Frequently Asked Questions
Chestnut Mountain Farms – Background on Annual Fees
Annual Fees were initiated in the establishment of the Homeowners Association and in the past two decades, the annual fees have been the primary source for funding operations and maintenance services. The Annual HOA Dues rates have been as
follows over the past two decades.
$700 per lot for undeveloped property $1,200 per lot for developed property (Residence/permanent structure)
Annual HOA Fee Assessment Process: Are collected through Invoices mailed on or about December 1 st of each year with a due date for payment of January 10 th . When property owners do not respond to the postal mail or changed their billing address or transferred the Wilkes County Parcel registry to another party and not notifies the HOA, the HOA has to initiate additional actions (time and service costs) to initiate contact with the property owners of record to address and resolve the payment delinquency. Services provided with the operational budget relying on the timely payment of HOA Annual Fees.
Annual dues for each lot must be provided by January 1 of the calendar year to avoid overdue payment fees. The dues are payable to CMF-HOA and can be sent by mail to:
Chestnut Mountain Farm HOA
c/o Abby H. Champion, CPA, PC
215 Gilead Road, Suite 200
Huntersville, NC 28078
Notification and an invoice are customarily sent in November to the address on file for the lot owner. However, the owner is responsible for timely payment even if the notice and invoice has been lost or the owner has failed to provide the HOA with a proper mailing address.
Annual Dues cover the following items:
- Property and liability insurance for the HOA covering incidents involving owners and visitors as well as the primary permanent structures; Pavilion/Barn/roads
- Front Gate Operations including security panel for key entry (separate codes for owner/contractor/guests) and camera coverage at the entrance.
- PO Box maintenance to provide an assigned box with the USPS for individual residents who seek delivery at CMF.
- Locked, protected package delivery hut at the gate. Maintenance interior and exterior.
- Front Gate lighting – Light equipment and the utility (electric) monthly expenses.
- CMF Dumpster at lots 1 and 2 owned and emptied twice monthly
- 15′ X 39′; x 35’x 39′; water tank buried also at lots 1 and 2, fed by streams connected to ensure water freshness as needed by the local fire protection services if needed.
- Map with solar lighting at the top of the hill on Chestnut Mountain Farms Parkway – routine maintenance.
- Paved road maintenance (Refer to footnote for more detail)
- Gravel Road Maintenance (Refer to footnote for more detail)
- Lawn mowing on a regular for the common areas and the roadways
- Snow and Ice removal on the roadways
- Debris removal on the roadways (Hurricane Helene in September 2024 and Ice Storm February 12-13, 2025, as examples to clear fallen trees and mudslides)
- Security Services; daily inspection by vehicle of roads and assets
- Covered Pavilion with picnic tables and mowed areas for picnics and parking
- Barn used for community meetings like the October annual HOA meeting with tables and chairs for common use by owners upon request. For this facility and the assets within, there is a periodic exterminator protection service (e.g., protection against termites, mice, other insects/varmints).
- Periodic clearing and maintenance of the miles of trails for horses and hikers throughout the CMF community.
- Wilkes County Property Taxes for lots owned by the HOA, e.g., lots 1 & 2 for dumpster and water container for emergency use.
- CMF HOA Website (http://www.chestnutmountainfarms.com). There are maintenance obligations and frequent updates with new content to be shared when uploaded.
- Coordination with Governmental officials performing periodic duties (e.g., NC Forrest Ranger) when onsite. Likewise, utility service providers (Duke Energy, Surrey Yadkin Electric Cooperative, Wilkes Communications) who periodically (or during
outages) are onsite with heavy equipment. - The Architecture Review Committee – Volunteer professionals to review all building requests to ensure compliance with all Wilkes County and CMF building standards covered in the Restrictive Covenants and Amendments. This is a service that minimizes the risks associated with selecting contractors, purchasing materials, and providing construction services.
