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California Civil Code §§ 5205–5240

Inspecting association records

Every contested election arrives here. A member who thinks the result was wrong asks for the records, and what they may see, how fast, and in what form is settled by this article rather than by the board. It is also the article that decides who gets the membership list during a campaign.

Sections Civ. Code §§ 5205, 5210, 5215, 5216, 5225, 5230, 5235, 5240 Also in this article § 5200 · § 5220 Amendment § 5210: SB 410 (2025) · § 5230: SB 392 (2021) Text verified 2026-10-10

Where this touches an election

Civil Code § 5205 — the text

Availability of Association Records for Inspection
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.

(a)The association shall make available association records for the time periods and within the timeframes provided in Section 5210 for inspection and copying by a member of the association, or the member’s designated representative.
(b)A member of the association may designate another person to inspect and copy the specified association records on the member’s behalf. The member shall make this designation in writing.
(c)The association shall make the specified association records available for inspection and copying in the association’s business office within the common interest development.
(d)If the association does not have a business office within the development, the association shall make the specified association records available for inspection and copying at a place agreed to by the requesting member and the association.
(e)If the association and the requesting member cannot agree upon a place for inspection and copying pursuant to subdivision (d) or if the requesting member submits a written request directly to the association for copies of specifically identified records, the association may satisfy the requirement to make the association records available for inspection and copying by delivering copies of the specifically identified records to the member by individual delivery pursuant to Section 4040 within the timeframes set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 5210.
(f)The association may bill the requesting member for the direct and actual cost of copying and mailing requested documents. The association shall inform the member of the amount of the copying and mailing costs, and the member shall agree to pay those costs, before copying and sending the requested documents.
(g)In addition to the direct and actual costs of copying and mailing, the association may bill the requesting member an amount not in excess of ten dollars ($10) per hour, and not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200) total per written request, for the time actually and reasonably involved in redacting an enhanced association record. If the enhanced association record includes a reimbursement request, the person submitting the reimbursement request shall be solely responsible for removing all personal identification information from the request. The association shall inform the member of the estimated costs, and the member shall agree to pay those costs, before retrieving the requested documents.
(h)Requesting parties shall have the option of receiving specifically identified records by electronic transmission or machine-readable storage media as long as those records can be transmitted in a redacted format that does not allow the records to be altered. The cost of duplication shall be limited to the direct cost of producing the copy of a record in that electronic format. The association may deliver specifically identified records by electronic transmission or machine-readable storage media as long as those records can be transmitted in a redacted format that prevents the records from being altered.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5205.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5210 — the text

Time Periods and Deadlines for Inspection
Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 516, Sec. 4. (SB 410) Effective January 1, 2026.

(a)Association records are subject to member inspection for the following time periods:
(a)(1)For the current fiscal year and for each of the previous two fiscal years.
(a)(2)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), minutes of member and board meetings are subject to inspection permanently. If a committee has decisionmaking authority, minutes of the meetings of that committee shall be made available commencing January 1, 2007, and shall thereafter be permanently subject to inspection.
(a)(3)Notwithstanding paragraph (1), all inspector’s reports compiled pursuant to Section 5551 shall be subject to inspection for the time period required by subdivision (i) of Section 5551.
(b)When a member properly requests access to association records, access to the requested records shall be granted within the following time periods:
(b)(1)Association records prepared during the current fiscal year, within 10 business days following the association’s receipt of the request.
(b)(2)Association records prepared during the previous two fiscal years, within 30 calendar days following the association’s receipt of the request.
(b)(3)Any record or statement available pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 4525) of Chapter 4, Article 7 (commencing with Section 5300), Section 5565, or Section 5810, within the timeframe specified therein.
(b)(4)Minutes of member and board meetings, within the timeframe specified in subdivision (a) of Section 4950.
(b)(5)Minutes of meetings of committees with decisionmaking authority for meetings commencing on or after January 1, 2007, within 15 calendar days following approval.
(b)(6)Membership list, within the timeframe specified in Section 8330 of the Corporations Code.
(c)There shall be no liability pursuant to this article for an association that fails to retain records for the periods specified in subdivision (a) that were created prior to January 1, 2006.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5210.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5215 — the text

Information the Association May Withhold or Redact
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.

