Nevada regulates HOAs more heavily than most states. The core law is NRS Chapter 116 (the Common-Interest Ownership Act), but Nevada also has a dedicated state regulator — the Nevada Real Estate Division, its Commission for Common-Interest Communities, and a statutory Ombudsman's Office that investigates disputes and maintains a registry of every association in the state. Nevada is also one of the only states that requires paid community managers to hold a state-issued certificate.
Fines
Ordinary violations are capped at $100 per violation, or $1,000 total per hearing. That cap doesn't apply to violations that pose an imminent threat to health or safety, where the fine instead must be "commensurate with the severity" — no fixed ceiling.
- If a violation isn't cured within 14 days, it becomes a "continuing violation," and the board can add further fines for each additional 7-day period it stays uncured — and the $100/$1,000 caps don't apply to those continuing fines.
- A hearing before the board is required before a fine can be imposed, unless you pay before the hearing, waive your right to it, or don't show up after being properly notified.
See our guide on how to fight an HOA fine for the general playbook.
Unpaid assessments, liens, and foreclosure
Nevada's foreclosure process runs through a defined notice sequence:
- An initial notice once you're roughly 60+ days delinquent, including a proposed repayment plan and your right to a board hearing.
- A formal Notice of Delinquent Assessment by certified mail.
- At least 30 days later, the association can record a Notice of Default — which must carry a bold, capitalized statutory warning that you could lose your home.
- You then get 90 days from that recording to pay and stop the foreclosure.
- A copy of any eventual Notice of Sale, and the deed after a sale, must be sent to the state Ombudsman's office.
Interest on assessments 60+ days past due is a floating rate: the prime rate at Nevada's largest bank, plus 2%, reset every January and July — not a fixed statutory percentage.
More in our guide to what happens if you don't pay HOA dues.
Meetings and quorum
Meeting notice must go out 15 to 60 days in advance. The default quorum is 20% of the association's votes, whether present in person, by proxy, or by absentee ballot. If your bylaws set a higher quorum and it isn't met, the meeting can be adjourned and reconvened later, where 20% becomes sufficient.
Board elections
Board terms are capped at 3 years, and your governing documents must stagger elections so roughly equal numbers of seats turn over each cycle. You're barred from serving on the board if you're closely related to (within the third degree) or live with someone already on it, if you'd personally profit from a matter before the board, or if you or an immediate family member works as the community's manager. Candidates must disclose potential conflicts of interest and whether they're current on their own assessments.
See how HOA board elections work for the general mechanics.
Buying a home in a Nevada HOA
Before you buy an existing home, the seller must give you a resale package: the declaration, bylaws, rules, current assessment amount and any unpaid obligations on the unit, the current budget and a year-to-date financial statement, and any unsatisfied judgments or pending lawsuits against the association.
(New-construction purchases directly from a developer use a different disclosure document, the "public offering statement," with its own separate rules.)
See our full buying checklist for homes in an HOA.
Need help with a HOA issue in your state? Find an HOA attorney, or find a management company.