Charles County board members must be trained by 1 October or risk losing their seat
Charles County board members must be trained by 1 October or risk losing their seat
2026-09-12 · Maryland · Compliance
What happened. From 1 October 2026, every director and officer of a condominium council of unit owners in Charles County, and every member of a Charles County homeowners association's governing body, must complete a training curriculum on what the job entails. Senate Bill 573 was approved by the Governor on 26 May 2026 as Chapter 804 of the Acts of 2026, working through Real Property § 11-109 and § 11B-106.1.1
Maryland has plenty of aspirational governance law. This is not that. Practitioners reading the enacted text report that non-compliance can mean removal from the governing body, or the invalidation of that member's votes — which makes Charles County the only place in Maryland where failing to take a course can cost a volunteer director their seat.2
What the statute requires
The legislature's synopsis is the authoritative short form:
“Requiring each member of a board of directors or officer of a council of unit owners of a condominium in Charles County and each member of a governing body of a homeowners association in Charles County to successfully complete a certain training curriculum on the responsibilities of a member of the governing body, subject to certain requirements.”1
The mechanics, as summarised by two Maryland firms reading the enrolled bill, run like this:23
- Newly elected or appointed members: 90 days from taking office.
- Members already serving: 90 days from the start of their next term.
- Certificates are valid for three years, then need renewing.
- The association must retain the certificates and report compliance to the county commission within 90 days.
One honest caveat. The bill page does not itemise the exemptions the synopsis alludes to with the phrase “subject to certain requirements,” and we could not verify what they are. Chapter 804 itself, not the synopsis, settles whether a Charles County board is covered.
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Related Maryland HOA Topics
- Senate Bill 573, Maryland General Assembly 2026 Regular Session — bill record and synopsis, Chapter 804, approved 26 May 2026, effective 1 October 2026; Senate 45-0, House 122-12 ↩
- Whiteford Taylor Preston, 2026 Maryland Legislative Update for Common Ownership Communities (90-day deadline, three-year certificate, removal or vote invalidation) ↩
- Lerch Early Brewer, 2026 Community Associations Maryland Legislative Updates, published in WMCCAI's Quorum ↩
- House Bill 502 (2026), Real Property – Governing Bodies of Common Ownership Communities – Member Training — statewide version; passed House 92-29, no Senate Judicial Proceedings action, died at sine die ↩
- House Bill 913 (2026), Charles County – Governing Bodies of Common Ownership Communities – Member Training — cross-file, died in House Economic Matters ↩
- CAI Advocacy, 2026 Maryland End of Legislative Session Report (SB 573 recorded as passed without the amendments MD LAC sought) ↩
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