(a)Except as provided in subdivision (b), the association may withhold or redact information from the association records if any of the following are true:
(a)(1)The release of the information is reasonably likely to lead to identity theft. For the purposes of this section, “identity theft” means the unauthorized use of another person’s personal identifying information to obtain credit, goods, services, money, or property. Examples of information that may be withheld or redacted pursuant to this paragraph include bank account numbers of members or vendors, social security or tax identification numbers, and check, stock, and credit card numbers.
(a)(2)The release of the information is reasonably likely to lead to fraud in connection with the association.
(a)(3)The information is privileged under law. Examples include documents subject to attorney-client privilege or relating to litigation in which the association is or may become involved, and confidential settlement agreements.
(a)(4)The release of the information is reasonably likely to compromise the privacy of an individual member of the association.
(a)(5)The information contains any of the following:
(a)(5)(A)Records of goods or services provided a la carte to individual members of the association for which the association received monetary consideration other than assessments.
(a)(5)(B)Records of disciplinary actions, collection activities, or payment plans of members other than the member requesting the records.
(a)(5)(C)Any person’s personal identification information, including, without limitation, social security number, tax identification number, driver’s license number, credit card account numbers, bank account number, and bank routing number.
(a)(5)(D)Minutes and other information from executive sessions of the board as described in Article 2 (commencing with Section 4900), except for executed contracts not otherwise privileged. Privileged contracts shall not include contracts for maintenance, management, or legal services.
(a)(5)(E)Personnel records other than the payroll records required to be provided under subdivision (b).
(a)(5)(F)Interior architectural plans, including security features, for individual homes.
(b)Except as provided by the attorney-client privilege, the association may not withhold or redact information concerning the compensation paid to employees, vendors, or contractors. Compensation information for individual employees shall be set forth by job classification or title, not by the employee’s name, social security number, or other personal information.
(c)No association, officer, director, employee, agent, or volunteer of an association shall be liable for damages to a member of the association or any third party as the result of identity theft or other breach of privacy because of the failure to withhold or redact that member’s information under this section unless the failure to withhold or redact the information was intentional, willful, or negligent.
(d)If requested by the requesting member, an association that denies or redacts records shall provide a written explanation specifying the legal basis for withholding or redacting the requested records.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5215.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5216 — the text

Safe at Home Participants: Substitute Address and Redaction
Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 151, Sec. 2. (AB 611) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)Notwithstanding any other law, upon request of a member of an association who is an active participant in the Safe at Home program, the association shall do both of the following:
(a)(1)Accept and use the address designated by the Secretary of State as the Safe at Home participant’s substitute address under the Safe at Home program for all association communications.
(a)(2)Withhold or redact information that would reveal the name, community property address, or email address of the Safe at Home participant from both of the following:
(a)(2)(A)All resident community membership lists, including mailbox bank listings, resident directories, electronic keypads, unit property numbers, and internet web portal accounts.
(a)(2)(B)Any membership list that will be shared with other members of the association.
(b)An association shall keep member participation in the Safe at Home program confidential.
(c)For purposes of this section:
(c)(1)“Community property address” means the address of the member’s property within the community governed by the association.
(c)(2)“Safe at Home participant” means a person certified as a program participant in the Safe at Home program.
(c)(3)“Safe at Home program” means the address confidentiality program established pursuant to Chapter 3.1 (commencing with Section 6205) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5216.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5225 — the text

Stating the Purpose of a Membership List Request
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.

A member requesting the membership list shall state the purpose for which the list is requested which purpose shall be reasonably related to the requester’s interest as a member. If the association reasonably believes that the information in the list will be used for another purpose, it may deny the member access to the list. If the request is denied, in any subsequent action brought by the member under Section 5235, the association shall have the burden to prove that the member would have allowed use of the information for purposes unrelated to the member’s interest as a member.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5225.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5230 — the text

Restrictions on the Use of Association Records
Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 640, Sec. 8. (SB 392) Effective January 1, 2022.

(a)The association records, and any information from them, may not be sold, used for a commercial purpose, or used for any other purpose not reasonably related to a member’s interest as a member. An association may bring an action against any person who violates this article for injunctive relief and for actual damages to the association caused by the violation.
(b)This article may not be construed to limit the right of an association to damages for misuse of information obtained from the association records pursuant to this article or to limit the right of an association to injunctive relief to stop the misuse of this information.
(c)(1)An association or its managing agent shall not do either of the following:
(c)(1)(A)Sell a member’s personal information for any purpose without the consent of the member.
(c)(1)(B)Transmit a member’s personal information to a third party without the consent of the member unless required to do so by law, including, but not limited to, Article 5 (commencing with Section 5200).
(c)(2)A member may bring an action against an association that violates this subdivision for injunctive relief and actual damages caused by the violation. A member shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, in a successful action to enforce the member’s rights under this subdivision.
(d)An association shall be entitled to recover reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, in a successful action to enforce its rights under this article.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5230.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5235 — the text

Member Action to Enforce Inspection Rights
Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 2. (AB 805) Effective January 1, 2013. Operative January 1, 2014, by Sec. 3 of Ch. 180.

(a)A member may bring an action to enforce that member’s right to inspect and copy the association records. If a court finds that the association unreasonably withheld access to the association records, the court shall award the member reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees, and may assess a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500) for the denial of each separate written request.
(b)A cause of action under this section may be brought in small claims court if the amount of the demand does not exceed the jurisdiction of that court.
(c)A prevailing association may recover any costs if the court finds the action to be frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5235.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

Civil Code § 5240 — the text

Relationship of This Article to the Corporations Code
Amended (as to be added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180) by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 54. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Addition and amendment operative January 1, 2014, by Stats. 2012, Ch. 180, Sec. 3, and Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 543.

