What a compliant AB 130 violation notice has to include

Notice Cure team

Under AB 130, the hearing date, the cure window, and the 14-day decision clock all trace back to one document: the notice. Get the notice wrong and everything that follows it is on shaky ground, however reasonable the fine itself might be.

The timing rule the notice sets in motion

A board can't set a hearing for fewer than 10 days after the notice is sent. That means the notice has to go out early enough to clear that window, and the association needs to be able to show the date it actually went out — not just the date on the letter.

What the notice needs to say

At minimum, a compliant notice states the specific violation being alleged, the date, time and place of the hearing, and that the owner has the right to attend. It should also make clear that the owner has an opportunity to cure the violation before the hearing — AB 130's central requirement — rather than leaving that to be explained verbally if the owner calls to ask.

Specific, not generic

"Violation of community rules" is not a violation an owner can meaningfully respond to or cure. The notice should describe what was observed, where, and when, in enough detail that a reasonable owner knows exactly what to fix and can show the board it's fixed.

Delivery matters as much as content

A notice that's accurate but never reaches the owner doesn't start the clock in any way that holds up later. Associations typically rely on their governing documents and the Davis-Stirling Act's general notice provisions for how a notice must be delivered — keep whatever proves delivery (mail receipt, email timestamp, or your management platform's send log) alongside the notice itself.