What this HOA actually means for you
A condensed, plain-language overview of what the 1983 Declaration, the Bylaws, the Board's policies, and the budget mean for your money, your responsibilities, and your rights. Some of it is sobering — it is here so nothing surprises you later. Every section links to the originals if you want the detail.
Star Point context
154-unit condominium association at 8701 Huron St, Thornton, Colorado, created by a 1983 Declaration and managed by ACCU.
If you read nothing else
On this page
Independent & resident-maintained. Last reviewed June 2026. Not affiliated with the HOA Board, ACCU, or any vendor. Figures reflect documents through the 2025–26 budget and January 2026 board minutes; the most recent reserve study on file is from 2020.
The foundation
Three non-negotiable terms from the recorded 1983 Declaration. Everything else on this page sits on top of them.
Owning a unit makes you a member automatically, and every owner is “jointly and severally liable” for all assessments. You cannot escape that obligation by not using the common areas, by leasing the unit, or by abandoning it.
Condominium Declaration (CC&Rs), Article VII, Section 7.1
The Association’s lien for unpaid dues attaches automatically — “without notice at the beginning of the first day” of each assessment period. Recording a lien notice is only evidence, not the trigger.
Condominium Declaration (CC&Rs), Article VII, Section 7.8
That lien is “superior to any homestead exemption” and outranks almost everything else; only property-tax/special-assessment liens and a recorded First Mortgage come ahead of it.
Condominium Declaration (CC&Rs), Article VII, Section 7.11
“Jointly and severally liable” means each owner can be billed for the full amount, not just a share.
Which document wins
Higher documents control lower ones. When two conflict, start with the higher authority and ask for the citation.
Colorado law & CCIOA (the state common-interest statute)
Condominium Declaration / CC&Rs (recorded 1983)
Bylaws
Rules & Regulations and Board policies
CCIOA (Colorado's common-interest law) applies in full to associations created after July 1, 1992 and only in part to older ones like Star Point (1983) — so which sections apply can vary by issue. General information, not legal advice.
Who's responsible
The Board's July 2025 Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart translates the Declaration component by component. Rule of thumb: routine wear-and-tear is a maintenance question; a catastrophe (fire, storm, burst pipe) is an insurance question. A few results surprise people.
Component
Maintains
Insures
What that means
Building shell — siding, trim, caulking, paint, roofs, gutters, downspouts
Maintains: Association
Insures: Association
The Association maintains and insures the exterior structure of the buildings.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart, Building Exterior (Declaration Art. VI §6.1(b))
Windows, screens, exterior window frames, skylights, window washing
Maintains: Owner
Insures: Association
On the building shell, but repairing and replacing them is your out-of-pocket bill.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart, Building Exterior (Declaration Art. VI §6.1(b))
In-unit systems — furnace, water heater, HVAC ducts, wiring, outlets, water pipes, shut-off valves, smoke detectors, in-unit sewer lines
Maintains: Owner
Insures: Association
The most expensive in-unit failures are yours to repair and replace.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart, Units & Limited Common Elements (Declaration Art. XI §11.12)
Finishes & appliances — drywall, paint, carpet, tile, hardwood; oven, range, refrigerator, washer/dryer, disposal
Maintains: Owner
Insures: Owner
Both maintained AND insured by you — this is the gap an HO-6 condo policy fills.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart (maint. Art. XI §11.12; insurance Art. VIII §8.2)
Electrical panels (Zinsco / GTE-Sylvania / Federal Pacific)
Maintains: Owner
Insures: Owner
Mandatory owner replacement under the 2026 panel policy; fire damage from an unreplaced panel is the owner’s cost.
Policy: Owners’ Responsibility for Electrical Panel Replacement, §1.a, §2.b
Common elements — foundations, stairs, hallways, central utilities, grounds, snow removal
Maintains: Association
Insures: Association
Shared structure and grounds are the Association’s to maintain and insure.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart, Common Elements & Grounds (Declaration Art. VI §6.1(a))
Owner-installed exterior changes (satellite dish, doors, alterations)
Maintains: Owner
Insures: Owner
Need written Board approval first; unapproved changes can be removed at your expense, and front doors must be white.
Rules & Regulations (Rev. April 2026), §§4.5, 7.4, 7.5
The negligence twist
Even when the master policy responds, the Association can assess the deductible back to the owner whose negligence caused the loss — split pro rata (by each unit's share) if several units are hit. That becomes your personal debt and, if unpaid within 10 days, a lien on your unit — but only after a hearing.
