HOA Annual Meeting Requirements: Notice, Quorum and Proxies by State

An HOA annual meeting is a meeting of the owners, not the board. Your state law or bylaws require it at least once a year, usually to elect directors and report on the year. Notice, quorum and proxy rules come from your bylaws first, and state law fills the gaps. This is general information, not legal advice.

• Notice: windows range from a 14-day minimum (Florida HOAs, Virginia) to as much as 60 days (Nevada, North Carolina).
• Quorum: the default is often 20% of the votes, and most statutes let your bylaws change it.
• Voting: proxies, absentee ballots and electronic voting depend on the state and your documents.

What does an HOA annual meeting have to do?

An HOA annual meeting gives every owner notice, a chance to attend, and a vote. Most boards use it to elect directors, present the budget and report on the year. Some states say so in the statute, and some leave the agenda to your bylaws.

The rule is simple to state. Florida's HOA statute says "The association shall hold a meeting of its members annually." Virginia's property owners' association act requires a meeting at least once a year. Arizona's planned community act also calls for an annual meeting.

I'm a volunteer president of a small self-managed condo. The meeting itself is the easy part. The hard part is the clock that starts weeks before it.

What are the notice, quorum and proxy rules by state?

HOA annual meeting rules differ a lot by state, so check your own. This table covers the statutes for thirteen kinds of associations in ten states. Each row is a summary of the statute text, not a prediction for your association.

A few notes on the table:

• Florida condos and HOAs are different laws. The 60-day election notice is in the condo act. The Florida condo act also sets a candidate notice of at least 40 days before the election, and a ballot sent not less than 14 or more than 34 days before it.
• Washington has two laws. Newer associations fall under RCW 64.90. Some older HOAs may still fall under RCW 64.38, so check which applies to you.
• Virginia condos have a separate act. The row above covers property owners' associations only.
• Arizona condos have their own chapter, which the row does not cover.
• Illinois small associations: the Common Interest Community Association Act doesn't cover many small associations. A not-for-profit association with 10 or fewer units or a budget of $100,000 or less is exempt from the whole Act unless it opts in. Associations with 10 or fewer units or a budget of $50,000 or less are exempt from its annual-meeting and 10-to-30-day notice rules, but must still give notice that lets members take part (160/1-75). CICAA board elections must happen at least every 24 months (160/1-25).
• North Carolina's quorum and proxy rules (47F-3-109, -110) apply to planned communities created on or after January 1, 1999. Older communities follow their own documents on those points (47F-1-102).
• Texas requires the board to call an annual meeting whatever the dedicatory instruments say. Associations with more than 100 lots must ask for candidates at least 10 days before ballots go out. Texas condos follow a separate act.
• California has no general annual-meeting rule in the Davis-Stirling Act. Its election rules are detailed: a secret ballot, an independent inspector of elections who isn't a director or candidate, a public count, and 30-day election notices (Civ. Code 5100, 5110, 5115, 5120). The 10 to 90 day meeting notice comes from the nonprofit corporation code (Corp. Code 7511) and applies only to associations incorporated as nonprofit mutual benefit corporations.

What goes in the meeting notice?

Time, place and agenda at a minimum, and some states add more. Colorado is a clear example. Its statute requires the notice to state the time, place and agenda, including "the general nature of any proposed amendment" to the declaration or bylaws, and any budget changes.

Colorado also allows email notice to owners who ask for it. Florida HOAs allow electronic notice only with the owner's written consent, and require proof of notice by affidavit. Arizona says an officer's affidavit is prima facie evidence that notice was given.

Whatever your state, keep proof of how and when you sent notice. It is the first thing anyone checks if an election is challenged.

What happens if you miss quorum?

Check your bylaws first, because most statutes here do not say. Of the statute sections summarized above, only two (North Carolina and Nevada) spell out a path when not enough owners show up.

• North Carolina: a majority of those present may adjourn. At the next meeting the quorum "shall be one-half" of the prior requirement, and it halves again at each further adjournment (47F-3-109).
• Nevada: if your documents require more than 20% and quorum fails, members present may adjourn to a time "not less than 48 hours or more than 30 days" later. At the adjourned meeting 20% counts as a quorum. If fewer attend than your documents require, only items from the original agenda may be acted on (116.3109).
• Washington: the statute has no reduced quorum for an adjourned meeting.