(a)As applied to an association and its members, the provisions of this article are intended to supersede the provisions of Sections 8330 and 8333 of the Corporations Code to the extent those sections are inconsistent.
(b)Except as provided in subdivision (a), members of the association shall have access to association records, including accounting books and records and membership lists, in accordance with Article 3 (commencing with Section 8330) of Chapter 13 of Part 3 of Division 2 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code.
(c)This article applies to any community service organization or similar entity that is related to the association, and to any nonprofit entity that provides services to a common interest development under a declaration of trust. This article shall operate to give a member of the organization or entity a right to inspect and copy the records of that organization or entity equivalent to that granted to association members by this article.
(d)This article shall not apply to any common interest development in which separate interests are being offered for sale by a subdivider under the authority of a public report issued by the Bureau of Real Estate so long as the subdivider or all subdividers offering those separate interests for sale, or any employees of those subdividers or any other person who receives direct or indirect compensation from any of those subdividers, comprise a majority of the directors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this article shall apply to that common interest development no later than 10 years after the close of escrow for the first sale of a separate interest to a member of the general public pursuant to the public report issued for the first phase of the development.

Sources differ. Subdivision (a) reads “the provisions of Sections 8330 and 8333 of the Corporations Code” in the Legislative Counsel's database and “Section 8330 and 8333” in California Public Law. The text here follows the official database. Everything else reads identically in both.

Reproduced verbatim from the California Legislative Counsel's published text and verified word-for-word against a second source (leginfo (Legislative Counsel official bulk code database, LAW_SECTION_TBL) · California Public Law (Public.Law)). California statutes are government edicts and carry no copyright. This is an unofficial reproduction — the official version is published by the Legislative Counsel at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, and that version governs.
Machine-readable: /data/5240.json — the same text with its subdivision anchors, dates and sources.

The membership list, and the two things that constrain it

A member requesting the membership list must state the purpose, and it must be reasonably related to the requester's interest as a member — § 5225. Campaigning for the board is such a purpose; that is the whole point of the equal-access rule in § 5105.

The association may deny the list if it reasonably believes the information will be used for another purpose — but the denial is expensive to defend. In a subsequent action under § 5235 the association bears the burden of proving the member would have used it for a purpose unrelated to membership. A board that refuses a candidate the list on suspicion has taken on the burden of proving the suspicion.

Section 5230 then restricts what may be done with the records once handed over: they may not be sold, used for a commercial purpose, or used for any purpose not reasonably related to a member's interest as a member, and the association may sue a violator for injunctive relief and actual damages.

And the association may not sell or pass on a member's data either

Section 5230(c), added by SB 392, runs the other way: an association or its managing agent shall not sell a member's personal information for any purpose without consent, nor transmit it to a third party without consent unless required to by law. A member may sue for injunctive relief and actual damages, with costs and fees. An association that hands its roster to a vendor as part of moving to electronic voting should read that subdivision before signing, because the member's consent is to the delivery method, not to the transfer.

And a member may opt out of being on the shared list at all

Under § 5220 a member may opt out of the sharing of their name, property address, email and mailing address, and that opt-out stands until changed. A candidate who receives the list is receiving the list minus those members — which is a fact about the campaign, not an error in the list, and an association that does not say so invites the complaint that it withheld names.

The clocks

Section 5210 sets how long records must be kept available and how quickly they must be produced: the current year plus the two previous for most financial records, and production within 10 business days for the current year's and 30 calendar days for prior years, with specified periods for the membership list and for the enhanced association records. A request is answered on a clock the association does not set.

What may be withheld

Section 5215 lists what an association may redact or withhold — and it is a closed list, not a judgment call. It includes information that would violate the privacy of a member, personnel records, disciplinary actions, agreements under litigation, and information the disclosure of which is prohibited by law. Where a record contains both disclosable and withholdable matter, the association redacts rather than refuses.

Section 5216 adds a specific obligation: for a member who participates in the Secretary of State's Safe at Home address confidentiality programme, the association uses the designated substitute address for all communications and withholds or redacts information that would reveal the member's name or location. That is an absolute, and it reaches election mailings.

Refusal has a price, and it is small but certain

Section 5235 gives a member an action to enforce inspection, with costs and attorney's fees to a prevailing member, and a civil penalty of up to $500 for the denial of each separate written request. It is not a large number per request — but a board that refuses a candidate the membership list during an election is refusing one request at a time, and the fee shifting runs one way.

It overrides the corporate law where they conflict

Section 5240 states that this article is intended to supersede Corporations Code §§ 8330 and 8333 as applied to an association and its members, to the extent they are inconsistent. So an association that is also a nonprofit corporation — most are — answers a member's records request under Davis-Stirling, not under the corporate inspection right, and a board quoting the corporate rule back at a member is quoting the wrong statute.

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