Heat pump applications require boards to balance an owner's statutory protection with building, common-element, structural, electrical, drainage, noise, maintenance, and long-term access concerns. RCW 64.90.580 says an association may not effectively prohibit or unreasonably restrict a compliant heat pump for an owner's personal use within the unit boundaries. It still permits reasonable restrictions and requires board approval for installation on or in common elements, but that approval may not be unreasonably withheld.
Start with applicability. RCW 64.90.365 lists Section 64.90.580 among the WUCIOA provisions that apply to many common interest communities created before July 1, 2018, subject to the exceptions and limits in Section .365. Boards should still have Washington counsel confirm the community type, creation date, governing act, unit boundaries, common elements, exclusive-use areas, declaration, and any plat or miscellaneous-community exception.
Log the application on receipt. If approval is required, the statute says the association must process the request in the same manner as an architectural-modification application. Approval or denial must be in writing and may not be willfully avoided or delayed. If the association does not deny the application in writing within 60 days after receipt, it is deemed approved unless the delay results from a reasonable request for additional information.
Use a complete but proportionate intake checklist. Ask for equipment specifications, condenser and indoor-unit locations, unit and common-element boundaries, line and condensate routes, penetrations, mounting, electrical work, sound information, contractor credentials, permits, drawings, photographs, access needs, proposed screening, and restoration details. Request only information connected to a reasonable review.
RCW 64.90.580 requires approval when installation is reasonably possible and the owner agrees in writing to comply with reasonable architectural standards, engage an HVAC contractor familiar with heat pump installation standards to assess infrastructure and additional needs, and comply with the section. The board should convert those requirements into objective conditions rather than vague preferences.
Coordinate technical review early. Multiunit buildings can raise envelope penetrations, waterproofing, fire stopping, structural loading, electrical capacity, condensate disposal, refrigerant-line routing, vibration, acoustics, service access, roof or balcony use, and future replacement. A manager can coordinate the association's engineer, architect, electrician, HVAC adviser, insurer, fire authority, utility, and counsel, but should not issue technical conclusions outside the manager's expertise.
Do not use design rules to defeat the right. The statute defines a reasonable restriction as one that does not significantly increase the heat pump's cost or significantly decrease its efficiency or specified performance. If the board proposes a different location, screen, route, or equipment condition, document its purpose and ask qualified professionals whether it would materially affect cost or performance.
The owner must obtain required local-government permits and comply with applicable building codes, safety standards, zoning, land-use rules, and permits. Association approval does not replace those approvals. Conversely, a permit does not decide private property boundaries, common-element permission, or owner responsibilities under the declaration and approval agreement.
The statute assigns installation costs to the owner unless a written contract says otherwise. It also makes the owner and successive owners of a heat pump serving the unit responsible for specified inspection, maintenance, repair, replacement, damage, removal, restoration, and temporary removal needed for common-element work. Put the applicable obligations in a signed record that can be found during resale and manager or board turnover.
Watch the fee rule. The association may not charge a fee for installing a heat pump. It may charge a reasonable application-processing fee only if it already charges such a fee for all architectural-modification applications. Do not create a heat-pump-only charge or use the application fee as a substitute for separately documented professional review costs without counsel guidance.
Close the file after installation. Keep the application, completeness date, requests for information, decision, agreement, plans, permits, contractor information, insurance or warranty records, photographs, inspection evidence, and maintenance obligations. Calendar any continuing requirements and preserve the record with the unit file for future owners and boards.
A willful violation can expose the association to actual damages, a civil penalty of up to $1,000, and a prevailing owner's reasonable attorneys' fees and costs in an enforcement action described by the statute. Difficult denials, common-element conflicts, stalled applications, and disputed cost or efficiency conditions should go to Washington association counsel promptly.
This checklist is general board education, not legal, engineering, architectural, HVAC, electrical, insurance, code, or permitting advice. The correct process depends on the community, declaration, property boundaries, building systems, local requirements, and proposed equipment.