Starting January 1, 2027, Minnesota common-interest-community associations must have a collection policy that includes specific notice and mailing steps. The new requirements apply to communities created both before and on or after August 1, 2010.
The changes come from Minnesota Session Law Chapter 82 (S.F. 1750), signed May 12, 2026. For association managers, the practical work is to update the policy, prepare staff and counsel for the new steps, and keep a clear record of each mailing.
This playbook focuses on the collection-policy provisions. It is general information, not legal advice. Work with your association’s counsel to determine how the law applies to your community and documents.
Know which notices the law addresses
Chapter 82 added parallel collection-policy requirements to two Minnesota statutes:
- Minnesota Statutes § 515B.3-115(k) applies to common interest communities created before August 1, 2010.
- Minnesota Statutes § 515B.3-1151(k) applies to common interest communities created on or after August 1, 2010.
Both provisions take effect January 1, 2027. They require an association to adopt a collection policy and provide a copy to all unit owners. The policy must include at least two mailing steps.
Before referral: The policy must require three separate notifications to an owner before the account is referred to a law firm or collection agency for collection. At least one of those notifications must be sent by Certified Mail to the owner’s registered address.
For a foreclosure notice: If the board engages a law firm to foreclose an association lien for assessments, the policy must require the law firm to send the notice required under Minnesota Statutes § 580.021 by U.S. Mail and Certified Mail to the owner.
These requirements describe a collection-policy process and specific mailings. They do not require every HOA notice to go by Certified Mail. The pre-referral rule requires three separate notices, with at least one sent by Certified Mail. The foreclosure provision addresses a particular notice and requires both U.S. Mail and Certified Mail.
Prepare your policy and workflow in phases
A planned review gives your team time to align the written policy with everyday account handling. Use the steps below to organize the work.
01 / Review the current policy
Find the association’s collection policy and compare it with the applicable subsection: § 515B.3-115(k) or § 515B.3-1151(k). Confirm that the policy is formally adopted and that your process can provide a copy to all unit owners.
Ask counsel to review the language, including how the policy fits with the association’s governing documents and existing collection procedures. Keep the approved version and a record of how it was provided.
02 / Map the three notices and referral point
Write down the three separate notifications your team will send before referring an account to a law firm or collection agency. Identify who prepares each notice, who approves it, how it is sent, and where the record is saved.
Then mark the point at which referral may occur. A written handoff checklist can help staff confirm that all three notices were sent and that at least one was sent by Certified Mail to the owner’s registered address before the account moves forward.
The statute sets a minimum. Ask counsel to confirm notice content, timing, and any additional steps required by the association’s documents or other applicable law.
03 / Verify the registered address
Decide how staff will identify and check the owner’s registered address for the Certified Mail notification. Make the address check part of the account workflow rather than relying on an old mailing label or an informal note.
Keep a record of the address used and the source of that information. If owners can update contact details through the association, make sure changes reach the staff or system responsible for preparing collection notices. Ask counsel how the association should interpret and maintain the registered-address information.
04 / Coordinate the foreclosure mailing
Update the law-firm handoff instructions for an association-lien foreclosure. They should identify the notice under § 580.021 and state that it must be sent to the owner by both U.S. Mail and Certified Mail.
Confirm who prepares each mailing, which address information counsel needs, and how proof of both mailings will return to the association’s records. A shared checklist helps keep the board, manager, and law firm aligned.
05 / Set evidence-retention practices
Keep the final version of each notice with the owner’s account record. Connect it to the mailing date, address used, tracking number, USPS acceptance information, delivery information, and any signature record available for that mailing.
Set a consistent naming and filing method so staff can retrieve the complete history by owner, property, notice type, or tracking number. Confirm retention periods and handling of disputed or active matters with counsel.
Understand what Certified Mail records show
Certified Mail records can help establish a traceable mailing history. Depending on the service selected and records available from USPS, they may show the tracking number, USPS acceptance, tracking events, delivery status, and signature information when a signature option is used.
Those records support documentation. They do not, by themselves, establish what was inside the envelope, whether the notice satisfied every legal requirement, or whether a particular person read it. A signature record may document a signed delivery, but it is not a substitute for reviewing the notice, address, and applicable legal process.
Keep the notice itself and its mailing records together. That way, when the association needs to review an account or respond to a question, the evidence is connected to the communication it documents.
Connect the mailing to the account record
A dependable process links each action. Staff prepare the approved notice, verify the address, select the required mailing method, and save the resulting records to the account. If an account is later referred, the handoff file can show what has already been sent.
For a foreclosure notice, the workflow should also make it clear that the law firm must send the § 580.021 notice by both U.S. Mail and Certified Mail. Agree in advance how the firm will provide the mailing and tracking records, and where the association will retain them.
This is useful even before the effective date. Updating procedures, templates, address records, and handoff instructions now gives staff time to practice the process and resolve gaps with counsel.
Choose a mailing workflow that fits your team
You can prepare Certified Mail labels online and print them at your desk, or arrange to have a mailing prepared and sent for you. For recurring HOA notices, spreadsheet or automated workflows can help keep addresses and tracking information connected to each account.
Certified Mail Envelopes’ services include label preparation, printing, and end-to-end mailing. For eligible orders received before 5 PM ET on a USPS business day, the service can print, stuff, apply postage, and mail the same business day. USPS acceptance, tracking, delivery information, and available signature records are kept in a searchable archive for 10+ years.
You can review the property-manager guide to sending HOA notices for additional recordkeeping ideas.
Be ready before January 1, 2027
Start with the policy. Then map the three pre-referral notices, verify the registered-address process, update law-firm handoffs, and establish a consistent way to retain evidence. Review each step with counsel and confirm that your procedures match the law and your community’s circumstances.
With the process documented, your team can send the required notices, track the mailing record, and retrieve it when needed, without treating every HOA communication as a Certified Mail notice.