Large-Scale Manager (LSM®)

A community association manager will have the knowledge, ethics, professionalism, and skills with verifiable experience in financial, administrative, and facilities management in at least one community association, either commercial or residential. The community association manager must be compensated for providing professional guidance and assistance to the board of directors of any association managed by that community association manager, whether the individual is acting as an full-time independent contractor, as an employee of a management firm, or as a general manager or executive director of a common interest development. Management of property other than community associations will not meet the qualifications for community association manager.

For the purpose of this designation, all elements listed below must be met for a community to be considered to be large-scale:

• A single, contiguous community association with an on-site, full-time manager.
• A minimum of 1,000 units or a minimum of 1,000 acres.
• A community that provides municipal-type services, such as recreation, stormwater management, roadway maintenance, and neighborhood security.
• A minimum annual operating budget of $2 million.

• Hold an active PCAM designation.
• Have a minimum of 10 years of community association management experience or five years of community association management experience and five years of municipal management or a comparable position of responsibility at the executive level, or hold a master’s degree in public/business/parks & recreation administration.
  • ​Assistant general managers and directors actively managing on site for 10 years or more at a large-scale community may apply with a recommendation from their general manager.​
• Be a professional large-scale manager for at least the past five years, responsible for the day-to-day operation of a large-scale community association as defined above. 
• Attend one CAI Large-Scale Managers Workshop or complete the M-340: Managing the Large-Scale Association course within the past five years.
• Earn a total of 135 points, and the minimum points stipulated per section, prior to submitting the application. Please see the application for a detailed listing of the points available and the section requirements.
• Complete the LSM application once prerequisites have been met and submit with application fee of:
  • Member:  $115 (individual manager membership)
  • Nonmember: $340

• Pay the annual maintenance fee by Aug. 1 each year.
  • Member: $75 (individual manager membership)
  • Nonmember: $30​0
• Attain 75 points every three years; points must include the required activities listed on the second page of the LSM redesignation form.  The form also lists the the full details on how points are earned for various continuing education and service activities.
• Submit the completed redesignation form with supporting documentation by Aug. 1 of your redesignation year.
• Comply with the CAI Professional Manager Code of Ethics.

Please view the Redesignation FAQs for more information.

Please contact [email protected] for details on how to reinstate the LSM designation.