2025 CAI Legislative Year in Review

Boston, MA The 2025 legislative year highlighted the ongoing strength and purpose of CAI’s Legislative Action Committees (LACs) across New England. Through collaboration, persistence, and professionalism, volunteer delegates worked closely with lawmakers to shape legislation that supports effective governance and protects the interests of community associations. CAI extends appreciation and thanks to volunteer LAC delegates around New England for their time and efforts in affecting legislative changes that benefit communities. 

Their expertise and relationships within each state continue to ensure that new laws are both practical and reflective of the realities faced by association boards and homeowners.

This important work demonstrates how advocacy and community go hand in hand. Every conversation, hearing, and amendment advanced by LAC volunteers helps build stronger, more resilient communities.

For more information about Legislative Action Committees (LACs) and ongoing advocacy efforts visit www.caionline.org.

 2025 Maine Legislative Session Report 
Maine’s legislative session began December 4, 2024 and ended on March 21, 2025. The legislative session will carry over into 2026. This session, the MELAC actively monitored nearly 60 bills that either directly or indirectly impacted community associations and was directly involved in 3 bills. 

LD 1132 – “Low-Impact” Landscaping
MELAC testified in opposition to this legislation, which would have impacted community associations by disallowing a condominium or common ownership association from prohibiting so-called “low-impact landscaping” anywhere on the condominium or association property, including common areas. The bill also would have prohibited the application of any type of pesticide anywhere on the condominium or association property within 50 feet of a unit, including common areas, without express permission from the owner. MELAC worried that this legislation would cause confusion due to its lack of clarity and definitions and would unfairly allow individual unit owners to dictate maintenance and appearance of common areas. 

The bill was ultimately defeated.

LD 1133 – Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
MELAC sought amendments to this legislation, which prohibits community associations from limiting an owner’s ability to install or use an electric vehicle charging station within their own unit or parking space. This introduces new costs, which need to be equitably allocated to those utilizing the charging stations, and could also impact insurance and liability coverage for an association. During the legislative process, the bill was successfully amended to further emphasize an association’s ability to establish reasonable rules and regulations around the installation and operation of electric vehicle charging stations, improving alignment with CAI’s public policy. 

This was signed by the Governor on June 12, 2025, and is now Chapter 280 Public Law.

LD 760 – Commission To Study The Adoption Of The Maine Common Interest Ownership Act
LD 760 proposed adoption of the Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (UCIOA) for Maine. The Housing and Economic Development Committee of the Maine Legislature held a public hearing on the bill and recommended adoption of a Resolve that a Special Study Committee on UCIOA be created to report to the legislature by early December 2025, possibly with a bill draft for consideration by the Legislature in 2026. The Resolve was adopted, but the Legislature did not appropriate the money to fund the Study Committee before adjourning for the year in June. The Resolve is thus among a large group of legislation “carried over” to the Second Session, which meets in January 2026. 

The Resolve is still alive pending funding and, should funding be obtained, could be amended to extend the reporting date to the next Legislature (January 2027).  

2025 Massachusetts Legislative Session Report 
As we draw closer to the halfway point of the 2025/2026 session of the Massachusetts Legislature, almost all the bills the MALAC is tracking (which is over 40) have had hearings before their respective committees. Other than having those hearings, there has been very little action on most bills, and they remain stuck in committee currently. However, a few bills of note have been reported favorably by their respective committee, which is just the first hurdle of many before a bill becomes law. 

S. 1254 and H. 4371: An Act relative to a commission to study the misrepresentation of service animals. 
As the title of this bill implies, a commission would be established to study the increasing issue of people mispresenting their pets as service animals. These bills were reported favorably by the Judiciary Committee and referred to the Joint Committee on Rules. While these bills are a step in the right direction to curtail this issue, the MALAC has concerns in that the bill only addresses service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and does not address assistance animals under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). We hope that as the bill continues to move through the legislative process, it will be amended to include a study of the misrepresentation of assistance animals under the FHA.

S. 1655 and H. 2644: An Act relative to fire protection 
These bills propose to amend the existing law regulating automatic sprinkler systems in multiple dwelling buildings. If passed, the new law would require that automatic sprinkler systems be installed if the building undergoes a major renovation or modification. Unfortunately, the bill does not define “major alteration or modification.” Forcing a condominium to install automatic sprinkler systems would be a major expense added to an alteration or modification project. These bills were reported favorably by the Public Safety Committee and are awaiting further action in the House and Senate. 

