Montgomery County associations set up before October 1, 2021 needed a reserve study by October 1, 2022, unless they had one done on or after October 1, 2017. An update follows at least every five years, so the first wave of updates lands by October 2027.
Montgomery County dates at a glance
| Counts as existing if set up before | October 1, 2021 |
|---|---|
| A study on or after this date counted | October 1, 2017 |
| Otherwise, first study by | October 1, 2022 |
| Latest update, if the first came at the deadline | October 1, 2027 |
| Funding | The study's recommended contribution, reached within five fiscal years of an initial study |
The county registry and the CCOC
Montgomery runs its own oversight on top of state law. Under Chapter 10B of the County Code, every homeowners association, condominium and cooperative must register each year with the Commission on Common Ownership Communities (CCOC), filing through the Department of Housing and Community Affairs in Rockville with an annual per-unit fee and a copy of the recorded governing documents. Some communities inside incorporated municipalities may be exempt.
The registration does not ask for the reserve study itself, but the CCOC hears disputes between owners and boards, and a board that cannot show a current study and a funding plan is on weak ground if owners complain.
Planning the next study
Montgomery has a wide spread of communities: large planned developments with miles of private paths, mid-rise condominiums along the Red Line and older garden co-ops. That spread shows in fees, so get a quote sized to your components rather than your unit count.
If your first study was done right at the 2022 deadline, the update is due by October 1, 2027. Firms book up ahead of budget season, so boards with a spring budget should be asking for prices by the end of 2026.
The rules themselves are statewide: see the 2022 law, in order and funding to the study.