April 28, 2026 | Mark Luis Foster

Last week as we reported, a largely “technical” bill, SF 3622, passed both the House and Senate and is destined to become law.  The bill, authored by Senator Michael E. Kreun (32, R), is essentially a “clean up and modernization” bill to realign Minnesota’s Common Interest Ownership Act, or MCIOA. I’ve put a plain, A.I.-generated summary far below in this post.

As we also reported, Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL, who authored the larger SF1750 (see next comment), tried to stick on an amendment that would have empowered the State Attorney General to prosecute HOA board members over decisions made in their volunteer roles.

This amendment reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of Minnesota Statute 515B and the state’s longstanding policy of allowing property owners to self-determine — by majority vote — how best to manage the property they jointly own.  She withdrew the amendment, but promised that we may see it again attached to SF 1750. Well, thanks for that…

On that bill (1750), which seeks substantial reforms to how HOAs in Minnesota operate, we have learned that it will head to the House floor for a vote on Thursday, April 30. We are told there some more add-ons to the bill, although we don’t yet know what they are. If the Bahner amendment comes back, this will be one large neutron bomb of a bill.

We’re watching it — in the meantime call your elected official and tell them to VOTE NO on SF 1750.  It’s an unnecessary, ill-advised bill with poor timing and jaw-dropping hoops to climb through.

Back to SF 3622 — see the quick, plain-English summary of what it is supposed to do.

Big picture:

It updates and cleans up Minnesota’s Common Interest Ownership Act (MCIOA) — the law that governs HOAs, condos, and similar communities — mostly through clarifications, technical fixes, and some targeted policy tweaks.

Key takeaways

1. Clarifies which properties are covered (and which aren’t)

• Better defines when older communities (pre-1994) are subject to current law.
• Expands or clarifies exemptions for small or certain types of communities (like some small planned communities or nonresidential properties).

2. Cleans up definitions and terminology

• Updates definitions (e.g., “common interest community,” “declarant,” etc.) to remove ambiguity and improve consistency across the statute.

3. Updates governance rules for associations (HOAs/condos)

• Clarifies how boards operate, voting works, and how amendments to governing documents are approved.
• Adds clearer procedures for documenting votes/consent (like using affidavits instead of collecting signatures individually).

4. Makes technical fixes to property and plat rules

• Adjusts rules around plats, unit boundaries, and recording requirements to align with modern practices.
• Adds new requirements for how newer developments are structured (e.g., land registration consistency after 2026).

5. Clarifies insurance, assessments, and financial rules

• Tightens language around insurance obligations and association finances (like reserves and assessments).

6. Provides more flexibility for legal processes

• Allows courts to approve certain amendments if communities can’t meet high voting thresholds (with safeguards).

Bottom line

This isn’t a major overhaul — it’s mostly a cleanup and modernization bill:

• Fixes inconsistencies
• Clarifies gray areas
• Updates procedures to be more practical

But it still matters because it affects how HOAs and condo associations operate day-to-day—especially governance, voting, and compliance.