHMENTS (check what you included)
[ ] Photos of the current area
[ ] Sketch, plan, or site map showing the location
[ ] Product sample, brochure, or color chip
[ ] Contractor information
[ ] Signatures or written comments from affected neighbors, if your rules ask for them

OWNER ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I have read the governing documents that apply to this change. I understand I may not start work until I receive a written decision from the board. I understand that approval by the association does not replace any city or county permit that may be needed, and that getting those permits is my responsibility.

Owner signature: ______________________   Date: ____________

FOR BOARD USE
Date received: ____________   Received by: ______________
Rule(s) reviewed: [Section ___ of the Declaration / Section ___ of the Design Guidelines]
Decision: [ ] Approved  [ ] Approved with conditions  [ ] Denied  [ ] More information needed
Conditions or reason for decision:
______________________________________________
Decision date: ____________
Signed by: ______________________ (Name, Title)
Date decision sent to owner: ____________

How the board should review a request

Run the process the same way for every owner, in an order like this.

1. Log the request the day it arrives. Note the date, the owner, and the type of change.
2. Check that the form is complete. If photos or measurements are missing, ask for them right away, in writing.
3. Find the rule. Look at the governing documents and any design guidelines the board has adopted. Write the section numbers on the form.
4. Look at the site. One director visits, or the committee does, and writes down what they saw.
5. Discuss and vote at a meeting or in the way your bylaws allow. Do not decide through a string of casual emails unless your documents permit it.
6. Write the decision, with conditions and reasons, on the form.
7. Send the decision to the owner promptly, in writing, using a period your board chooses. Check your documents, since some require a decision within a set time and some treat silence a certain way.
8. File everything together: the request, photos, the decision, and the letter sent.

Recording the decision

A decision that is not written down is easy to argue about later. Record at least these things:

• The date of the decision and who voted, in whatever form your bylaws call for.
• The result: approved, approved with conditions, denied, or more information needed.
• The reason, tied to a rule. "The proposed color is outside the approved palette in Section [X]" is far better than "we did not like it."
• Any conditions, such as a finish date, a color, or a setback.
• The date the owner was told, and how.

If you deny a request, tell the owner what could change the answer to yes, since a denial with a path forward often ends the matter. Also check your documents for any appeal or reconsideration step, and point the owner to it.

Keeping it fair

• Apply the rules the same way to every owner. If you approved a similar fence last spring, the next one needs a good reason to be treated differently.
• Directors who are affected by a request, such as a neighbor of the project or the applicant themselves, should step out of that vote. Check your conflict of interest rules.
• Keep your design guidelines in writing and easy to find, so owners can check them before they apply.
• Follow up after the work is done. A quick look to confirm it matches the approval is enough.

A note on state law and your documents

This guide is general information, not legal advice. State law and your association's own governing documents (declaration or CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules) control how architectural review works, including who may decide, how fast, and what happens if the board is silent. Notice periods and enforcement procedures vary by state. If a request involves fines, liens, hearings, or a possible disability or religious accommodation, check with your association's attorney before you answer.

One place for requests and decisions

Paper forms get lost, and email threads get split between directors. HOAResidentPortal can hold the request, photos, board decision and history in one place, and email the owner when the status changes, so everyone sees the same record.