Hivepoint knows your state's HOA law.
Generic HOA platforms hand you the tools and leave compliance up to your board. Hivepoint bakes Georgia, Florida, and California HOA statutes directly into the platform — the software enforces the rules so your volunteer board doesn't have to.
Georgia HOAs: 204 days until SB 406 takes effect
Georgia HOAs lose enforcement authority January 1, 2027 if unregistered. Georgia SB 406 (Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act), signed May 12, 2026, requires annual HOA registration with the Secretary of State. Unregistered HOAs cannot collect fines, issue liens, or foreclose — effective Jan 1, 2027.
Is your board ready? See the full SB 406 breakdown for Georgia boards →
State-law compliance engine: Hivepoint vs. generic platforms
Every generic HOA platform gives you the same feature set regardless of your state's law. Hivepoint detects your state and applies the correct rules — payment order, fine caps, notice periods, and enforcement prerequisites — automatically.
| What the platform handles | Generic platforms | Hivepoint |
|---|---|---|
| State-law compliance engine | — | ✓ |
| GA SB 406 payment allocation order | — | ✓ |
| FL fine caps ($100/day, $1,000 aggregate) | — | ✓ |
| FL estoppel 10-day countdown | — | ✓ |
| GA/FL/CA citation-required violation notices | — | ✓ |
| CA IDR prerequisite before enforcement | — | ✓ |
| CA Inspector of Elections workflow | — | ✓ |
| State-appropriate lien threshold enforcement | — | ✓ |
| SB 406 registration deadline tracking | — | ✓ |
State compliance matrix
Sourced from Georgia, Florida, and California statutes. Last verified June 2026. This information is for reference purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state.
| Feature / Rule | Georgia | Florida | California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine imposition | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted |
| Payment allocation order | Restricted (SB 406) | Restricted | Restricted |
| Electronic voting (elections) | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted |
| Email meeting notices | Requires Notice | Requires Notice | Requires Notice |
| Assessment liens | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted ($1,800 min) |
| Financial records retention | 10 yr (SB 406) | 7 yr | Ongoing access |
| Resident portal access | Restricted | Restricted | Restricted |
| Annual HOA registration | Restricted (SB 406) | N/A | N/A |
| Estoppel / closing letter | Allowed | Restricted (10-day) | Requires Notice |
| Violation notices | Restricted (HB 220) | Restricted (cure period) | Restricted (IDR) |
| Board elections | Requires Notice | Restricted | Restricted (IOE) |
| IDR / ADR dispute resolution | N/A | N/A | Restricted (mandatory) |
Tier legend: Restricted = allowed under specific conditions only · Requires Notice = allowed with advance notice · Allowed = permitted or no restriction found · N/A = no state equivalent
Georgia — SB 406 + HB 220
Georgia's Property Owners' Bill of Rights Act (SB 406) was signed May 12, 2026, effective January 1, 2027. Combined with HB 220 (effective July 1, 2024), Georgia now has the most significant HOA reform package in the state's history.
Mandatory Annual HOA Registration
Unregistered HOAs lose the authority to collect fines, issue liens, or foreclose — effective Jan 1, 2027. Registration fee is $100/year with the Georgia Secretary of State.
Citation: Georgia SB 406 (signed May 12, 2026)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint surfaces the registration deadline and logs your compliance status in the board dashboard.
Foreclosure Threshold & Fines Excluded
Foreclosure threshold rises to $4,000 (or 12 months arrears, minimum $2,000). Fines are excluded from the threshold calculation. Foreclosure notice period extends to 60 days (up from 30). Lien lapse period extends to 6 years (up from 4).
Citation: Georgia SB 406; O.C.G.A. § 44-3-232
Hivepoint: Hivepoint calculates your foreclosure-eligible balance separately from fine balances and enforces the 60-day notice window.
Mandatory Payment Allocation Order
When a homeowner makes a partial payment, funds must be applied in this order: (1) outstanding assessments, (2) late fees, (3) fines. HOAs that reverse this order face unenforceability.
Citation: Georgia SB 406
Hivepoint: Hivepoint enforces the 4-step payment allocation order automatically — every partial payment is applied correctly by the platform.
Financial Records Retention: 10 Years
SB 406 extends the minimum financial records retention period to 10 years (up from 3 years under O.C.G.A. § 14-3-1601).
Citation: Georgia SB 406; O.C.G.A. §§ 14-3-1601, 14-3-1602
Hivepoint: Hivepoint stores all financial records indefinitely — boards can retrieve any transaction from day one.
Violation Notices Must Cite the Specific Provision
Every violation notice must identify the exact CC&R section, rule, or bylaw violated. Vague notices without a specific citation are legally unenforceable.
Citation: O.C.G.A. § 44-3-223; Georgia HB 220
Hivepoint: Hivepoint requires the specific citation before a notice can be generated — boards cannot accidentally send a non-compliant notice.
Attorney Fees: 30-Day Itemized Notice Required
HOAs must provide a 30-day itemized notice before pursuing attorney fees from homeowners. SB 406 added this requirement effective July 1, 2026.
Citation: Georgia SB 406
Hivepoint: Hivepoint tracks attorney fee notice dates and surfaces overdue 30-day windows in the enforcement dashboard.
