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Common Interest Community Standards Council

The Adoption Register

The Adoption Register

A public record of community associations whose boards have adopted the Adoption Standard, version 1.0, by resolution, and have kept it current.

What the register is

The Adoption Standard is a one-page board resolution and eight commitments of professional practice that any community association board can adopt at a regular meeting. It was first published in Chapter 17 of Homeowners Association & Chaos by Ian Knight.

Adoption that nobody can see creates no pressure, so adoptions are recorded here, in public. The register is a registrar, not a judge. It records what an association says about itself, over the name and title of the officer who said it, with the date. It does not audit the claim, score it, rank it, or certify anyone.

There is no listing fee, no featured placement, and no premium tier, and there never will be.

The standard

A board adopts the standard by passing this resolution. The resolution adopts the eight commitments that follow it.

Resolution of the Board of Directors

Commitment to a Professional Governance Standard

The board of directors of ____________________, meeting on ____________ with a quorum present, resolves:

First, that the board commits to the Adoption Standard, version 1.0, set out below, as a statement of the professional practice this board will follow for as long as this resolution stands. The standard is a professional commitment. It does not amend the declaration, the bylaws, or any rule, and it creates no right or obligation in any person beyond what the governing documents and the law already provide.

Second, that the board will place on the agenda of every regular meeting a standing item reporting the number of open owner requests, the age in days of the oldest, and every report or finding received from a professional since the last meeting together with the board's recorded response.

Third, that the board will ask each professional it engages, at the next renewal or letting of that engagement, whether the professional has made the declaration for that seat, and will record the answer.

Fourth, that an officer will record this resolution on the public Adoption Register at cic-sc.org/register within thirty days, and that the board will reaffirm or withdraw it, on the record, within twelve months of each recording or reaffirmation.

Adopted by a vote of ____ for, ____ against, ____ abstaining.

______________________________, Secretary Date ____________

The Adoption Standard, version 1.0

This board commits, for so long as this commitment stands:

  1. 1.Records. To maintain a permanent association record that survives any change of manager, counsel, or officer, and a written decision record of material board actions.
  2. 2.Reserves. To maintain a current reserve study and to publish to members, annually, the association's reserve funding percentage against the percentage the study recommends.
  3. 3.Funding. To adopt a written funding plan, and to state in writing to members whenever the budget departs from it.
  4. 4.Procurement. To solicit material work on written, comparable scopes, and to record the basis of award when award is not to the lowest price.
  5. 5.Continuity. To follow a written transition protocol whenever the manager, counsel, or a board officer changes.
  6. 6.Disclosure. To disclose reserve funding percentage and known major-component condition to prospective purchasers earlier than the law requires it.
  7. 7.Conduct. To declare and record conflicts of interest, and to recuse where one exists.
  8. 8.Orientation. To provide each incoming director an orientation to the association's governing documents, finances, and open matters within sixty days of seating.

The standard is a professional commitment. It does not amend an association's declaration, bylaws, or rules, and it creates no right or obligation in any person beyond what the governing documents and the law already provide.

How an association adopts

  1. The board passes the resolution at a regular meeting with a quorum present, and the vote goes in the minutes.
  2. An officer records the adoption here within thirty days, using the form below. The submission goes in as pending.
  3. The registrar confirms it with the officer by email. Confirmation checks only that the submission came from an officer of the association. Then the record appears on the public list.
  4. An officer reaffirms it every year. The resolution commits the board to reaffirm or withdraw the adoption, on the record, at its first meeting after each annual election. An adoption lapses 12 months after the board last adopted or reaffirmed it, unless a current officer records a reaffirmation. A lapsed record comes off the public list until the board reaffirms.

Adopting associations

No associations have adopted the standard yet. The first record will appear here once an officer submits it and the registrar confirms it.

Record an adoption

For a current officer of the association, after the board has passed the resolution. Use the same form to record a yearly reaffirmation. It takes a few minutes.

This submission records

The meeting where the board adopted, or reaffirmed, the resolution.

Management

Used only to confirm the submission and the yearly reaffirmation. Never published.

Terms of use

Effective October 3, 2026

  1. Free. The register is free to read, free to join, and free to use. There is no fee, featured placement, or premium tier.
  2. Self-reported. Each record states what the association says about itself, over the name and title of the officer who submitted it. Confirmation checks only that the submission came from an officer. The register does not audit, score, rank, endorse, or certify any association, board, manager, or firm. A record is not evidence that an association meets the standard, and the absence of a record is not evidence of anything.
  3. No firm comparisons. Naming a management firm is optional. The register does not publish counts, rankings, or comparisons by management firm.
  4. Public data.Everything shown on a record may be read, copied, downloaded, and reused for any lawful purpose. The officer's email address is never published. It is used only to confirm submissions and reaffirmations and to answer questions about the record.
  5. Submissions. By submitting, the officer confirms that they hold the office stated, that the board adopted or reaffirmed the resolution on the date given, and that the information is accurate. The registrar may decline, correct, or remove a submission that appears inaccurate, unauthorized, or abusive.
  6. Lapse. A record leaves the public list 12 months after the board last adopted or reaffirmed the standard, unless an officer records a reaffirmation.
  7. Not advice. The standard and the register are not legal, accounting, insurance, engineering, or reserve-study advice. Associations should consult qualified professionals for matters requiring professional judgment.
  8. Changes. These terms may be updated. The effective date above shows the current version.

Corrections and takedowns

To correct a record, withdraw an adoption, or ask for a record to be removed, email info@cic-sc.org with the association's name, city, and state, and what should change.

A current officer can correct or withdraw the association's record. Anyone can report a record they believe is inaccurate or unauthorized. Reports are reviewed by hand, and a disputed record is held off the public list while it is reviewed. Anyone named on a record can ask for their name to be removed.