Maintenance & Insurance Obligations Chart, Notes A & B; Declaration Article VI, Section 6.2.
Documented safety items on the property — cracking foundations, unsafe common stairs, and a flagged fire-alarm concern — map to the same chart and are tracked with dated photo evidence.
Community exposure
The biggest exposures are documented, not hypothetical. Each figure traces to the reserve study, the budget, the insurance certificate, or a Board policy.
Reserve underfunding
~8% funded · ~$946K short
The 2020 study found $79,067 saved against a $1,025,411 fully-funded target — about $6,145 per unit of deferred saving — and warned a special assessment is likely.
Reserve Analysis Report (FY2020), Executive Summary p. 2-7/2-8
Wall debt
$539,940 outstanding @ 6.78%
The $599,000 wall replacement was financed, not reserved for; $84,000 of principal a year is funded by dues through 2034.
Approved Operating Budget 2025-26 (GL 63252); board minutes Jan 22, 2026
Insurance deductibles
$100K base · 5% wind/hail
On a $23,433,750 master property limit across 154 units, a major hailstorm could leave the Association absorbing roughly $1M before the carrier pays — a cost that flows back to owners.
ACORD Certificate of Insurance, master property policy (General Star Indemnity, LHD933999)
Owner-paid panels
Full replacement + fire liability
Owners must replace hazardous Zinsco, GTE-Sylvania, and Federal Pacific panels at their own expense; a fire from an unreplaced panel is the owner’s full bill.
Policy: Owners’ Responsibility for Electrical Panel Replacement, §1.a, §2.b
Late-payment ladder
$25/mo + 8% → lien → foreclosure
A missed payment escalates: a $25 monthly late charge plus 8% interest, attorney referral and a recorded lien after ~90 days, and foreclosure once you are six months behind.
Policy: Collection of Unpaid Assessments, §§1, 3, 11, 16
This site’s read on the numbers
Operating budget
BalancedReserves
UnderfundedSpecial-assessment risk
Elevated riskDues increases
LikelyAn interpretation of the documents, not a forecast. The reserve figure comes from the 2020 study — the most recent on file.
Everyday rules
Mundane but with teeth — these carry real fines, chargebacks, or towing. Before most fines you get written notice and a chance to cure: 30 days for ordinary violations, 72 hours for safety issues.
No open-flame grills or fuel — electric only
Gas, charcoal, and wood devices (and storing their fuel) are banned anywhere on the property; electric grills must stay clear of the vinyl siding and never be left unattended. An owner is personally liable for any uninsured fire damage.
Rules & Regulations §8.5; Resolution: Ban of All Open-Flame Devices (2023)
Park in marked spaces only
One vehicle per space; fire-lane parking is towed at the owner’s expense, and a car left unmoved for 14 days is treated as abandoned and removed.
Rules & Regulations §§6.1, 6.3, 6.10
Two pets per unit, leashed, waste picked up
Cats stay indoors and dogs are leashed outside the unit door; uncollected pet waste is billed straight to the unit.
Rules & Regulations §§9.1, 9.3, 9.4
Quiet hours 10 p.m.–8 a.m.
Includes not running the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum during quiet hours.
Rules & Regulations §4.2
Trash has a banned-items list
Electronics, batteries, furniture, construction debris, tires and more are prohibited; contaminated or oversized pickups are charged back to the unit.
Rules & Regulations §§5.1–5.3
Repeat violations carry escalating fines
Fines escalate with each repeat of the same violation — the schedules on the books run from $50 up to $250 per step — and the amended Enforcement Policy caps them at $500 per violation unless it affects public health or safety.
Rules & Regulations §11.3; Amended Enforcement Policy (Jan 22, 2024) §10
Your rights
The flip side of every obligation is a real, exercisable right — with a deadline or procedure to use it.
Inspect and copy records
On a written request, the Association must make records available within 10 days (or at the next board meeting within 30). No reason required; you pay actual copy costs.
Policy: Inspection & Copying of Association Records, §§1, 3
See the financials behind your dues
You can specifically demand three years of financial statements, seven years of tax returns, the current budget, the most recent reserve study, and contracts from the past two years.
