Bylaw-driven

Ohio HOA reserve study requirements (2026)

Adequate reserves required in annual budget for condos and planned communities alike; no statutory study cycle; waivable annually by majority owner vote.

Governing statute

Ohio Revised Code § 5311.081 — Condominium Unit Owners Association Budget: requires condominium associations to adopt an annual budget that includes reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items without special assessments, unless owners annually waive the requirement by majority vote. A parallel provision, ORC § 5312.06(A)(1), imposes the same adequate-reserves standard and annual written-majority waiver on planned-community (HOA) associations. Both were amended by SB 61 (134th General Assembly), effective September 13, 2022. No periodic reserve study is mandated by either section.

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Quick facts

Governing statutes

Ohio Rev. Code § 5311.081 (condos) and § 5312.06 (planned communities)

Reserve requirement

Adequate reserves in annual budget to avoid special assessments

Reserve study mandate

None — no study cycle mandated by statute

Owner waiver

Allowed — annual majority vote of owners, renewed in writing each year

Study cycle

Bylaw/lender-driven; 3-5 years typical when study is done

What the law actually requires

Ohio Revised Code § 5311.081 requires every condominium unit owners association to adopt an annual budget that includes reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items in the normal course of operations without the necessity of special assessments. This is a reserve-adequacy standard for the annual budget, and it applies to condominium unit owners associations under Chapter 5311.

The statute states two exceptions. First, the reserve requirement does not apply if the declaration or bylaws include language limiting the ability of the board to increase assessments for common expenses without a vote of the unit owners (§ 5311.081(A)(1)(a)). Second, unit owners exercising not less than a majority of the voting power of the association may waive the reserve requirement in writing, annually (§ 5311.081(A)(1)(b)).

Ohio's Planned Community Law contains a parallel provision. ORC § 5312.06(A)(1) requires a planned-community association's annual budget to include reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items without special assessments, waivable only by an annual written majority vote of the owners — the same standard and waiver mechanism that § 5311.081 applies to condominiums. Both sections were amended in parallel by SB 61 (134th General Assembly), effective September 13, 2022. Ohio planned-community (HOA) associations are therefore subject to the same reserve-adequacy standard as condominiums, not a statute-free regime.

Neither § 5311.081 nor § 5312.06 mandates a formal periodic reserve study or requires that a qualified professional prepare any analysis. Neither section sets a minimum percentage; the standard is adequacy relative to the cost of repairing and replacing major capital items. A reserve study prepared to National Reserve Study Standards is the usual way a board documents that adequacy, and NRSS guidance is a full study every 3-5 years with annual updates.

Is your Ohio community's reserve fund on track? Get a free 60-second reserve health check — see your percent funded, reserves per door, and special-assessment risk. No reserve study required.

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How ReserveDeck handles Ohio

ReserveDeck applies its Generic NRSS format to Ohio properties: a National Reserve Study Standards report with the percent-funded metric, a 30-year cash-flow projection, and the three funding plans (Recommended, Threshold, Baseline). There is no Ohio-specific disclosure page.

Built-in Ohio compliance.

Select Ohio Rev. Code §§ 5311.081 (condos) / 5312.06 (planned communities) from the Compliance Jurisdiction dropdown and ReserveDeck's PDF builder produces the right disclosure format automatically. Engine math is identical across jurisdictions — only the deliverable changes.

See pricing → See a sample report → Request a Ohio demo

Frequently asked questions — Ohio

What does Ohio Rev. Code § 5311.081 require for condo reserves?

Section 5311.081 requires the association's annual budget to include reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items without special assessments. There is no statutory requirement to commission a formal reserve study, but a study is the most reliable way to document that the adequacy standard is met.

Can Ohio condo owners vote to waive reserves?

Yes. Unit owners exercising not less than a majority of the voting power of the association may waive the reserve requirement in writing, and the waiver must be renewed annually (§ 5311.081(A)(1)(b)). The requirement also does not apply if the declaration or bylaws limit the board's ability to increase assessments for common expenses without a vote of the unit owners (§ 5311.081(A)(1)(a)).

How often should an Ohio condo commission a reserve study?

Ohio statute does not specify a cycle, but National Reserve Study Standards and lender guidelines recommend a full study every 3-5 years with annual financial updates. A current study is also necessary for Fannie Mae and FHA condo-project approval.

Does Ohio § 5311.081 apply to planned communities and HOAs?

Not directly — § 5311.081 by its terms covers condominium associations under Chapter 5311. But Ohio's Planned Community Law imposes a parallel requirement: ORC § 5312.06(A)(1) requires a planned-community association's annual budget to include reserves adequate to repair and replace major capital items without special assessments, waivable only by an annual written majority vote — the same standard and waiver mechanism as § 5311.081. Both sections were amended by the same 2022 legislation, SB 61 (134th General Assembly), effective September 13, 2022.