Reserve study cost in Ohio
Most Ohio associations pay between $1,500 to $5,000 for a first full study of a small townhome community, and five figures for a high-rise or a large planned community. Updates cost much less. The tables below are a guide, not a quote.
Full study fees by community
A full study (CAI's Level I) includes a site visit, a component inventory built from scratch, condition notes, and a 30-year funding plan.
| Community | What drives the scope | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 60 units | A townhome court or small garden condo with little shared | $1,500 to $5,000 |
| 60 to 175 units | Private streets plus a pool or clubhouse | $2,500 to $8,500 |
| 175 to 300 units | Many buildings, or long runs of road and pipe | $5,000 to $18,000 |
| Mid- or high-rise condo | Elevators, facade, roofs, mechanical plant | $7,000 to $20,000 |
Updates
| Level | What happens | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Update with site visit (Level II) | The provider revisits, checks conditions and quantities, and reworks the plan. | About 50 to 80 percent of a full study |
| Update without site visit (Level III) | Desk review of the last study with new costs, spending and balances. | Often under $1,000 |
Typical national ranges; no Ohio agency publishes fee figures. A guide, not a quote.
What moves the price in Ohio
- Number of components, not number of homes. Fifty townhomes with private streets, a pond and a pool take longer than a hundred flats in one building with a flat roof.
- Buildings the association maintains. If the declaration makes roofs and siding the association's job, every building gets inspected and measured.
- Mechanical plant. Elevators, boilers, chillers and fire systems add specialist items.
- Engineering. Facade, garage and retaining wall questions in older Cleveland and Cincinnati buildings sometimes need an engineer, priced separately.
- Travel. Rural communities can carry a travel charge if no provider is nearby.
- Meetings. Presenting the draft to the board or owners may be included or billed by the hour.
How to compare two proposals
Line them up on the same points: the level of service, whether the site visit covers every building, how many components they expect, whether a draft review and one revision are included, when you get the draft, and whether a board meeting is in the price. A cheaper proposal that skips the site visit on a first study is not a like-for-like price.
To be sure the draft is in hand for your budget, use the fiscal year planner on our Ohio reserve study page, then see what Ohio law asks of the budget.
Sources for these fees
- Fee ranges: typical national ranges. A guide, not a quote.
- Levels of service: Community Associations Institute, National Reserve Study Standards (in Reserve Studies and Funding Resources)
Get a quote for your study
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