[Albion Wilde]

for the vast majority of issues that come up in an HOA the governing documents will supersede state and local laws.

Doesn't sound right to me. We had a bunch of issues that homeowners were able to overturn because state law overrode the HOA. (Maryland)

[Alberta's Child]

State law would override the HOA in matters related to HOA law -- i.e., if your HOA is being governed in a way that violates your state law about the governance of HOAs, then state law will override the HOA.

Beyond that, there are very few cases where state law would override HOA governance. In many cases the HOA rules are more restrictive. Some states, for example, require boards of non-profit corporations to meet at least once per year. Your HOA documents may require your board to meet quarterly, or monthly. In that case, the HOA regulations would govern.

I'd be curious to know what issues you were facing in an HOA that were overridden by Maryland law.