Florida — Fine Caps, Fining Committee & Estoppel
Florida's HOA statute (Chapter 720) and HB 1203 (2024) establish some of the most operationally specific compliance requirements in the country — especially the estoppel deadline and fining committee requirements.
Fine Caps and Mandatory Fining Committee
Florida caps fines at $100 per day with a $1,000 aggregate maximum per violation. Fines above $50 require approval from an independent fining committee — the board cannot vote to fine itself.
Citation: F.S. § 720.305(2)(3)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint enforces the $100/day and $1,000 aggregate caps automatically and routes high fines to the fining committee workflow.
Estoppel Certificate: 10-Day Deadline or Balance = $0
If the HOA fails to provide an estoppel certificate within 10 business days of a written request, the outstanding balance is deemed $0 by statute. This is the most operationally critical compliance deadline in Florida.
Citation: F.S. § 720.3086 — 10-day deadline; $250/$400 caps; 30-day validity
Hivepoint: Hivepoint tracks estoppel requests with a countdown timer and alerts the board when the 10-business-day window is at risk.
Payment Allocation: Interest Applied First
Florida requires a specific payment order: interest first, then administrative fees, then costs, then assessments. This is the opposite of Georgia's assessment-first order — both states require strict compliance.
Citation: F.S. § 720.3085(3)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint applies the Florida-specific payment allocation order for Florida HOAs and the Georgia order for Georgia HOAs — state law is baked into the platform.
Records Access: 10 Business Days or $50/Day Penalty
HOAs must provide requested records within 10 business days of written request. Failure to comply triggers a $50/day civil penalty. Criminal penalties apply for intentional record destruction.
Citation: F.S. § 720.303(5)(6); Florida HB 1203 (2024 HOA Reform)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint logs every records request with a 10-business-day countdown and surfaces overdue requests in the board dashboard.
Financial Records: 7-Year Retention
Florida HOAs must retain financial records for 7 years. Ballots must be retained for at least 1 year. Governing documents are permanent.
Citation: F.S. § 720.303(5) — permanent (governing docs); 7-year (financial); 1-year (ballots)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint categorizes documents by retention tier and flags records approaching their retention limit.
California — Davis-Stirling Coming
Status: California Davis-Stirling Act modules are in active development. The compliance matrix is complete — platform workflows (IOE election module, IDR prerequisite, annual policy statement generation) are scoped for the July 22, 2026 GA launch. California HOAs interested in early access can contact us.
California's Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act (Civil Code §§ 4000–6150) is the most complex HOA statute in the country. Key differences from Georgia and Florida: a mandatory Inspector of Elections for all elections, IDR as a prerequisite to any enforcement, and a 12-item annual policy statement.
Inspector of Elections: Mandatory for All Director Elections
California requires an independent Inspector of Elections (IOE) for ALL board director elections. The IOE cannot be a director, officer, candidate, family member, or conflicted management company employee. Ballots go directly to the IOE — not the board.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 5110; §§ 5100, 5115
Hivepoint: Hivepoint's California election module includes an IOE workflow — ballots route to the designated IOE before any board visibility.
IDR/ADR: Mandatory Before Any Enforcement Action
California requires that Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR, a meet-and-confer) be offered before any enforcement action including fine imposition. ADR must be offered before any civil lawsuit. Failure to offer ADR is a complete defense and the court must dismiss the action.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 5900, 5930, 5960
Hivepoint: Hivepoint's California enforcement workflow requires an IDR offer before any fine can be levied — boards cannot bypass the requirement.
Annual Policy Statement: 12 Required Items
A 12-item annual policy statement must be distributed to all members 30–90 days before fiscal year end. Line items include fine schedule, hearing procedures, IDR description, document access, and insurance disclosures.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 5310
Hivepoint: Hivepoint generates the annual policy statement from live platform data — no manual assembly required.
Assessment Liens: $1,800 Minimum Threshold
California allows liens only once the delinquent amount exceeds $1,800 or is more than 12 months past due. A 30-day notice and IDR offer are required before recording any lien.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code §§ 5660, 5720(b), 5730
Hivepoint: Hivepoint enforces the $1,800 lien threshold and requires the 30-day notice and IDR offer before the lien workflow proceeds.
Payment Allocation: Assessments First
California applies partial payments to assessments first (opposite of Florida's interest-first order). The platform must apply the correct order based on the HOA's state.
Citation: Cal. Civ. Code § 5655(b)
Hivepoint: Hivepoint detects the HOA's state and applies the correct statutory payment allocation order — California boards get assessment-first, Florida boards get interest-first.
Why the compliance engine is un-copyable
Any software vendor can add a fine module. What they cannot quickly copy is three years of statute research, state-specific workflow branching, and the operational experience of running a live HOA through a compliance deadline. Hivepoint was built from inside a real HOA board — the compliance engine is not a feature layer, it is the platform foundation.
When Georgia SB 406 takes effect January 1, 2027, Hivepoint boards will have been compliant from day one. Generic platforms will send an email.
Legal disclaimer: This information is for reference purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Statute summaries are simplified for readability. Consult a licensed attorney in your state before relying on any compliance information for enforcement decisions. Hivepoint platform behavior reflects our interpretation of the statutes listed — your HOA attorney should review any enforcement workflow before use.
See the compliance engine in action
The live demo is pre-loaded with a Georgia HOA and shows the SB 406 payment allocation and violation notice citation requirement in action. No signup required.