22. Hosting and preparation costs associated with the HOA Annual Member meeting. Traditionally scheduled for the third Saturday in October, at the barn with lunch. This is both a social event and an HOA formal business meeting, one of between four to six HOA Board meetings held annually with formal minutes uploaded to the CMF HOA Website. - Working relationships with and professional fees paid to our Accounting & Audit and our Legal services on owner transactional and HOA operational legal requirements.
FOOTNOTE: CMF Road Maintenance:
As a gated community, since the inception of the community nearly 20 years ago, all roads are private. The CMF HOA has had a relationship for the past two decades with M&M Mowing and Landscaping to be engaged with the assessment of the road
conditions, to manage the leveling/scraping/weed management of the approximate six miles of gravel roads. M&M also works with the Board on the selection of road surfacing professionals in the ongoing maintenance and repair of the more than eight
miles of paved roads in the community including the entire way from the gate along Chestnut Mountain Parkway to Carriage House Trail. For at least the past decade, the annual budget and expenditures for road maintenance and resurfacing has been
between $50,000 and $75,000 after the conditioning review, a budgetary analysis and presentation at the annual HOA Members meeting held the third Saturday of October.
The following link can be used to access property records online as well as provide contact information if you choose to call or physically visit the Wilkes County Register of Deeds Office.
At the time of the initial development of CMF, Wilkes Communications, (a local, North Carolina telecom cooperative), installed fiber optics connectivity throughout the development. Lot Owners can select capacity up to 1 gigabyte upload/download service. The internet service provided by Wilkes Communications does not require contracting for a LAN phone line. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact Wilkes Communications at (336) 973-3103 to confirm connectivity.
Overall, Verizon and other wireless capabilities on CMF are adequate for phone and message service on most of the roads and CMF roads.
Most of the lots have electrical services provided through Duke Energy and the transformers are generally already connected and in place in strategic locations throughout CMF.
There are a few lots close to Cane Creek where the electrical service provider is Surrey Yadkin Electric Service. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact Duke Energy at (800) 777-9898 or Surrey Yadkin Electric at (336) 356-8241.
None of these services are provided by commercial businesses to residents of CMF. Homeowners are responsible for any wells for extracting water, for their septic systems for wastewater and for any irrigation controls on their property.
As an owner, there are no formal requirements to access your lot. You will need to have the gate code to enter CMF and that code is found on the “Owners Sign-in, protected tab on the CMF Website.
If upon your visit, you intend to use a facility in the common area, e.g., the Pavilion Picnic area, it is recommended that you notify CMF Security (336-927-1863) or the HOA Contact Us website tab to ensure there is not a conflict.
Prior to your visit, (e.g., at least 24 hours in advance of your arrival) it is required that you notify our HOA representative, Perry Swaim, at 336-413-5500. This will ensure there will be authorized personnel available to grant access to the gate and to accompany you on your visit to a specific lot, to multiple lots, or to the common facilities which include the pavilion, barn, and trails.
Whether you are a permanent or part-time resident of CMF, the HOA Annual Dues and the Wilkes County Property Tax is your responsibility to keep all payments due up to date.
The HOA Board should be contacted and will conduct a formal review before the Board authorizes any lease agreement. Any rental agreement must be for a lengthy period of time, (the minimum being considered would be at least six (6) months), the agreement must prevent any formal or informal sub-lease condition that the renter would entertain. Fines will be assessed to the lot owner if there are violations of this condition.
CMF Security services can be contacted at 336-973-3103.
This website has a tab for “Contact us” which should be used if you have information on any security or CMF maintenance issues and risks to report. Documentation with narrative or any video or still photographs will be useful to copy and upload.
All-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes or similar vehicles can be operated on designated roadways but are not permitted on designated trails. Lot owners are permitted to operate these vehicles on their property but are not permitted to operate these vehicles on any trail easements running through their property. The exception is for access to the Pavilion or for special HOA approved events.
Hunting and use of firearms is strictly prohibited in CMF.
Lot owners are permitted to keep horses on their property subject to the terms of the community’s restrictive covenants. Although all other livestock is prohibited, a waiver can be obtained through the HOA Board. Any lot owner seeking a waiver must submit a written request to the HOA Board.