The Declaration is the "Constitution" of the condominium community. The Bylaws provide the rules for governance of the Association itself.

Especially noteworthy is the following limitation set out in the Maine Condominium Act:

"No amendment may create or increase special declarant rights, increase the number of units, change the boundaries of any unit, the allocated interests of a unit, or the uses to which any unit is restricted, in the absence of unanimous consent of the unit owners."

The underlined portion is a trap for the unwary. Many amendments do purport to change uses to which units are restricted and are probably not valid because not adopted by all unit owners (not just all those who attend a meeting)

The function of the Rules is self explanatory. No rule can contravene the requirements of the Maine Condominium Act, the Declaration or the Bylaws. In particular, many rules adopted by associations attempt to regulate conduct within units, which may be outside of the power of the association. However, the greatest problem with rules in many associations is one of precision and clarity. Many of them are simply not drafted very well.