One of the many committees that can be formed in a homeowners’ association (HOA) is an architectural review committee (ARC) or architecture review board. An important committee with a big responsibility, an ARC oversees a community’s architectural standards and both resident- and board-requested modifications. Their work ensures that homeowners live in a neighborhood they can be proud of. Read on to learn everything you need to know about architectural review boards and their operations.
Found in the association’s governing documents, architectural standards are HOA rules that limit the updates, improvements, or modifications homeowners can make. In short, the architectural guidelines dictate what a homeowner can and can’t do to the exterior of their home. While each community has its own specialized set of architectural standards, some examples include limitations on:
In addition, zoning ordinances for your municipality and local, state, provincial, and federal laws may also impact architectural guidelines and the role of an architectural review committee.
With the goal of maintaining a community’s aesthetic appeal, an architectural review board oversees architectural changes submitted by all HOA residents. Architectural committees may be referred to by different names depending on the association. Other names you may see are:
It depends. Some states don't allow board members to serve on their association's architectural review committee and mandate that the committee be exclusively made up of volunteer homeowners. However, in other areas, board member participation in the ARC committee is encouraged. Always check your governing documents and state laws for more information.
It’s the job of an architectural review board to walk through an architectural approval process efficiently and effectively. To ensure a smooth process for everyone, it’s crucial for the ARC to always be transparent, fair, and timely. Some ways to do this include:
Still, an architectural review committee may have more tasks on its plate. Other responsibilities can include:
The architectural review process is the system used to review and approve or deny architectural requests from association members. More importantly, these procedures are designed to facilitate a fair, accurate, and prompt decision by the architectural review committee. While the process is different for every community, it typically works like this:
The power of an architectural review committee varies by community. Ultimately, it’s the board of directors’ job to make decisions for the community—and that includes its architectural standards. While some boards give architectural committees the full authority to make architectural request decisions, others make this a collaborative process. Sometimes, the board of directors will partner with the architectural committee throughout the review process or make the final decision after the committee presents its ruling. Review your governing documents and consult an association attorney to ensure all processes and decisions are legally compliant.
Architectural committees enable a team to work together to keep communities beautiful. Their work has a major impact and provides a sense of pride for committee members dedicated to maintaining harmony within their association. Other notable benefits include:
The architectural review board's responsibilities may seem complicated, but there are ways to simplify the job and keep homeowners happy. For a guide on how to update your committee’s architectural review process, download our ebook, “How To Transform Your HOA’s Architectural Review.”
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