Policy: Inspection & Copying of Association Records, §1
Elect and remove directors
Five owner-directors are elected by secret ballot; any director can be removed with or without cause by majority vote, and you can nominate from the floor.
Bylaws, Article III §§1, 3; Article IV §2
Call a special meeting
A written petition of one-quarter of members forces a special meeting; the Association must mail notice at least 15 days out.
Bylaws, Article II §§2, 3
Attend and speak
Board and committee meetings are open, and the board must let owners speak before it takes formal action; members’ meetings include a 3-minute open forum.
Amended Policy: Conduct of Meetings, §§2, 3
Due process before a fine
Written notice, a cure period (30 days, or 72 hours for safety issues), and the right to request a hearing within 15 days.
Amended Enforcement Policy, §§4, 7
A repayment plan before collections
Before any attorney referral, you must be offered an 18-month repayment plan at $25/month minimum, and the board must approve the referral by recorded vote.
Policy: Collection of Unpaid Assessments, §§7, 10(d)
Register for official notices
Registering your phone and email is how the Association is required to warn you about delinquencies before escalating.
Policy: Registration of Phone Number and Email Address
Records first, then DORA
Your strongest tool is the records-inspection right above. DORA’s HOA Center tracks complaints and provides information, but it says it does not investigate, mediate, give legal advice, advocate, or impose fines — a documented channel, not a guaranteed remedy.
The money
The Where the Money Goes dashboard pulls every figure from documents you can open. Here is what to look at and what each number is telling you.
Look at
What it means
What to watch for
Where
Your dues line
Dues are not flat — they range from $237.29 to $413.01 per unit per month because the 1983 Declaration gives each unit a different allocated interest.
Any special assessment to close the reserve gap splits the same unequal way — your share depends on your unit, not a flat per-door fee.
/finances · Annual Disclosure 2026
The biggest budget line
Insurance is the largest single line at $170,000 — about a third of the ~$488,054 operating budget.
Big year-over-year swings in insurance move dues fast.
/finances · Budget 2025-26 (GL 63400)
The reserve contribution
Only $58,000 of $546,054 in assessments (~10.6%) is routed to reserves.
That is below the reserve study’s recommended amount — the gap is what keeps special-assessment risk elevated.
/finances · Budget 2025-26 + Reserve Study
The loan principal line
A standalone $84,000 “Loan Principal Payment” line.
Its presence is direct evidence the wall was financed, not saved for.
/finances · Budget 2025-26 (GL 63252)
The balance sheet
Operating cash, the reserve balance, and accounts receivable (money owed by delinquent owners).
Rising receivables mean unpaid dues — a cost the rest of the owners ultimately carry.
/finances · Balance Sheet Dec 2025
Two numbers that look like they clash, but don’t: the Association collects $546,054 in assessments but budgets about $488,054 for operating expenses — the roughly $58,000 difference is the annual reserve contribution.
Want to stress-test it yourself? The dashboard lets you model how a change to any budget category ripples to dues.
Terms
The eight words you will keep running into, in plain language and why each can affect your costs.
Money homeowners are required to pay to fund association obligations. This can be regular monthly dues or a special charge.
Why it matters: Direct household cost. Amount, frequency, late fees, and collection rules matter.
A long-range plan estimating future major repairs and how much money should be saved for them.
Why it matters: Underfunded reserves can increase pressure for dues hikes, emergency borrowing, or special assessments.
Covenants, conditions, and restrictions that define property rules, use limits, common elements, and obligations.
Why it matters: Can affect fines, maintenance duties, insurance allocation, architectural approvals, and resale expectations.
The yearly spending plan for recurring costs like management, landscaping, utilities, insurance, and administration.
Why it matters: Major driver of dues. Insurance, utilities, and debt service can move this quickly.
The boundary between what the Association must maintain and what each owner must maintain.
Why it matters: Ambiguity can become surprise repair bills, fines, delayed fixes, or litigation risk.
The amount paid before insurance coverage responds to a claim.
Why it matters: Can affect association finances and, depending on documents, resident responsibility.
The approval process for exterior changes, improvements, or modifications.
Why it matters: Delays or denials can change project costs; violations can lead to correction costs or fines.
A separate charge outside regular dues, usually for a major shortfall or unexpected expense.
Why it matters: High direct resident cost. Payment timing and hardship policy are important.
Want the full detail behind any of this? Every claim above traces to a document in the library.
Browse all documents