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Do Condo Architectural Rules Apply to My HOA Home?
Use the free tool — ARC Request Builder
Short answer
No. If you own a condominium unit, the architectural rules for your building come from a different law than the one that governs Florida homeowners' associations (HOA) — the kind ARC Request Builder is built for.
Two different statutes
This tool is built for Chapter 720, Florida's law for homeowners' associations. Condominiums are governed by Chapter 718 instead. Cooperatives, timeshares and mobile home parks are governed by other statutes too. If you live in a condominium, cooperative, timeshare or mobile home park, the answers here do not apply to you, and you should not rely on them.
Why it matters for architectural requests
Under Fla. Stat. 720.3035, a Florida HOA's authority to review the location, size, type or appearance of what you build is permitted only to the extent that authority is specifically stated or reasonably inferred in your community's own governing documents. A committee cannot invent a standard that is not there. That is the rule ARC Request Builder is built around — but it is the Chapter 720 rule. It is not stated in this material whether Chapter 718 uses the same language for condominiums, so do not assume it does.
If you're not sure which one you are
Check the name used in your governing documents. If you own a unit inside a building with shared walls or common structural elements, and you pay condo association dues, you are very likely under Chapter 718, not Chapter 720. If you own a single-family home, townhome or lot inside a community with an HOA and a declaration of covenants, you are more likely under Chapter 720. When in doubt, read your own declaration, or ask a Florida community association attorney to confirm which law applies to you.
What Florida gives HOA homeowners to work with
- Fla. Stat. 720.3035 — an HOA committee's authority over location, size, type or appearance exists only to the extent it is specifically stated or reasonably inferred in your governing documents.
- Fla. Stat. 720.303 — gives you the right to inspect the association's official records, which is how you get the written architectural standards being applied to you.
Neither statute above is about condominiums. If you are a condo owner, these citations do not apply to your situation.
What to do next
If you are a Florida HOA homeowner planning a project, the free tool reads what you type about your project and helps you write an architectural review request the way committees expect, plus explains what Florida law does and does not let a committee consider. It cannot tell you what your own declaration prohibits, and it is not legal advice — read your declaration and bylaws yourself, and for anything contested, talk to a Florida community association attorney. If you already received a violation notice or a fine, this is not the right tool — look for an HOA violation responder tool instead.
ARC Request Builder reads what you type and explains Florida Chapter 720 in plain language. It can be wrong, it is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading your community's own declaration and bylaws, and your declaration may prohibit the project outright regardless of how well the request is written. For anything contested, talk to a Florida community association attorney.