2026-09-09 · District of Columbia · Regulation

The District of Columbia created a Condominium Association Advisory Council by statute in 2017 and required it to meet at least four times a year in public. It has never met. That is not an inference — it is the finding of the District's own Office of Open Government, issued on August 28, 2026 in Advisory Opinion #OOG-2026-0007.¹

How it came out

A resident complained that they could not locate a website or any quarterly meetings for the Council, and asked for a working link or current member contact information.

Director Allen dismissed the complaint — not because the body was complying, but because there was nothing for the Open Meetings Act to reach. The investigation found that the Council “is inactive and has not convened to consider, conduct, or advise on public business,” and that it “had not met since its creation in 2017.” As the opinion puts it, nonmeeting does not violate the Open Meetings Act.

Enforcement of the appointment and meeting mandates, the Director concluded, lies with the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Mayor's Office of Talent and Appointments, and the Council of the District of Columbia — not with the Office of Open Government.

What the statute requires

D.C. Code § 42-1903.08a, added by D.C. Law 21-241 effective April 7, 2017, establishes a 14-member body.²

Eight members are community representatives, one from each ward, appointed by that ward's councilmember; each must be “a resident of the District who has been a member in good standing of a unit owners' association for at least one year,” with preference for board experience. One is appointed by the chairperson of the committee with housing oversight. One is appointed by the Mayor. The Director of Housing and Community Development sits ex officio. Three more are Mayor-appointed professionals: a community association manager with at least seven years' experience, a mortgage-industry representative with at least five, and an attorney with at least five years' experience with associations.

Its function is to “serve as an advisory body to the Mayor, the Council, and District agencies on matters relating to condominiums located in the District.” Its obligations are specific: “Meetings of the CAAC shall be open to the public and shall take place at a public location at least 4 times a year,” and it must maintain a public listing of members by ward, meeting notices and minutes on a website.

1. D.C. Office of Open Government, OMA Advisory Opinion #OOG-2026-0007 (Aug. 28, 2026) ↩
2. D.C. Code § 42-1903.08a, Condominium Association Advisory Council (added by D.C. Law 21-241, effective Apr. 7, 2017) ↩
3. Open DC public-body registry entry for the Condominium Association Advisory Council ↩