Setting off fireworks is a bright, colorful way to celebrate certain special occasions. While most commonly associated with the 4th of July, it is not unusual for people to set off fireworks on New Year's Eve and other holidays, as well. When the Seahawks won their first-ever Super Bowl in 2014, the Seattle sky was peppered with exuberant blue and green explosions—a night most of us won't soon forget. read more

We are often asked whether a condominium association may prohibit cigarette smoking in common areas, or in units or single family homes. Now that using marijuana is legal in Oregon and Washington, some associations are wondering if they can or should specifically ban marijuana usage too. There are several things to consider. Here are a few of the highlights to begin the discussion. read more

The title of this weekly email is a recent headline that ran in the Oregonian on January 12, 2016. The link to that article can be found here. read more

With the holiday season a distant memory and emergence of the first quarter of the calendar year, many community associations are scheduling their 2016 annual meetings and election of directors. Now is the time to begin planning for 2017 and 2018's elections. Yes, you read that correctly. read more

It is common for issues between community associations and owners to escalate into disputes when there is a request by the owner to review association records. On the one hand, a board may not understand the obligation and elect to deny a records request outright. On the other hand, an owner may have unreasonable expectations regarding the scope, timing, and who should bear the cost of review. With this in mind, we offer the following primer on records requests. read more