ESSB 5129 — Concerning common interest communities

Accelerates specified WUCIOA sections — only those enumerated in RCW 64.90.365 — to pre-July 2018 Washington common interest communities beginning January 1, 2026. The chapter itself took effect July 27, 2025 for WUCIOA-governed communities; section-specific operative dates control whether and when each provision reaches pre-2018 communities. Sections in the accelerated list include the 15-minute owner comment period at board meetings (RCW 64.90.445), 14-day meeting notice, the fee-free assessment payment method (RCW 64.90.480(10)), owner access to board materials, open meetings, the expanded small-community exemption for plat communities of fifty or fewer units with average annual assessments at or below one thousand dollars per unit, heat pump installation rights, EV charging rights, budget ratification procedure, and secret ballot requirements (RCW 64.90.525). RCW 64.90.640 (resale certificates) is amended by ESSB 5129 but is NOT in the RCW 64.90.365 accelerated list: the 640 amendments apply immediately to WUCIOA-governed communities and reach pre-July 2018 communities on the broader January 1, 2028 transition under ESSB 5796.