How should our HOA board plan for a power outage at the gates, pumps and pool?

By OurHOA · General information · Revised October 20, 2026

An HOA power outage plan for boards: what entry gates must do when power fails, lift stations and pumps, the pool after an outage, and owners on medical devices.

Part of the HOA board handbook: vendors, projects and upkeep.

The short answer

Write a one-page outage plan before you need it. It lists every piece of association equipment that runs on electricity, what each one does when the power drops, who checks it, and in what order. The entry gate comes first, because fire trucks and ambulances have to get in. Then come any pumps the association owns, then the pool, then everything else. Send owners a short notice that says what the board will do and, just as important, what it will not do: the association cannot keep the power on for an owner who depends on a medical device. Fire codes, utility rules and governing documents vary by city, state and community, so confirm the details with your fire marshal, your utility and your association attorney. This guide is education, not legal advice.

List everything that runs on association power

Walk the common areas with the last 12 months of electric bills in hand. Each meter on those bills belongs to something. Write down the meter number, the account number, the address the utility has on file, and what that meter feeds: the entry gate operator, a lift station, irrigation or lake pumps, a fountain, the pool pump and chemical feeder, clubhouse lights and refrigerator, security cameras, and street or monument lights. Note which items have battery backup or a generator, and how long the battery is rated to last. Put the utility's outage reporting number and online outage map link at the top of the page. Many small boards learn during an outage that the account is still in a former treasurer's name, and the utility will not talk to anyone else. Fix that now. Two directors should be authorized contacts on every account.

What the entry gate has to do when the power fails

Your local fire code decides this, not the board. The International Fire Code, which many Texas, Florida and Colorado cities adopt with local changes, requires security gates across fire access roads to have an approved means of emergency operation that works at all times (2021 IFC 503.6), and electric operators must be listed to UL 325. Where a city adopts Appendix D, section D103.5 adds that gates must be light enough for one person to open by hand and that electric gates need a way for fire department personnel to open them in an emergency. Some cities go further. Round Rock, Texas guidelines say that if power fails, the gate must open freely. Temple, Texas requires a separate manual release that fire crews use during a power failure. So call your fire marshal and ask three questions: does our gate have to fail open, what emergency opener do you use, and who on your side should we call when the gate is stuck. Write the answers in the plan. If the gate fails secure, decide who drives over to open it by hand and lock it in the open position, and how fast. Our guide on maintaining and repairing an HOA entry gate covers the service contract and fire access testing.

Lift stations, irrigation pumps and fountains

First, find out whether the association owns a sewer lift station at all. In most communities a city, utility or district owns it, and the state design rules fall on that owner. Texas rule 30 TAC 217.63 requires lift stations to be designed to keep wastewater from spilling during power failures, with an alarm for power loss, pump failure and high water, and a backup that runs at least as long as the longest outage in the past five years, or 20 minutes, whichever is longer. Florida rule 62-604.400 requires emergency pumping capability for all pump stations. If the association does own one, the alarm should go to a contractor who answers at night and to a director's phone, and the plan should name the company that brings a portable pump or generator. Irrigation and lake pumps can usually wait, but check them after power returns. Pumps that restart against a closed valve or a clogged intake burn out. A fountain that loses power for days can foul the pond. Our guide on maintaining and testing an HOA emergency generator covers backup power for the equipment that cannot wait.

The pool after an outage

When the pump stops, nothing circulates and the chemical feeder stops. Close the pool and keep it closed until the operator tests the water. Florida is explicit. Rule 64E-9.004(6) requires the recirculation system to run whenever the pool is open, and rule 64E-9.017 lets the health department close a pool on the spot when the recirculation system or disinfection equipment is not working. Texas rules do not name an outage, but a Texas pool must close while a drain cover is missing, broken or loose (265.185), and a closed Texas pool must keep people out and post a closed sign on its gates (265.194(j)). Check the gate, too. A pool gate on an electric lock may fail open. Before reopening, the operator should confirm the pump and feeder restarted, test disinfectant and pH, and confirm the main drain is visible from the deck. Record the readings in the log.

Owners who depend on power

Owners sometimes assume the board or the utility will look after a neighbor on oxygen or dialysis. Neither will keep the lights on. In Texas, a customer designated as critical care under PUC rule 16 TAC 25.497 can get outage notices and protection from disconnection, but the rule says the designation does not guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electricity. Florida's medically essential service statute, section 366.15, mostly governs notice before disconnection for nonpayment and lets the utility cut service when an emergency threatens health or safety. Colorado PUC rule 3407(e)(VI), in 4 CCR 723-3, postpones a shutoff for nonpayment for 90 days with a medical certificate. None of these keep power flowing in a storm. Ready.gov tells people who rely on power-dependent medical devices to make a backup plan with their medical provider. The board's job is to say that plainly once a year. Pass on generator safety at the same time. CPSC says to run a portable generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from homes and buildings, with exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open. Texas Property Code 202.019 bars an HOA from prohibiting a permanently installed standby generator that meets its terms, while allowing reasonable rules on location and screening. Florida section 720.3035(6) makes the board adopt hurricane protection specifications that include exterior fixed generators and approve applications that meet them.

A sample outage timeline

Hour 0: the director on call reports the outage to the utility and checks the outage map for an estimate. Hour 1: someone drives to the entry gate, confirms it opened or opens it by hand, and locks it open if the fire marshal's plan calls for that. Post the pool closed. Hour 2: if the association owns a lift station, confirm the alarm reached the contractor and the backup is running. Send owners a short update. Every 6 to 12 hours: update owners with the utility's latest estimate, even if nothing changed. Power restored: reset the gate and test it with a remote and a code, check pumps and fountains, have the operator test the pool water before it reopens, and reset clocks on irrigation and light timers. Within a week: write down what broke and what took too long, and put the fixes on the next board agenda.

Wording the board can send

Send this once a year before storm season, by email and posted at the mailboxes: 'If the power goes out, the board will report it to the utility, open and secure the entry gate so emergency vehicles can get in, and close the pool until it is tested. Updates will come by text and email. The association cannot restore power or supply power to homes. If anyone in your household depends on oxygen, dialysis or another powered medical device, talk with your doctor about a backup plan now and ask your electric company about its medical or critical care program, which gives notices but does not keep power on. If you run a portable generator, keep it outside and at least 20 feet from any home, never in a garage.' Our guide on setting up an HOA emergency text and email alert list covers building the list this notice depends on.

Mistakes boards make

Assuming the gate fails open because it always has, then learning during a storm that the battery died years ago. Keeping the only gate manual release key on a volunteer's key ring when that volunteer is out of town. Reopening the pool the moment the lights come back. Promising owners the board will check on everyone on medical equipment, which no volunteer board can do reliably. Leaving the utility accounts in a former director's name. Test the plan once a year by cutting power to the gate operator at the breaker with the service company present, and time how long it takes a director to get it open.

Sources

These guides are general education for HOA boards and residents, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules vary by state and by your community's governing documents - check with a professional for your situation.

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