To file Form SI-CID, a California common interest development corporation submits it together with the nonprofit Statement of Information (Form SI-100) through the Secretary of State’s bizfile Online portal or by mail, pays a combined $35 in filing fees, and does so every two years within the six-month window tied to the month the association incorporated.1https://bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov The SI-CID on its own costs $15; the SI-100 costs $20. Miss the window and the Secretary of State can suspend the association’s corporate powers, with a separate $250 penalty available to the Franchise Tax Board.
Who Has to File
Any California nonprofit corporation formed to manage a common interest development under the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act must file the SI-CID alongside the SI-100. That covers incorporated HOAs running condominium projects, planned developments, stock cooperatives, and community apartment projects as defined in California Civil Code Section 4100. The dual filing obligation comes from Civil Code Section 5405 and Corporations Code Section 8210 read together.
Unincorporated associations, meaning those that never filed articles of incorporation with the Secretary of State, do not file either form. They may still owe separate reports under the Davis-Stirling Act, but not these.
What to Gather Before You File
The SI-CID is short, but it rides with the SI-100, so pull the information for both at once.
For the SI-100, Corporations Code Section 8210 requires:
- The corporation’s exact legal name as it appears on the articles of incorporation, plus the Secretary of State file number from the original filing receipt or the state’s online business search.
- Complete business or residence addresses for the chief executive officer (typically the board president), the secretary, and the chief financial officer (treasurer).
- The street address of the association’s principal office in California, if it has one.
- A mailing address, if different from the principal office or if the association has no California office.
- The agent for service of process: either a California resident with a street address, or a registered corporate agent that has filed under Corporations Code Section 1505.
For the SI-CID itself, Civil Code Section 4280 calls for a statement identifying the corporation as a Davis-Stirling association. The form also asks for the physical location of the development, given as the front street and nearest cross street, which matters most when the association’s business office sits somewhere other than on the property. If a property management company acts as managing agent, that company’s name and address go on the SI-CID.
One detail rejects filings more often than it should: the corporation name on the form has to match the Secretary of State’s records exactly. If the association changed its name or amended its articles without updating state records, the filing bounces back. Check the entity’s record in the online business search before you submit.
When It’s Due
The first filing is due within 90 days of incorporating with the Secretary of State. After that, both forms are due every two years during a six-month window that closes at the end of the association’s incorporation anniversary month. An HOA incorporated in October has a filing window running May through October each biennial cycle. Filing anywhere inside that window counts.
The Secretary of State sends a reminder about three months before the window closes, by mail or email depending on what the association elected. Corporations Code Section 8210 is direct on this point: not receiving the reminder does not excuse a late filing. Calendar the deadline independently.
How to Submit and What It Costs
Online filing through bizfile Online at bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov is the faster route. First-time users create an account and link it to the association’s entity record, then select “File a Statement of Information” under Business Entities. If the entity is flagged as a common interest development corporation, the system walks through both the SI-100 and SI-CID fields in one flow. Payment is handled online and confirmation is immediate.
Paper filing still works. Print both forms from the Secretary of State’s business entities page, fill them out, and mail them to the Sacramento office with a check for $35. Paper takes longer and gets rejected more often for handwriting problems.
Fees are the same either way: $15 for the SI-CID and $20 for the SI-100, for $35 total per biennial cycle.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Civil Code Section 5405 ties the penalty for noncompliance to the suspension and monetary penalties in Corporations Code Section 8810. In practice, the Secretary of State can suspend the association’s corporate rights, privileges, and powers, and the Franchise Tax Board can separately impose a $250 penalty.
A suspended association loses the ability to enter contracts, file lawsuits, or defend itself in court under its corporate name. For an HOA, that can mean losing the power to enforce CC&Rs, pursue delinquent assessments through legal action, or close on transactions that need board approval. Suspension does not dissolve the association or wipe out its obligations. It just freezes the board’s authority to act until the filing is cured.
The Secretary of State and the Franchise Tax Board can suspend an association at the same time for different reasons. The Secretary of State suspends for missing statement filings. The FTB can independently suspend for failing to file Form 199 or pay taxes due under Revenue and Taxation Code Section 23775. When both agencies have suspended the association, each one has to be resolved separately before corporate powers come back.
Reviving a Suspended Association
If only the Secretary of State has suspended the association, revival is direct. File a current SI-100 and SI-CID through bizfile Online or by mail and pay the filing fees. Civil Code Section 5405 provides that once the Secretary of State receives the statement, it certifies that fact to the Franchise Tax Board, and the corporation may be relieved from suspension unless the FTB is independently holding it.
If both agencies have suspended the association, expect two steps. File the current SI-100 and SI-CID with the Secretary of State and obtain a Proposed Relief Letter. Then submit that letter with a completed Application for Certificate of Revivor (FTB Form 3557) to the Franchise Tax Board and clear any outstanding tax obligations. The association stays suspended until both agencies sign off.
Updating Between Cycles
Boards don’t have to wait for the biennial window to update the state. Any time the association changes officers, agent for service of process, principal office address, or managing agent, you can file a fresh SI-100 and SI-CID with the current information. Changing the designated agent actually requires filing an updated statement; you can’t change just the agent without resubmitting the full form.
Annual board elections are the usual reason filings go stale. Many associations elect new officers every year, but the forms are only due every two years, so the state’s records lag. There’s no penalty for outdated officer information between cycles, but a wrong agent for service of process can cause the association to miss legal notices, and that creates real exposure. When the agent changes, file the update right away.