Counties seek temporary HOA fee exemption after tax foreclosure; bill would extend grace period to one year

House Bill 3,545 would temporarily exempt properties managed by homeowners associations or condominium associations from HOA assessments while those properties are owned by a county after tax foreclosure; a dash‑1 amendment heard March 17 extends the proposed exemption from six months to one year.

Representative Cyrus Javedi, sponsor of the bill, said counties do not voluntarily sign HOA covenants and should not be forced to use taxpayer dollars to pay private fees that were contracted by prior owners. “These aren’t county obligations,” Javedi said. “Once the property is sold or transferred, the new owner will pay the total accrued fees.”

Clatsop County officials described a local example they say illustrates the problem: in one subdivision 30,000 fish died after a dam repair, triggering a $3.7 million settlement that led the HOA to sharply raise fees. Clatsop County acquired two lots through tax foreclosure and — because of a prior Oregon Supreme Court ruling — was required to pay HOA assessments while it held…