# Washington HOA Heat Pump Rights (2026) > Under the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (Revised Code 64.90.580), an association cannot effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict a heat pump that an owner installs for personal use within the boundaries of their own unit. The protection covers air source, ground source, and mini-split systems, and it applies to condominiums and homeowner associations alike. As of January 1, 2026, this rule reaches every Washington common interest community, not just newer ones: the older heat-pump provisions in the prior condominium and homeowners-association acts are effective only until that date, leaving Revised Code 64.90.580 as the single authority. An association can still require an application and set reasonable rules on placement, screening, and noise. But a restriction only counts as reasonable if it does not significantly raise the system's cost or cut its efficiency, and where equipment has to sit on a shared wall or roof, the board's approval cannot be unreasonably withheld. _Source: https://hoanotes.com/hoa/washington/heat-pumps/ | Last reviewed 2026-06-14_ ## What the law protects Washington names heat pumps specifically, which is unusual. On property you own, an HOA cannot prohibit or unreasonably restrict a heat pump, whether it is an air source unit, a ground source system, or a mini-split. A blanket ban on exterior mechanical equipment cannot be used to block one. The reach of the rule changed at the start of 2026. Heat pump protection used to sit in an older statute that applied only to some associations; as of January 1, 2026, it lives in WUCIOA and covers every Washington common interest community. The association keeps reasonable control over placement, screening, and noise, but not the power to say no outright. ## What an HOA can still require, and where it crosses the line The protection is not absolute. A Washington association can still ask you to apply for approval before you install, and it can set reasonable rules on where the equipment sits, how it is screened, and how loud it runs. What it cannot do is use those rules to effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict an install that otherwise follows the law. Washington draws the line in the statute itself. A restriction is reasonable only if it does not significantly raise the cost of the heat pump or significantly cut its efficiency. So a condition you cannot actually meet, or one that forces a much more expensive system, runs into the limit the law sets. Whether a particular condition crosses that line depends on the facts, so check your own situation with a Washington attorney. Where the equipment goes changes the picture. Inside the walls of the unit you own, the protection is strongest. When a line set or condenser has to run along a shared wall or roof, which in most condos is a common element, you generally need board approval, but the statute says that approval cannot be unreasonably withheld. A licensed contractor who pulls permits and runs the lines in covers is doing what a reasonable architectural standard asks. ## What to check in the disclosure packet If you want to electrify heating, read these before you make an offer: - Any blanket ban on exterior HVAC or mechanical equipment, which cannot block a protected heat pump. - Placement, screening, or noise standards, and whether they effectively prevent an install. - Whether the home already has a heat pump and whether it was approved. - Board minutes for any heat pump or HVAC dispute. - Any condition you could not realistically meet, or that would force a more expensive or less efficient system, since the law only allows reasonable restrictions. - How long the board has to act on an architectural request, and whether it can withhold approval without a reason. - Whether your equipment would run across a common element such as a shared wall or roof, which changes what the board can require. ## Why this matters to your offer If you are buying a Washington home and plan to add or replace a heat pump after you close, settle the question before your contingencies expire. The disclosure packet shows whether the architectural rules still ban exterior equipment, how the approval process works, and whether the home's current system was ever approved. Catching a blanket ban or a pattern of stalled approvals before you commit is far cheaper than fighting it afterward. Heat pumps are central to how many Washington buyers plan to heat, cool, and cut energy costs, and the law protects them by name. A rules document that still bans all exterior equipment is out of step with the current statute. An HOA Notes brief reads the architectural rules against the heat pump protection, flags a blanket ban that cannot stand, and cites the page behind each finding. ## Already own and facing a dispute? This page is written for buyers, and a brief from us reviews a disclosure packet before a purchase, not an active approval fight. If you already own and the board has denied or stalled a heat pump, the rule above still applies to you. Bring Revised Code 64.90.580 and your written record - your application, the conditions, and every reply - to a Washington real estate attorney. ## What the statute says **Washington Revised Code 64.90.580** (Heat pump installation rights). An association cannot prohibit an owner from installing a heat pump on individually owned property; heat pumps (including air source, ground source, and mini-split systems) are explicitly protected under WUCIOA (RCW 64.90.580), which since January 1, 2026 governs all Washington common interest communities for this purpose (the former RCW 64.38.180 is effective only until that date); this protection reflects Washington's clean energy policy encouraging electrification of heating. The association may impose reasonable restrictions on the placement, screening, and noise standards for heat pump equipment on owner-controlled property; it may require that exterior equipment meet reasonable aesthetic standards provided it does not effectively prohibit installation. ## Washington HOA heat pumps: common questions ### Can a Washington HOA ban a heat pump? No. Under Revised Code 64.90.580, an association cannot prohibit or unreasonably restrict a heat pump on individually owned property, including air source, ground source, and mini-split systems. ### Does the protection cover my older community? Yes. As of January 1, 2026, the heat pump protection in WUCIOA reaches all Washington common interest communities, not just newer ones. ### What can the HOA still regulate? Reasonable rules on placement, screening, and noise, as long as they do not effectively prohibit the installation. ### Can a Washington HOA require the refrigerant lines to be hidden inside the wall? It can ask for concealment as a reasonable architectural standard. But if routing the lines inside the structure is not actually possible where the equipment has to go, a condition that demands it can work as an effective prohibition, which Revised Code 64.90.580 does not allow. Get the reason it cannot be done in writing from a licensed contractor, and ask the board to approve the compliant alternative. A Washington attorney can advise on your specific facts. ### How long can the HOA take to approve a heat pump? The statute lets an association require an application, but it cannot turn the review into a way to block a compliant install. Drawn-out silence or repeated non-answers on an application that meets the rules are hard to square with the law's reasonableness standard. Keep every request and reply in writing. ## Sources (verified 2026-06-14) 1. Revised Code of Washington 64.90.580 (heat pumps), Washington State Legislature. Verified 2026-06-14. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.90.580 2. Revised Code of Washington 64.38.180 (heat pumps), effective until January 1, 2026, Washington State Legislature. Verified 2026-06-14. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=64.38.180 3. Senate Bill 5129 accelerates WUCIOA compliance for all common interest communities effective January 1, 2026, Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson. Verified 2026-06-14. https://www.hcmp.com/blog/hcmp-client-alert-washington-senate-bill-5129-accelerates-wucioa-compliance-for-all-common-interest-communities-effective-january-1-2026 4. WUCIOA for all: heat pump installations and sustainable living, Trestle Community Management. Verified 2026-06-14. https://www.trestlecm.com/wucioa-for-all-heat-pump-installations-and-sustainable-living/ HOA Notes is not a law firm and this is not legal advice.