Thanks to the Internet, there is a wealth of information available to HOA members, directors, and managers. Here are some useful websites:
• The first place to look is on the North Carolina General Assembly website. Here you can look up the laws that govern homeowners’ associations in North Carolina. Chapter 47C of the statutes governs condominiums. Chapter 47F governs single-family communities (or planned communities) and townhomes. Chapter 55A governs non-profit corporations, which is important because most HOAs are established as nonprofit corporations. You can find specific statutes and you can look up the status of pending legislation affecting homeowners’ associations.
• Another helpful website is offered by the Community Association Institute (CAI). There is an enormous amount of information on this site, including lots of free articles and for-purchase manuals. CAI also conducts training and certification courses for professional community association managers. North Carolina and South Carolina also have their own state chapters.
• The website of HOA-USA offers summaries of state HOA laws, articles on topics of interest to HOAs, and a resource guide with listings of management companies, accountants, banks, attorneys, construction companies, and other vendors offering services to HOAs.
• The website maintained by the North Carolina Secretary of State is also a good resource. Go there to to look up your HOA to see if it is incorporated and in good standing with the state. You can also download your HOA’s corporate documents that have been filed with the state, such as the articles of incorporation.
• In North Carolina, HOAs are required to conduct their meetings in accordance with the parliamentary rules set forth in Robert’s Rules of Order. My colleague, Jim Slaughter, is a Greensboro attorney and a registered and certified parliamentarian. Jim’s website includes many charts and articles on meeting procedures, parliamentary news updates, and links to resources on running effective meetings.
• CAI, the Community Association Institute, has prepared a sample Code of Ethics for HOA board members. Go to this page, and use the search feature at the top right – search for “Code of Ethics” https://www.caionline.org/HomeownerLeaders/Pages/default.aspx There are plenty of other resources for board members here as well.
Carolina Common Elements 
What state department oversees the Planned Community Act? I have been told by the Town of Dallas that the PCA does not apply to our development because the town never ratified it here. I thought the PCA applies to the entire state.
The Planned Community Act applies to all planned communities that fit the definition described in the statute (NCGS 47F: http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/gascripts/statutes/statutelookup.pl?statute=47f ). Its application to a particular community requires no action by any municipality. There is no state agency that oversees HOAs.
I am seeking information regarding trees in our town home community in Charlotte, NC. Who is responsible for maintenance of dead limbs on common area trees? Who is responsible for tree branches that overhang my property? Who pays if a common area tree damages my property if I have informed the HOA of my concerns about this tree? I know there are “air rights”, but where are these rules written? Thank you!
Check our blog post on January 9, 2018.
In our Townhouse development the Association owns the common grounds. Who is responsible for the water and sewer lines running underground from street to Townhouse?
Thanks
There is no state law that governs maintenance of underground utilities for townhomes. It depends on what your governing documents (CCRs) say. Some say that owners are responsible for any utilities located within their lot boundaries that serve only that one home. Others say the HOA is responsible for them up to the point they enter the enter the home.