Gated entry

We are a small gated single family tract. We are reprogramming our gate remotes. Can the board limit the number of remotes per household? Some owners want more than 5 because they have more than 5 drivers. Everyone pays the same dues and should have the same rights to entry. There is plenty of room on the system for more extra remotes. Thanks

I think the board "can" limit the number of remotes to equal the number of bedrooms the home has plus 1. So a 3 BR home should have 4 total remotes.
When a 3BR home starts requesting more, then things start to look shady as if more people are occupying a house than local code allows.
Then this leads to a parking nightmare.

Isn't it really a question of security? What do you feel is "safe" in the number of FOBS out there? I agree 1 per bedroom plus 1 maybe reasonable. Otherwise, I would want up front notification these people are going to be arriving. Considering how much a HOA frowns upon commercial advertising on vehicles, giving those type people a FOB seems a bit excessive or not very secure.

I agree with X number of fobs per lot and charge extra for additional. I do not like the idea of getting involved in a bedroom count and/or how many in the bedroom, related, not related, etc. A real can of worms.

Any fobs beyond two cost the resident $50 apiece in my high rise HOA. Also to replace lost fobs. But, we have no units with more than 2 bedrooms and very few are occupied by more than 2 residents. So I think that IF fobs are limited, take into account the average number of bedrooms in an HOA. If there are say lots of 4-5 bedrooms homes, 2 fobs at no cost seem unreasonable. Maybe 4-5 makes sense. But, as JohnC points out, don't base the # on bdrm. count of individual homes.

We have had no limit on fobs in the 11+ years I've been on the board and we have no evidence that any fob was ever used for illegal activities. I know of one condo with 13 due to the owner being an invalid who receives lots of visiting care & other service, e.g, regularly delivered hot meals.

All non-residents with fobs must be also registered by the resident as "Permanent Authorized Guests." So, that is the "advance notice" that our staffed gate entry sees.

I can see where HOAs with parking issues wouldn't want a lot of cars parking in them. In the example of visitors who might have fobs, many only visit, say once a month or even less, e.g., dog groomers. Others, like family members would visit more often as, usually, do housekeepers.

In our underground garage, either the visitor parks in our 15-space Visitor Parking or in the extra space of the resident they're visiting (if there is one). Housekeepers may not park in V.P. If neither is available, the visitor must park at metered parking on the street.

In the OP's small community, it might make sense to deactivate fobs not used in 30 or maybe 60 days. But, why?

In our HOA of 200+, I don't feel it's good use of management's times to check if among say, 500-600 fobs, some haven't been used for awhile. I suppose there could be a computer program that alerts management to non-use. But what would be the purpose of that added expense given no problems?

Why, Jill does the board want to limit remotes? What reasons do they give?? With all homes being so large, a whole lot of fobs seems to be reasonable. Also, with such large homes, it doesn't sound like parking is an issue, right?

To make a rule of any kind in CA HOAs, the Board must first send out a notice of the prospective change for a 30-day comment period to all owners. And then, when the board meets again, they take these comments into account before they voe on their final decision. So....you need to gather neighbors together to attend the next Board meeting (required to be open in CA) and each express your opinions during the required open forum.

If the Board still votes on an unreasonable # off remotes per household, Owners in CA can overturn rules. More a bout this IF your board actually makes such an unreasonable rule.

Potentially if your Control Panel is full then you will need to have some kind of limits OR increase your Control Equipment to handle more controllers. Even though you have homes with 6 bedrooms the majority of those bedrooms will most likely be minor children who do no drive. If I was your HOA I would follow Tim’s advice of each home can have 2-3 (which would cover potentially all the vehicles) and then potentially pay for any extra one they want to have added to your Control Panel. This will cut down on frivolous everybody and their dog wanting a controller just because they want to be a pain.

My replies to Jill were based on her writing in her OP: "There is plenty of room on the system for more extra remotes." But, later, she writes: "...this came up because our control panel was full." Which is it, Jill?

If it's full and there's no way to expand it then the # of remotes per home must be limited somehow.

I think you know, Jill, that in CA you really do need an open meeting of the board to discuss this topic among a quorum of directors. It cannot be defined as an "emergency," no matter how hard you try. There's no immediate danger to persons or your common areas.

Your bylaws will say how to call a special meeting of the Board. Do it to comply with the CA open meeting act and so that your Board doesn't seem to be hiding its deliberations from Owners.

Potentially the BOD should not be discussing among themselves outside of a BOD meeting ... any discussions among majority of BOD members can be deemed a meeting of BOD which may not be properly noticed.