Does FOIA cover minutes of Home Owners Associations?

Answer 1

If by FOIA, you mean Freedom Of Information Act, then according to the USDOJ Web site:

"The FOIA applies only to federal agencies and does not create a right of access to records held by Congress, the courts, or by state or local government agencies. Each state has its own public access laws that should be consulted for access to state and local records."

Apparently, you want to read the minutes of an association's board meeting. You may or may not be entitled to read them. The association may be a non-profit corporation, and your local laws regarding public access to private documents may apply.

If you are an owner -- a member of the association, you are entitled to read the minutes. If you are a prospective buyer, you are entitled to read prior years' minutes, perhaps up to three. If you are a tenant of an owner, the owner can make minutes available to you, or not, depending on the owner.

Finally, you can send a letter to the board of the association, and state your reason for wanting to read board meeting minutes, and ask the board to give you permission to read them. The board may grant or deny your request.

Note, however, that executive matters, such as payroll details, vendor disputes, individual account standings, and so forth, that are discussed among board members in executive sessions, are not available to anyone other than board members and the property manager who is covered by a confidentiality agreement.

Since you chose the insurance categories, you may be interested in the coverage of the master policy for the association or your requirement to maintain an individual HO-6 policy for your unit. You can ask the board direct questions about these matters, in a written letter, and request that the questions be discussed in an open board meeting. Then, attend the meeting to get the answers you want.