What Your Reserve Study Is Telling You

Since January 2025, Colorado HB 22-1387 requires all HOAs to maintain reserve studies that inventory major capital components — including fencing and vegetation. If you've received your updated reserve study, chances are it's telling you something you already suspected: your community needs work.

The Two Line Items Every Board Should Check

1. Fence Maintenance

Your reserve study likely shows a fence painting/staining cycle of 3-5 years with a per-cycle cost estimate. At Colorado altitude, this is accurate — UV and dry air destroy finishes roughly 2x faster than the national average. If your study shows a cycle coming due, the cost only goes up the longer you wait as deterioration compounds.

2. Vegetation / Tree Care

With HB 1182 taking effect July 2026, vegetation management isn't just an aesthetic issue — it's an insurance issue. Your reserve study's vegetation line item is now directly connected to your community's insurance costs. Boards that address it proactively get to document the work before their carrier asks for it.

Connecting the Dots

Here's what most boards miss: fence maintenance and fire mitigation are both in the reserve study, both require similar coordination (homeowner notification, contractor management, board approval), and both can be financed the same way.

A community that addresses both at once — through a single vendor with a single financing package — saves months of board time, avoids two separate special assessment conversations, and gets both done before the next insurance renewal.

Your Reserve Study Action Checklist

• Review your fence line item — when is the next cycle due?
• Review your vegetation line item — is mitigation budgeted?
• Check your insurance renewal date — is there time to document mitigation before renewal?
• Get a professional assessment for both — independent of your reserve study consultant
• Explore financing — HOA Project Funding can cover both projects without a special assessment