Condo Window Replacement With Association Approval
Your condo windows fog and leak, and you are not sure whether you are allowed to replace them or who pays.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
Condo window replacement with association approval starts with the declaration: it says whether the windows in your unit are yours to replace or a common element the association handles. When they are yours, JMB Builders gives you the window spec, color, grille and glass details and a written scope for the board, then measures, orders and installs to match the building. Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- The declaration says who owns the windows
- Spec, color and scope packaged for the board
- Photo reply within one business day, or free estimate
A condo is different from a townhome because the building shell is usually shared. Whether the windows in your unit are yours, the association's, or a limited common element you maintain but cannot change the look of, is written in the association's declaration and rules. Read that first, or send it to us and we will. It decides who hires the contractor and who pays, and nothing else moves until it is clear.
When the windows are yours to replace, the board still has a say in what they look like from outside. Most associations ask for the brand or line, the exterior color, the grille pattern, the glass tint and a written scope before they approve. We put that packet together from the quote so you can file it, and we match the frame color and sightlines of the building as closely as current lines allow. The board may also want our license number and an insurance certificate; both are available on request.
Then the install. Ground-floor units are like any house. Upper floors are reached from inside where the window allows, from a lift set on the lawn with the association's permission, or from a balcony. Shared hallways get floor protection and the old windows go down the stairs or the elevator in agreed hours. Each opening is closed the same day.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- The association declaration or rules section on windows, or the manager's contact
- The board's architectural request form, if it has one
- Photos of each window from inside and a photo of the building face from outside
- Building rules on work hours, parking, elevator use and lift placement
- A paint color if you want the interior trim painted; painting is a separate line
What JMB supplies
- A review of the declaration's window language with you before anything is quoted
- A board packet from the quote: line, color, grilles, glass, scope and install method
- Our license number and an insurance certificate for the association on request
- One in-person measure of every opening and one order matched to the building
- Access by lift, balcony or from inside as the building allows, in the hours the rules set
- Hallway floor protection, every opening closed the day it is opened, haul-away and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- How many windows the unit has; a condo is often four to eight openings
- Window line, series and color needed to match the building face
- Floor level and access: from inside, a balcony, or a lift on the lawn
- Insert in a sound frame vs. full frame and how the exterior is finished on the building's wall
- Building hours and elevator rules that stretch a one-day job to two
- Interior trim as written, and rot found when the old windows come out
Send the window section of the declaration with the photos. It saves a round trip, and it often answers the who-pays question before we quote.
How long it takes
Board approval runs on the association's meeting schedule, often a few weeks. Order lead time follows and is on the quote. Install: one to two days for a typical unit, within building hours.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Owner-replaced windows, board-approved look
The declaration makes the windows yours. We build the board packet, you file it, and once approved we measure, order and install to match the building face.
Association-run replacement, several units
When the windows are a common element, the board hires the work. We quote per unit from one spec and schedule unit by unit; see the HOA all-units page.
Upper-floor unit by lift
Windows that cannot be set from inside are reached from a lift on the lawn, placed where the association allows, on the days the rules permit.
Condo Window Replacement With Association Approval: questions, answered
Who owns the windows in a condo, the owner or the association?
The association's declaration says. In some buildings windows are part of the unit and the owner replaces them; in others they are a common element the association maintains; in many they are a limited common element the owner pays for but cannot change the look of without approval. Read that section first, or send it to us, because it decides who hires and who pays.
What does a condo board need before approving new windows?
Usually the window line or brand, the exterior color, the grille pattern, the glass tint, how it is installed from outside, and a written scope. Many ask for the contractor's license number and an insurance certificate. We put that packet together from the quote so you can file it with the board's form.
Do my new condo windows have to match the rest of the building?
From outside, yes, that is what the board is approving. Frame color, grille pattern, glass tint and the visible frame width are matched to the building as closely as current lines allow. Inside, the frame color and trim are yours to choose, within whatever the rules say.
How do you replace a window on the third floor of a condo?
From inside where the window style allows the new unit to be set and sealed from the room, from the balcony where there is one, or from a lift on the lawn set where the association permits. Shared hallways are protected and the old windows go out in the hours the building allows. Each opening is closed the same day.
Can the association replace every unit's windows at once?
Yes, and when the windows are a common element that is usually how it goes: the board picks one spec, the work is quoted per unit and scheduled unit by unit with notice to owners. Our HOA all-units page covers how that is bid and run.
Can you give the condo association an insurance certificate?
Yes, on request, along with our Minnesota residential building contractor license number. Most management companies ask for both before work starts, and some want the association named on the certificate. Tell us what the manager needs and we send it.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 25, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All whole-house projects pages
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