(a) Association registration.
(1) Each common ownership community must register with the Commission annually, and submit the information required on the registration form provided by the Commission.
(2) Failure to register, or making a false statement on a registration form, is a class A violation and also makes the community ineligible to file a dispute under Article 2.
(3) The governing body of a homeowners’ association, the council of unit owners of a condominium, and the board of directors of a cooperative housing corporation are responsible for compliance with this subsection, including the payment of any registration fee.
(b) The County Executive by regulation adopted under method (2) may establish reasonable fees in amounts sufficient to fund the provision of dispute resolution and technical assistance by the Commission and the Department. These fees may include:
(1) a per unit annual charge to common ownership communities to renew registration;
(2) fees for service, that seek to recover the actual cost of the service, for technical assistance and dispute resolution; and
(3) a per unit charge to developers when documents are recorded.
(c) Training.
(1) Within 90 days after being elected or appointed to the governing body for the first time, a member of the governing body of a common ownership community must successfully complete the educational curriculum approved by the Commission. The governing body must:
(A) certify that each member has successfully completed this training to the Commission;
(B) retain a copy of the training certificate for inspection by the members of the association for the duration of the governing body member’s service; and
(C) report to the Commission that each member has successfully completed the training within 90 days after each member has been appointed or elected.
(2) Each member of the governing body must maintain a training certificate. A training certificate issued under this Section is valid for 3 years.
(3) A failure to satisfy the training requirement in this subsection does not:
(A) remove the member from the governing body; or
(B) invalidate a vote made by the member.
(d) A hearing panel or a hearing examiner may consider a board member’s failure to complete the training required under this Section, if relevant, in deciding a dispute under Section 10B-13. (1990 L.M.C., ch. 33, § 1; 1996 L.M.C., ch. 13, § 1; 2023 L.M.C., ch. 7, §1.)
Editor's note-In Dumont Oaks Community Ass’n., et al. v. Montgomery County, 333 Md. 202, 634 A.2d 459 (1993), the Court of Appeals held that the County could validly impose under § 10B-7 a per-unit fee. Section 10B-7 does not impose a discriminatory burden on common ownership communities in violation of State law.