--- title: "Managing Violations" description: "Create, track, and resolve community violations, assess fines, mail USPS letters, and communicate with residents through comments and files." url: https://support.communitrak.com/en/articles/41-managing-violations collection: "Requests & Violations for Leaders" updated: 2026-10-28 language: en --- # Managing Violations Create, track, and resolve community violations, assess fines, mail USPS letters, and communicate with residents through comments and files. Violations let leaders document a compliance issue and notify the household involved. From a violation you can track it to resolution, discuss it privately with other leaders, mail a physical letter, and assess a fine. The household responds on the same page with comments and files, and pays any fine from their payments page. This article is for leaders. For what the household sees and can do, see "Responding to a Violation". ## **Who can do this** Creating violations requires the Create Violation permission. Leaders with the View Community Violations permission can see every violation in the community. Members without it see only violations about their own household and the ones they have been added to the watchlist for, and that list is filtered on the server. Editing, completing, deleting, assessing fines, and sending letters each require their own permission. Some options may be unavailable or appear differently depending on your level of account access. ## **Open the Violations page** 1. Log in to Communitrak at [https://app.communitrak.com](https://app.communitrak.com). 2. Click **Violations** in the main navigation menu. A badge on the Violations menu item shows the number of pending violations, and a dot appears when one has activity you haven't seen. The Violations module must be enabled in your community's preferences for this menu item to appear. ## **Status tabs** Tabs across the top filter violations by status, each with a count. - **Pending**: Open violations awaiting resolution. A pending violation past its compliance deadline shows as **Past Due**. - **Completed**: Violations that have been resolved. - **Deleted**: Violations that have been removed. Violations don't have Approved, Denied, or Withdrawn statuses. A violation is something the association raised, so the household can't withdraw it. ## **Search and filter violations** Use the search bar to find violations by title, description, ID, the household or address, or the creator's name. Click the filter icon to open the filter panel: - **Target**: Filter by All Targets, Property, or Other. - **Past Due**: Show only violations that have passed their compliance deadline. - **Watching**: Show only violations you are on the watchlist for. - **New activity**: Show only violations with updates you haven't seen yet. Use the **Sort by** dropdown to order results by Newest First, Oldest First, Title (A-Z), or Title (Z-A). Long lists are paginated, and you can show 12, 24, or 48 violations per page. ## **Create a violation** Creating a violation requires the Create Violation permission. 1. Click **New Violation** in the top-right corner of the Violations page. 2. Enter a **Title** for the violation. This field is required. 3. Under **Select Impact Area**, choose **Household** and pick the affected household, or choose **Other** and enter an **Area Name** for a violation that isn't tied to one household. Violations can't be filed against an amenity. 4. Add an optional **Description** using the rich text editor. Describe the compliance issue and any relevant details. 5. Optionally set a **Compliance Deadline** for when the issue should be resolved. Past dates can't be selected. 6. Click **Create Violation**. When you select a household, its members are added to the violation's watchlist automatically and notified by email, push, and in the app. You can also start a violation from a household's page: on the **Recent Requests & Violations** card, click **New** and choose **Violation**, and the household is filled in for you. > **Info:** **Tip:** Assign the violation to a household rather than Other whenever you can. Letters and fines are only available on violations that target a household. ## **Take action on a violation** Open a violation by clicking its card. The action buttons sit below the details, and each asks you to confirm. - **Complete**: Mark the violation as resolved. Requires the Complete Violation permission. - **Edit**: Update the title, impact area, description, and deadline. Only available while the violation is pending. Requires the Edit Violation permission, though whoever created the violation can always edit it. - **Delete**: Remove the violation. Only available while the violation is pending. Requires the Delete Violation permission. - **Reopen**: Return a completed or deleted violation to pending. Requires the View Community Violations permission. - **Send Letter**: Mail a physical letter to the household. Only appears on pending violations that target a household. Nobody can complete, edit, delete, or reopen a violation issued to their own household, whatever their permissions. > **Error:** **Heads up:** Changing the impact area while editing does not update the watchlist. If you move a violation to a different household, add and remove watchlist members yourself. ## **Assess a fine** You can charge a fine directly from a violation. The fine becomes a charge on the household's account, listed with their other charges and payable from their payments page. Assessing a fine requires the Assess Violation Fine permission, the Payments module must be enabled, and the violation must be pending and target a household. 