H. 2616 and H. 2676: installation of window guards in multiple dwelling buildings.
Related but separate bills, both pertain to the issue of the installation of window guards in multiple dwelling buildings. The drafters of these bills likely intended for them to apply to apartment buildings, but as currently drafted, they would likely apply to condominiums as well. The Public Safety Committee reported both bills out favorably and referred them to the House Ways & Means and the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling, respectively, for further action. 

The deadline for all committees to report out bills favorably or send them to study is February 4, 2026. As such, we expect there to be a flurry of activity at the beginning of the new year as committees take action on the bills prior to the deadline. 

2025 New Hampshire Legislative Session Report 
The 2024–25 legislative session was quiet for New Hampshire condominiums – thankfully free of harmful new laws but also lacking any meaningful progress for condominium communities.

The most concerning proposal, HB 383, sought to drastically lower voting thresholds for amending condominium declarations and by-laws, potentially allowing a small minority of owners to make sweeping changes affecting the entire ownership. The NHLAC opposed the bill, and it was ultimately rejected by the Commerce Committee as inexpedient to legislate.

Several positive bills – HB 537, HB 539, and HB 680 – aimed to secure fair residential electric rates for residential condominiums but were also unsuccessful. Meanwhile, HB 462, which would have created a private right of action for smart camera-related harassment between neighbors, failed to advance as well.

No comprehensive HOA bill emerged this session, despite recurring discussions. Looking ahead, the NHLAC hopes to take a more proactive approach, identifying legislative opportunities to strengthen and modernize condominium governance in the Granite State. Some legislation to be discussed – and potentially proposed – includes: 

• Requiring owners to pay condominium fees before they are permitted to dispute or challenge such fees.
• Amending RSA 356:B-45(II) to allow repairs benefiting less than all owners to be assessed only to those benefiting, regardless of what is stated in the condominium’s governing documents.
• Making a lien for unpaid fees automatic under the law (this would not affect the priority lien perfection process).
• Enacting language to clarify when developers are required to begin paying condominium fees for units they create.

2025 Rhode Island Legislative Session Report 
The past year was particularly successful with the passage of three bills that the RILAC either helped draft or support, the demise of one that would have decreased the financial contribution of deed-restricted units at the detriment of other unit owners, and a commitment to work with legislative members in the future to better align a bill requiring regular reserves studies with the needs of condominium associations. 

Those that passed include:

SB 508/HB 5586 Mortgagee Notice: Required notice to mortgagees for their required approval before taking critical actions on specific units has long been problematic, given the lack of timely responses from the mortgagee involved. This Bill deems the request for action be approved if no response is received within 65 days of the notice and is consistent with statute in other New England states. 

SB 509/HB 5156 Virtual Meetings: This bill allows condominium board and owner meetings to be held fully or partially on virtual electronic platforms (e.g. Zoom) and includes the ability to provide required meeting notices and to vote electronically. It also clarifies that special meetings requested by 20% (or lower if specified in Bylaws) be called by the executive board if the stated purpose is to: 
• Propose an amendment to the Declaration or Bylaws.
• Reject the budget.
• Remove a director or officer and elect a replacement.
• Any other purpose of which the unit owners are entitled to vote.

SB 507/HB 5585 Deductible Increase Notice: This bill requires 30-day notice of any increase in the association’s master policy deductible to assure that all unit owners can arrange for the necessary coverage for any damages to their unit for which they may be responsible. 

While the RILAC agreed that legislation requiring regular reserves studies would benefit all associations, study components, frequency, and who conducts them needed further discussion. The RILAC intends to work with sponsoring legislators on these issues for the 2026 session. We look forward to continuing to better meet the needs of our associations through updated legislation in the coming year. 

2025 Vermont Legislative Session Report 
Vermont’s 2025 legislative session began on January 8th and adjourned May 9th.

H 172: An act relating to establishing a Common Interest Community Resource Center
Introduced on February 11th, the bill was sponsored by nine representatives in total and proposed “to create a dedicated resource within the Office of the Secretary of State to provide support to common interest ownership communities.” It would require the Secretary of State to establish and maintain a resource center “to provide information to the public about Vermont’s common interest ownership communities,” and would allow the Office to contract with a nonprofit organization to do so. The Center’s primary duties would include assisting the public in “understanding and navigating issues related to [CICs],” and providing information related to their creation and administration.

VTLAC supported the concept of this bill, and it was the primary focus of VTLAC’s advocacy this session, with the LAC specifically reaching out to sponsors of the bill to introduce CAI as a resource for community association issues in Vermont. The bill ultimately did not pass - it was referred to the House Committee on General and Housing and was never voted out. Nevertheless, the LAC made valuable legislator contacts and helped pave the way for future discussions on how best to assist Vermont’s community associations.