House Bill 1337 Presents Limitations For New HOAs

House Bill 1337 has just received approval from the Washington Legislature. This bill will prevent newly formed homeowners associations from adopting restrictions on accessory dwelling units.

What Is House Bill 1337?

The Washington State Legislature recently passed House Bill 1337, which deals with accessory dwelling units or ADUs. The bill addresses topics such as the minimum number of ADUs per lot, maximum ADU size standards, owner occupancy, condominium sales, and impact fees.

For homeowners associations, HB 1337 affects them in one significant way. The bill applies to new common interest communities, which are prohibited from enacting covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) that would restrict the construction of ADUs on any lot. However, it is important to note that the bill does not impact existing CC&Rs. Existing CC&Rs may remain in effect.

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are small, self-contained residential units that exist on the same lot as a single-family home. Self-contained means they comprise all the basic facilities a resident requires for daily living. Basic facilities include a kitchen, a bathroom, and a sleeping area. An ADU may come attached to the primary residence or detached from it.

The Washington State Legislature also recently passed House Bill 1110, which deals with missing middle housing such as duplexes, fourplexes, and even sixplexes.

Both bills took effect on July 23, 2023.