1. In the **Fines** section of the violation detail page, click **New**. 2. Enter the **Amount**. 3. Enter a **Description**, up to 70 characters. This is what the resident sees on the charge, for example "Unapproved exterior paint." 4. Set a **Due Date**. Past dates can't be selected. 5. Optionally add a **Note**, up to 150 characters, with more detail for the resident. 6. Click **Assess Fine**. Everyone on the violation's watchlist is notified. Each fine appears in the Fines section with its amount, description, due date, and a status: **Unpaid**, **Past Due**, **Pending** (a bank payment that is still clearing), **Paid**, or **Voided**. Click a fine to see its full details, including when it was assessed and paid. > **Info:** **Note:** You can't assess a fine on your own household. Communitrak blocks this to avoid a conflict of interest, and the rule is enforced on the server. ### **Void a fine** To cancel an unpaid fine, click **Void** on the fine, enter a **Reason** (up to 150 characters, recorded on the charge), and click **Void Fine**. The household no longer owes it. Voiding requires the Manage Charges permission, so the button only appears for leaders who hold it, and it can't be undone. > **Error:** **Heads up:** Until your community finishes verification, or until the resident confirms their email address, the household can see a fine but can't pay it yet. There is no separate community-wide list of fines. To review them, open the violation, or look at the household's charges under Payments. ## **Send a violation letter** For violations that target a household, you can mail a physical letter via USPS directly from the violation. This requires the Send Violation Letters permission, which also covers canceling a letter during the cancellation window. You can't send or cancel letters for a violation issued to your own household. > **Info:** **Note:** Send Violation Letters is a separate permission from Edit Violation. Community Admins and Community Leaders hold it to begin with. Editing a violation and mailing a letter at your community's expense are different authorities, so other roles can't send letters until an admin grants them this in Roles & Permissions. 1. Click **Send Letter** on the violation detail page, or click **New** in the **Mailed Letters** section. 2. Review the pre-filled **To** and **From** addresses. The recipient address comes from the household's property, and the sender address from your community's profile, which must have a complete mailing address. 3. Check the **Subject**. It is suggested for you, "First Notice", "Second Notice", and so on, and you can change it (up to 100 characters). 4. Edit the **Letter Body**. It starts as a draft built from the violation's title, description, and deadline, with a greeting and sign-off. 5. Review the cost summary. Each letter is sent USPS First-Class in black and white for **$2.25**, charged to your community's payment method on file. 6. Click **Send Letter**. For five minutes after sending, the letter shows **Cancellable for** with a live countdown and a **Cancel** button. Canceling within that window stops the letter and refunds the charge. Once the countdown reaches zero the letter is on its way and can't be canceled. ![](https://staticfiles.gleap.io/ghelparticle/vgdDzQiOghDy64UaGiCAxpUSHo4Diq7rq8kwrxhUxmRH8edvahx81fzRnkueQ7mS1wlfe7rRs1l.png) > **Error:** **Heads up:** Letters can't be mailed while your community is still being verified. You can write and preview a letter in the meantime, but **Send Letter** stays disabled until verification is complete. ### **Letter statuses** Sent letters appear in the **Mailed Letters** section, each showing its status, subject, who sent it, and the expected delivery date once USPS provides one: - **Queued**: The letter has been submitted and is inside the cancellation window. - **Mailed**: The letter has been printed and entered the mail stream. - **In Transit**: The letter is being transported by USPS. - **In Local Area**: The letter has arrived at the local post office. - **Out for Delivery**: The letter is out for delivery. - **Delivered**: The letter has been delivered. - **Re-Routed**: The letter has been re-routed by USPS. - **Returned**: The letter was returned to sender. - **Failed**: The letter could not be delivered. - **Cancelled**: The letter was canceled during the cancellation