# How long does an HOA have to respond to an architectural request?

Most states leave ARC response deadlines to the CC&Rs, not statute. A verified state table, the deemed-approved trap, and a deadline-tracker checklist.

## The short answer: the deadline usually lives in your CC&Rs, not state law

If you are searching for a state law that says your HOA must answer an architectural request within 30 or 45 days, in most states you will not find one. Of the ten states we verified against primary statute text, only Washington has a genuine statutory deadline with a deemed-approval consequence: under the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act, an application not denied in writing within 60 days of receipt is deemed approved.

Everywhere else in that group — Arizona, California, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Nevada, Georgia, and Virginia — the statute is silent on how long the architectural review committee has to decide. The clock, if there is one, comes from the community's own declaration and architectural standards. Those documents very commonly set a 30-, 45-, or 60-day window, and many of them include their own deemed-approval clause: if the committee does not respond in time, the request is treated as approved.

That combination is the trap for a volunteer board. A deadline the board never wrote down, in a document nobody has read since closing, can quietly approve a project the board would have denied.

## Why governing documents carry the deadline

Several state statutes push the timing question back onto the governing documents deliberately. California Civil Code section 4765 does not impose a deadline itself; it requires the governing documents to provide a fair, reasonable review procedure with prompt deadlines and a stated maximum time for response, plus a written decision and reconsideration rights when a request is disapproved. Colorado similarly requires architectural decisions to follow the standards and procedures in the declaration, rules, or bylaws, and forbids arbitrary or capricious decisions, while leaving timing to those documents.

So the first practical step for any board is not legal research — it is pulling the declaration and the architectural standards and reading the review section closely. Note the response window, when the clock starts (receipt of the application, or receipt of a complete application), whether requesting more information pauses or restarts it, and whether silence is deemed approval or deemed denial. Write those answers down where the whole committee can see them.

## The deemed-approved trap: what happens when the board misses the window

Deemed approval means the owner's project is treated as approved because the association stayed silent past the deadline. Washington's rule is statutory and unambiguous: no written denial within 60 days of receipt, and the application is deemed approved unless the delay resulted from a reasonable request for additional information. That rule already applies to Washington communities formed on or after July 1, 2018 or that opted in, and it reaches every Washington HOA on January 1, 2028, when WUCIOA becomes the governing statute for all of them.

Courts can also enforce deemed approval that lives only in the declaration. In an unpublished 2019 North Carolina Court of Appeals decision, Makar v. Mimosa Bay, a fence was held permissible because a validly constituted committee failed to act within the declaration's own timeframe. The opinion is non-precedential and the deemed-approval consequence came from the declaration rather than from the state's Planned Community Act — but it is a clear signal that missing an internal CC&R deadline can be just as consequential as missing a statutory one.

The board-side lesson is simple: treat the response window in your own documents as a hard legal deadline, because a court may do exactly that.

## State rules at a glance

The table below reflects our reading of the cited statutes as of July 2026. It covers the states we verified directly against primary sources; in states not listed, the same default almost always applies — check the declaration, because the statute is unlikely to set an architectural review deadline.

This is operational guidance for boards, not legal advice. Statutes change, session laws take effect on staggered dates, and unpublished decisions like Makar carry only persuasive weight. Verify the current statute text and consult association counsel before relying on any row in this table.

