Notice

Notice of meetings (and certain other circumstances and events) is essential.   This Robert's Rules for Dummies article gives a brief primer, but you must dig deeper because your governing documents and state statutes undoubtedly establish requirements for notice that serve to establish validity to conduct business at every meeting.

Every state has unique statutes that govern common interest communities.  In Washington State, in part as a reaction to the pandemic and also keeping up with the times, the legislature passed SB 5011 which became effective on July 25, 2021 by modifying and aligning all four WA CIC Statutes' notice provisions and unit owner voting requirements.  WUCIOA (RCW 64.90) still takes transparency the furthest.

One of SB5011's most important updates supersedes inconsistent provisions from all existing statutes and governing documents by providing for electronic notice if individual unit owners specifically consent.  Adopt electronic consent:  Example electronic notice opt-in form (also embedded at the bottom of this page).  Homeowners do not require their association’s permission to opt-in, but the decision to opt-in does not obligate any association to discontinue the time and expense associated with mailing paper notices.  Everyone wins when owners receive notice via their preferred communication method.  Electronic notices consume less resources.

Notably, SB 5011 incorporated an absolute definition of tangible medium (i.e. notice by tangible medium) and aligned notice requirements for annual and special meetings to not less than fourteen (14) and not more than fifty (50) days.

Nevada (a UCIOA framework state) adopted electronic notice by default (except by ‘opt out’ absent a valid email address) during its 2023 legislative session.  Reference NRS 116.31068.  Nevada's electronic notice does not encompass liens and foreclosure.

Notice: Put it in writing.

WA CIC Notice Requirements

WA NOTICE STATUTES: RCW 64.32.270, RCW 64.38.110, RCW 64.34.396, RCW 64.90.515

Tangible Medium ***Supersedes All Inconsistent Provisions***

"Electronic transmission" or "electronically transmitted" means any electronic communication not directly involving the physical transfer of a writing in a tangible medium, but that may be retained, retrieved, and reviewed by the sender and the recipient of the communication, and that may be directly reproduced in a tangible medium by a sender and recipient.


"Tangible medium" means a writing, copy of a writing, facsimile, or a physical reproduction, each on paper or on other tangible material.


"Written" means embodied in a tangible medium.

Meeting Format and Notice

Except as otherwise restricted by the governing documents, meetings of the association may be conducted by telephonic, video, or other conferencing process, if: 

(a) The meeting notice states the conferencing process to be used and provides information explaining how owners may participate in the conference directly or by meeting at a central location or conference connection; and 

(b) the process provides all owners the opportunity to hear or perceive the discussion and to comment.

Meeting Notice (Continued) ***Supersedes All Inconsistent Provisions***

(1) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision in the governing  documents, notice to the association, board of directors, or any owner or occupant of a unit under this chapter shall be in writing and shall be provided to the recipient by personal delivery, public or private mail or delivery service, or by electronic transmission as provided in this section: PROVIDED, That if this chapter requires different or additional notice requirements for particular circumstances, those requirements shall apply.


N.B.  The above provision includes notice to your Directors of regular meetings.  Directors who have not consented to electronic delivery must be delivered notice another wayListen to Condo Law Group explainThe Nonprofit Corporations Act (RCW 24.03A.550(2)) makes this incredibly clear:


(2) Unless the articles or bylaws provide otherwise, the board may permit any or all directors to participate in a regular or special meeting by, or conduct the meeting through the use of, one or more means of remote communication through which all of the directors may simultaneously participate with each other during the meeting. A director participating in a meeting by this means is considered present in person at the meeting. For any meeting at which one or more directors may participate by means of remote communication, notice of the meeting must be delivered to each director by a means which the director has authorized and provide complete instructions for participating in the meeting by remote communication.


(2) Notice shall be provided as follows:

(a) Notice to the association or board of directors shall be addressed to the association's registered agent at its registered office, to the association at its principal office shown in its most recent annual report, or to an address provided by the association to the unit owners.