Absentee ballots and proxies can help reach quorum where the law allows them. Arizona counts valid absentee ballots toward quorum, and Virginia treats absentee and proxy voters as present. Nevada counts proxies and absentee ballots too.

Where neither the statute nor your bylaws allows adjournment, you may have to re-notice the meeting. Check the bylaws for an adjournment clause before you do.

What is the countdown to the meeting?

Work back from the longest clock that applies to you. This timeline fits a typical board election. Your state and bylaws set the exact days, and the paperwork column is what each step should leave behind.

Florida HOA elections are only held if there are more candidates than vacancies. Elsewhere, check your statute and bylaws.

Who counts the ballots, and can we vote online?

Some states name who counts the ballots and how electronic voting works, and the rest leave it to your bylaws. Colorado requires votes for contested board positions to be taken by secret ballot and counted by a neutral third party or by volunteers who aren't board members or, in a contested election, candidates. Washington requires a secret ballot for board elections. Nevada requires an independent third party to run electronic voting.

Online meetings and voting vary too. Washington allows telephone or video meetings if the notice explains how to join. Virginia allows electronic voting only if the board has adopted guidelines. Arizona lets associations allow email or fax ballots alongside in-person and absentee ballots. Elsewhere, check your bylaws.

Keep the paperwork either way: the sign-in sheet, the quorum count, the tally and the ballots. Your minutes should record that quorum was met and the vote counts.

What does not apply to routine board meetings?

Almost all of this. Annual meeting rules are for owners. Routine board meetings have their own, shorter rules, and they have no owner quorum, owner proxies or owner ballots.

Florida condo board meetings need notice posted "at least 48 continuous hours" ahead. Arizona's planned community act requires at least 48 hours' notice of board meetings. Colorado opens board meetings to members.

Don't hold a regular board meeting to the annual meeting's notice window. Don't invent owner notice duties for a routine board meeting that your documents and statute don't require. Check your state for the board meeting rule.

What are the common myths about annual meetings?

Most annual meeting myths come from one state's rule repeated as if it applied everywhere.

• "Florida HOAs need 60 days' notice for an election." That is the condo act. The HOA statute (720.306) requires at least 14 days for member meetings.
• "Notice is 10 to 60 days everywhere." Arizona, Colorado and Washington cap it at 50, and Illinois at 30. Nevada starts at 15, Georgia at 21. Virginia sets a 14-day minimum.
• "If quorum fails, you start over." Not always. North Carolina halves the quorum on adjournment and Nevada allows adjournment.
• "Proxies are allowed everywhere." Arizona bars them after declarant control, Florida condos bar proxies in board elections and ban general proxies, and Nevada limits who can hold one.
• "30 days' notice is the rule." It's a common practice, not the law in most of these states. Your bylaws may say 30 days, so check.

Where GnomeOwner fits

GnomeOwner is HOA software for self-managed boards. It keeps your owner list, sends meeting notices, and stores your minutes, ballots and governing documents in one place. Its compliance calendar tracks your state's deadlines, and you can start on the free plan. Upload your bylaws and ask your bylaws a question to see the notice and quorum section behind the answer. See the rules for your state on our state pages, or read our guide to running a self-managed HOA.

Quick answers

Can we skip the annual meeting? Florida HOAs, Virginia, Arizona, Georgia and Texas all say the meeting is required. Check your state and bylaws before skipping it.

What if only one person runs for each seat? In a Florida HOA, no election is held unless candidates outnumber vacancies. Other states may differ, so check your bylaws.

For more on the paperwork a board keeps, see recovering records when someone leaves.

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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules vary by state and by association, and your governing documents and state law control. Sources: Fla. Stat. 720.306 and 718.112; A.R.S. 33-1804 and 33-1812; C.R.S. 38-33.3-308, 309 and 310; NRS 116.3108, 116.3109, 116.311 and 116.31034; N.C.G.S. 47F-1-102, 47F-3-108, 47F-3-109 and 47F-3-110; O.C.G.A. 44-3-102, 44-3-224, 44-3-228 and 44-3-230; 765 ILCS 605/18, 160/1-25, 160/1-40 and 160/1-75; Tex. Prop. Code 209.014, 209.0056 and 209.00593; Cal. Civ. Code 5100, 5110, 5115 and 5120; Cal. Corp. Code 7511; RCW 64.90.445, 64.90.450 and 64.90.455; Va. Code 55.1-1815. Accessed November 2026.