1. Except as otherwise provided in this section and subject to the provisions of the declaration and other provisions of law, a unit’s owner:

(a) May make any improvements or alterations to his or her unit that do not impair the structural integrity or mechanical systems or lessen the support of any portion of the common-interest community;

(b) May not change the appearance of the common elements, or the exterior appearance of a unit or any other portion of the common-interest community, without permission of the association; and

(c) After acquiring an adjoining unit or an adjoining part of an adjoining unit, may remove or alter any intervening partition or create apertures therein, even if the partition in whole or in part is a common element, if those acts do not impair the structural integrity or mechanical systems or lessen the support of any portion of the common-interest community. Removal of partitions or creation of apertures under this paragraph is not an alteration of boundaries.

2. An association may not:

(a) Unreasonably restrict, prohibit or otherwise impede the lawful rights of a unit’s owner to have reasonable access to his or her unit.

(b) Charge any fee for a person to enter the common-interest community to provide services to a unit, a unit’s owner or a tenant of a unit’s owner or for any visitor to the common-interest community or invitee of a unit’s owner or a tenant of a unit’s owner to enter the common-interest community.

(c) Unreasonably restrict, prohibit or withhold approval for a unit’s owner to add to a unit:

(1) Improvements such as ramps, railings or elevators that are necessary to improve access to the unit for any occupant of the unit who has a disability;

(2) Additional locks to improve the security of the unit;

(3) Shutters to improve the security of the unit or to reduce the costs of energy for the unit; or

(4) A system that uses wind energy to reduce the costs of energy for the unit if the boundaries of the unit encompass 2 acres or more within the common-interest community.

(d) With regard to approving or disapproving any improvement or alteration made to a unit, act in violation of any state or federal law.

3. Any improvement or alteration made pursuant to subsection 2 that is visible from any other portion of the common-interest community must be installed, constructed or added in accordance with the procedures set forth in the governing documents of the association and must be selected or designed to the maximum extent practicable to be compatible with the style of the common-interest community.

4. An association may not unreasonably restrict, prohibit or withhold approval for a unit’s owner to add shutters to improve the security of the unit or to reduce the costs of energy for the unit, including, without limitation, rolling shutters, that are attached to a portion of an interior or exterior window, interior or exterior door or interior or exterior wall which is not part of the unit and which is a common element or limited common element if:

(a) The portion of the window, door or wall to which the shutters are attached is adjoining the unit; and

(b) The shutters must necessarily be attached to that portion of the window, door or wall during installation to achieve the maximum benefit in improving the security of the unit or reducing the costs of energy for the unit.

5. If a unit’s owner adds shutters pursuant to subsection 4, the unit’s owner is responsible for the maintenance of the shutters.

6. For the purposes of subsection 4, a covenant, restriction or condition which does not unreasonably restrict the addition of shutters and which is contained in the governing documents of a common-interest community or a policy established by a common-interest community is enforceable so long as the covenant, restriction or condition was:

(a) In existence on July 1, 2009; or

(b) Contained in the governing documents in effect on the close of escrow of the first sale of a unit in the common-interest community.

7. A unit’s owner may not add to the unit a system that uses wind energy as described in subparagraph (4) of paragraph (c) of subsection 2 unless the unit’s owner first obtains the written consent of each owner of property within 300 feet of any boundary of the unit.

(Added to NRS by 1991, 549; A 2003, 2225; 2005, 1819; 2009, 246, 2878)