This is a plain-language summary of Article 6 of the ARK Constitution. The full constitution is the official text.
1. The ARK week
- A week runs Thursday noon → the next Thursday noon. You can reserve a whole week or part of one.
2. Booking 30+ days ahead (exclusive, first come)
- Nov 1–Apr 30: each family can reserve 1 week (or part week) this way.
- May 1–Oct 31: each family can reserve 2 weeks (or part weeks) this way.
- The constitution says this privilege "can be exercised only once each half year."
3. Booking 7–30 days ahead
- Any one week or part week that isn't already reserved, first come.
- If two families want the same dates, the family that used the ARK most recently gives way.
4. Booking under 7 days ahead
- Any unreserved week or part week, first come, no limit.
5. Other rules
- When a family reserves, the member or spouse must be there whenever family or guests are.
- Reservations officially go through the Secretary-Treasurer (see Members).
How this site checks bookings
- The "booking made" date is the day the stay was first logged here. Editing a stay later keeps that original date. "Days ahead" = arrival date − booking-made date.
- A stay covers the nights from arrival to the night before departure. The departure day is a checkout/turnover day, so someone else can arrive that day.
- The season is decided by the arrival date.
- For the 30+ day allotment, each week or part week (every 7 nights, rounded up) uses one "week". Only earlier 30+ day bookings by the same family in the same season count.
- ⚑ Rule means the booking clearly breaks a rule: dates already reserved by another family, over the 30-day-ahead allotment, or more than one week when booked 7–30 days ahead.
- ? Unclear means the constitution doesn't settle it, so the site only warns. That covers: stays that cross a Thursday-noon boundary (1 week or 2?), stays that cross Apr 30/May 1 or Oct 31/Nov 1, a second 30+ day request in the same summer, overlapping your own family's stay, and stays logged after the fact that overlap another family (shared use isn't covered).
- Not checked by the site: the 7–30 day tie-break ("most recent user gives way"), member/spouse attendance, guest rules, fees, and holidays (the constitution has no holiday rule).
- Stays imported from Keep&Share are exempt.
- The rule check uses the bookings on the site when you save. If a booking you conflicted with is later deleted, the admin can re-check all flags.