| State | Response deadline and deemed-approval rule | Statute / authority |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Washington | Genuine statutory 60-day deemed-approval rule: an application not denied in writing within 60 days of receipt is deemed approved, unless the delay stems from a reasonable request for more information. Applies to communities formed on or after July 1, 2018 or that opted in, and to all Washington HOAs once WUCIOA governs everyone on Jan. 1, 2028. | Wash. Rev. Code § 64.90.513(3)(c) |
| California | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; the statute requires governing documents to set a fair, reasonable procedure with prompt deadlines and a stated maximum response time, plus a written decision and reconsideration rights on disapproval. | Cal. Civ. Code § 4765 |
| Florida | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; timing is set by the governing documents, but any denial must give written notice citing the specific rule or covenant relied on and the nonconforming aspect of the proposal. | Fla. Stat. § 720.3035 |
| Texas | No statutory deadline for the initial decision and no deemed-approval rule; the statute governs only the post-denial process (written denial in reasonable detail, the owner's 30-day window to request a hearing measured from when the denial notice was mailed, and a board hearing within 30 days of that request) for associations with more than 40 lots. | Tex. Prop. Code § 209.00505 |
| Arizona | No statutory deadline and no deemed approval by silence; the statute requires only that architectural approval not unreasonably be withheld. | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1817 |
| Colorado | No statutory deadline; decisions must follow the standards and procedures in the declaration, rules, or bylaws and cannot be arbitrary or capricious, but timing is left to the governing documents. | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-33.3-302(3)(b) |
| North Carolina | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; timing comes from the declaration and architectural standards, though an unpublished 2019 Court of Appeals decision (Makar v. Mimosa Bay) enforced deemed approval where a validly constituted committee failed to act within the declaration's own timeframe. | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ch. 47F |
| Nevada | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; NRS Chapter 116 does not specify an architectural review process at all, leaving it entirely to the governing documents. | Nev. Rev. Stat. ch. 116 |
| Georgia | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; neither the GPOAA nor the Nonprofit Corporation Code sets architectural review timing. The 2026 Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act (SB 406, most provisions effective Jan. 1, 2027) does not appear to add an architectural deadline. | Ga. Code § 44-3-220 et seq. |
| Virginia | No statutory deadline or deemed-approval rule; the frequently cited 'Va. Code § 55.1-1811' does not exist in the current Property Owners' Association Act, and no current Virginia statute imposes a 30- or 45-day limit absent language in the instruments. | Va. Code § 55.1-1800 et seq. |

## Three deadlines the internet gets wrong

Blog posts and template demand letters repeat several statutory deadlines that do not survive a reading of the actual statutes. Arizona is widely said to have a 60-day deemed-approval rule; the statute, Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1817, contains no day count and no deemed-approval mechanism at all — its only substantive standard is that approval shall not unreasonably be withheld.

California Civil Code section 4765 is also frequently cited for a 60-day deemed approval. The section contains neither the number 60 nor the words deemed approved. It requires the governing documents to state a maximum response time; many California CC&Rs happen to choose 60 days, which may be where the confusion started.

Virginia is the starkest example: articles cite 'Va. Code § 55.1-1811' for a 45-day deadline, but that section does not exist. The current Property Owners' Association Act runs through § 55.1-1807, § 55.1-1808 was repealed in 2023, and the next section is § 55.1-1815 — the entire band containing § 55.1-1811 is empty. If someone quotes a statutory ARC deadline at your board, ask for the statute and read it before conceding anything.

## A deadline tracker for every request

The reliable defense against deemed approval is boring: log every application the day it arrives, compute the due date immediately, and never let a request sit without a written status. A committee that tracks four dates — received, completeness confirmed, decision due, written decision sent — almost never gets caught by a silence clause. Use one row per request: the tracker is available as a CSV or Excel download below (the Excel version includes a dropdown for the outcome), and the short checklist that follows covers the completeness and clock questions to settle before you write in the due date.

```
COMPLETENESS AND CLOCK CHECK — before filling in the due date

[ ] Plans or drawings included?
[ ] Materials and colors specified?
[ ] Location shown on lot / survey?
[ ] Everything your architectural standards require?
[ ] If incomplete: written request for the missing items sent, with the
    date logged — and note whether your CC&Rs say the request PAUSES
    or RESTARTS the response clock.
[ ] Response window in CC&Rs (or statute) noted, in days.
[ ] Clock starts on receipt, or on a complete application?
[ ] Deemed-approval clause applies? Cite the section.
[ ] If denying: name the specific covenant or rule relied on, what would
    bring the project into compliance, and any appeal or reconsideration
    rights — then log the date and method the written decision was sent.
```

**ARC deadline tracker** — One row per architectural request: received, complete, decision due, decision sent, written reasons, and outcome. Download: [CSV](https://violationflow.homes/downloads/arc-deadline-tracker.csv) · [XLSX](https://violationflow.homes/downloads/arc-deadline-tracker.xlsx)

## When the due date is close and the committee has not decided

If a decision is coming due and the committee genuinely needs more time, do not simply let the date pass. Where the application is incomplete, send a written request for the missing information before the deadline — in Washington that is the statutory exception to deemed approval, and many declarations treat it similarly. Keep the request specific and dated, and log when it went out.

