What are bylaws for an association?

An association, like a corporation, may adopt rules that govern the conduct of the organization and its members and those rules are often called bylaws.

In real estate law, homeowners are often required to adopt specific bylaw as a condition prior to acceptance by the town of a subdivision plan or changes to an existing plan.

For example:

1. All owners of record of any approved lot in the Subdivision shall be Members of the Association, whether or not any improvements have been made on such lot.
2. Each lot shall have voting privileges in proportion to the assessed value of the lot as a percentage of the assessed value of the entire subdivision, adjusted for any improvements made since the most recent assessments as follows...
3. The road, drainage, water supply and street lights serving the subdivision are privately owned and maintained by the Association and the Members shall forever pay for the necessary and reasonable costs for such maintenance, which costs shall be approved by the Association and assessed annually to each lot owner in the following proportions...
4. No Member may file any application to further subdivide any lot, or for any zoning or building variance, or to change the use of any lot to any non-residential use without unanimous written consent of the other Members of the Association.
5. Any deeded parking within the subdivision must be offered to every other member and to the Association prior to selling it to a non-member....