window. A **PDF** link appears once the letter has been generated, so you can see exactly what was mailed. Letter milestones are also recorded in the Activity timeline. Violation letters are sent First-Class only; certified mail is offered for architectural decision notices, not violations. ## **Internal discussion** Below the public comments, leaders see an **Internal Discussion** card outlined in amber. Nothing posted here is ever visible to the household the violation is about. - It has a **Discussion** tab for notes and a **Files** tab for documents only leaders should see. An internal file can later be published to the violation's shared files. - To take part, you need the Manage Internal Violation Comments permission _and_ you must be on the violation's watchlist. If you have the permission but aren't following it, click **Join** on the watchlist to unlock the thread. - Emails about internal notes and files are marked **Internal discussion ยท Restricted access** at the top, and their button reads **View Internal Discussion**. You can answer them by email too. The reply goes to the **Internal Discussion**, never the public comments, and only posts if you still qualify for the thread when it arrives. Files attached to it go to the internal **Files** tab. - Members of the household the violation is about are always excluded, even if they would otherwise qualify. - Click **Only visible to N internal members** in the card header to see exactly who can read the thread. ## **Manage the watchlist** The **Watchlist** section shows everyone who can view the violation and gets notified about updates. Everyone on the violation can see this list, including the household. - Members of the targeted household are added automatically and labeled **Violation Recipient**. - The person who created it is labeled **Violation Creator**. Everyone else is a **Collaborator**. - Click **Join** to follow the violation yourself, or **Leave** to stop. Joining requires the Join Violation Watchlist permission. - Click **Add** to search the member directory and add one or more members at once. This requires the Manage Watchlist permission in the Violations group, along with View Community Violations. - The violation creator and violation recipients can't leave or be removed. ## **Comments, files, and activity** ### **Comments** Everyone on the watchlist, including the household, can add comments. This is how a resident responds to a violation or reports progress. You can delete your own comments at any time. Leaders with the Violations group's Manage Comments permission (along with View Community Violations) can delete anyone's. Anyone who can comment can also reply to the violation's email notifications. The reply posts as a comment marked **via email**, and files attached to it are added to **Attached Files**. Emails only offer this to people who are allowed to comment, and the reply is re-checked when it arrives. ### **Attached Files** Everyone on the watchlist can upload files, up to 10 MB each, which is how residents send proof of compliance such as photos of completed work. Supported types include PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, CSV, and common image formats. You can delete your own files at any time. Leaders with the Violations group's Manage Files permission (along with View Community Violations) can delete anyone's. ### **Activity** The **Activity** timeline is a chronological log of every change: opened, updated, completed, deleted, reopened, comments and files added or removed, watchlist changes, fines, and letter milestones. ### **New activity** When a violation has changed since you last opened it, a blue banner at the top summarizes what's new. Click **Jump to it** to go straight to the new comments, files, or fines, which are highlighted in blue. ### **AI summary** If your community has AI features enabled, use **Summarize** above the comments to generate a short summary of a long violation thread. ## **Things to know** - The Violations module must be enabled in Preferences for the Violations menu item to appear. - Violations don't have types like requests do, and committee review, appeals, and hearings don't apply to them. A household responds through comments and files. - Violations can target a household or an "Other" area. Letters and fines are only available when the target is a household. - The Fines section is hidden entirely if the Payments module is disabled for your community. - On a property's page, the **Request History** card includes past violations for leaders who can see all violations. - The $2.25 per-letter charge is billed to the community's payment method on file when the letter is sent, and refunded if you cancel within the five-minute window. - If your community's account is read-only because of a billing issue, the action buttons are disabled until the account is back in good standing. If you have questions or need help, chat with Communitrak Support from any page using the messenger icon in the bottom-right corner.