If the application is complete, decide on time, even if the answer is an approval with conditions. And when the answer is a denial, put it in writing with specifics. Florida requires the denial notice to identify the exact rule or covenant relied on and the nonconforming aspect of the proposal. Texas requires reasonable detail in the denial and then gives the owner 30 days from the mailing of that notice to request a hearing, which the board must hold within 30 days of the request, in associations with more than 40 lots. A vague denial invites exactly the dispute a clear one prevents — the same discipline covered in our guide on what selective enforcement is and how boards protect themselves.

## Where ViolationFlow fits

ViolationFlow tracks ARC requests with deadlines alongside violation cases, which is the operational half of everything above. Each request gets its own case with a dated timeline: the day the application arrived, the completeness check, the request for more information, the vote, and the day the written decision went out. Because the decision-due date is tracked on the case, the request cannot quietly age past a deemed-approval window while it waits for next month's meeting.

When a decision is questioned later — by the owner, a buyer's attorney, or a new board — the timeline exports to PDF as a dated record of who did what and when. Templated email notices mean the written decision goes out in consistent language and the send is logged. The free tier covers 10 lots and 5 active cases with no credit card, which is enough for a small committee to run its next few applications through a real process before deciding whether it needs more.

## FAQ

### What happens if the HOA doesn't respond to an architectural request in time?

It depends on where the deadline comes from. In Washington, a statutory rule deems the application approved if it is not denied in writing within 60 days of receipt. In most other states there is no statutory deadline, but if the declaration sets a window with a deemed-approval clause, courts may enforce it — an unpublished North Carolina decision, Makar v. Mimosa Bay, treated a fence as permissible because the committee missed the declaration's own timeframe. If neither statute nor CC&Rs attach a consequence, the owner's remedy is usually to press the board for a decision rather than to build.

### Is an architectural request automatically approved after 30, 45, or 60 days?

Only if a statute or your governing documents say so. Washington's WUCIOA has a real 60-day deemed-approval rule. Elsewhere, automatic approval exists only when the declaration or architectural standards include a deemed-approval clause — which many do. Read the review section of your CC&Rs before assuming either way.

### Doesn't California law give HOAs 60 days to respond?

No. Civil Code section 4765 contains no 60-day figure and no deemed-approval language. It requires the governing documents to set a fair, reasonable procedure with prompt deadlines and a stated maximum response time, and it requires a written decision with reconsideration rights on disapproval. The 60-day number likely comes from CC&Rs that chose that window, not from the statute.

### Can the board pause the clock by asking for more information?

Often, but only if done in writing before the deadline. Washington's statute excuses the 60-day rule when the delay results from a reasonable request for additional information. Declarations vary — some pause the clock, some restart it when a complete application arrives. Check the exact language, send the request in writing, and log the date.

### What does a written denial need to include?

At minimum, the specific covenant or rule the request violates and what about the proposal does not conform. Florida requires exactly that by statute, Texas requires reasonable detail plus notice of the owner's 30-day hearing right in associations over 40 lots, and California requires a written decision with reconsideration rights. Even where no statute applies, specificity is what makes a denial defensible.

### Our declaration has no response deadline at all. Are we safe to take as long as we want?

No deadline is not a blank check. States including Arizona, Colorado, California, and Florida impose reasonableness, good-faith, or non-arbitrary standards on architectural decisions, and an indefinite silence invites a claim of unreasonable withholding. Set an internal window — 30 to 45 days is common — and meet it consistently for every request.

## Related guides

- [ARC request tracking for small associations](https://violationflow.homes/guides/arc-request-tracking-small-associations)
- [How to legally deny an HOA architectural request](https://violationflow.homes/guides/how-to-deny-hoa-architectural-request)
- [Does a small self-managed HOA need a separate architectural review committee?](https://violationflow.homes/guides/small-hoa-board-as-architectural-committee)
- [Neighbor made an unapproved modification: can the HOA require retroactive approval or removal?](https://violationflow.homes/guides/unapproved-hoa-modification-retroactive-approval)

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