 (b) Notice to a unit owner or occupant shall be addressed to the unit address unless the unit owner has requested, in a writing delivered to the association, that notices be sent to an alternate address.


 (3) Notice in an electronic transmission shall be provided as follows:

(a) Notice to the association, the board of directors, or unit owners by electronic transmission is effective only upon those who have consented, in writing, to receive electronically transmitted notices under this chapter and have designated the address, location, or system to which such notices may be electronically transmitted, provided that such notice otherwise complies with any other requirements of this chapter and applicable law.

(b) Notice under this subsection includes any materials that accompany the notice.

(c) Owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may revoke this consent by delivering a revocation to the association in writing.

(d) The consent of any owner is revoked if the association is unable to electronically transmit two consecutive notices and this inability becomes known to the secretary of the association or any other person responsible for giving the notice. The inadvertent failure by the association to treat this inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.

(e) Notice to unit owners who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may be provided by posting the notice on an electronic network and delivering to the unit owner separate notice of the posting, together with comprehensible instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.


(4) Notice is effective as follows:

(a) Notice provided in a tangible medium is effective as of the date of hand delivery, deposit with the carrier, or when sent by fax.

(b) Notice provided in an electronic transmission is effective as of the date it:

(i) Is electronically transmitted to an address, location, or system designated by the recipient for that purpose; or

(ii) Has been posted on an electronic network and separate notice of the posting has been sent to the recipient containing instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.


(5) The ineffectiveness of a good faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized means does not invalidate action taken at or without a meeting.


(6) This chapter modifies, limits, and supersedes the federal 15 electronic signatures in global and national commerce act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7001 et seq., but does not modify, limit, or supersede 15 U.S.C.Sec. 7001(c) or authorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described in 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7003(b).

Florida CIC Notice Requirements

Great Summary for HOAs, Condos & Co-Ops: Florida Condo/Co-Op/HOA Meeting Agendas & Notice Requirements


FLORIDA HOAs: 720.306 MEETINGS OF MEMBERS

The bylaws shall provide for giving notice to members of all member meetings, and if they do not do so shall be deemed to provide the following: The association shall give all parcel owners and members actual notice of all membership meetings, which shall be mailed, delivered, or electronically transmitted to the members not less than 14 days prior to the meeting. Evidence of compliance with this 14-day notice shall be made by an affidavit executed by the person providing the notice and filed upon execution among the official records of the association. In addition to mailing, delivering, or electronically transmitting the notice of any meeting, the association may, by reasonable rule, adopt a procedure for conspicuously posting and repeatedly broadcasting the notice and the agenda on a closed-circuit cable television system serving the association. When broadcast notice is provided, the notice and agenda must be broadcast in a manner and for a sufficient continuous length of time so as to allow an average reader to observe the notice and read and comprehend the entire content of the notice and the agenda.*

FLORIDA HOAs: 720.303 BOARD MEETINGS (c)

The bylaws shall provide the following for giving notice to parcel owners and members of all board meetings and, if they do not do so, shall be deemed to include the following:

Notices of all board meetings must be posted in a conspicuous place in the community at least 48 hours in advance of a meeting, except in an emergency. In the alternative, if notice is not posted in a conspicuous place in the community, notice of each board meeting must be mailed or delivered to each member at least 7 days before the meeting, except in an emergency.

Notwithstanding this general notice requirement, for communities with more than 100 members, the association bylaws may provide for a reasonable alternative to posting or mailing of notice for each board meeting, including publication of notice, provision of a schedule of board meetings, or the conspicuous posting and repeated broadcasting of the notice on a closed-circuit cable television system serving the homeowners’ association. However, if broadcast notice is used in lieu of a notice posted physically in the community, the notice must be broadcast at least four times every broadcast hour of each day that a posted notice is otherwise required. When broadcast notice is provided, the notice and agenda must be broadcast in a manner and for a sufficient continuous length of time so as to allow an average reader to observe the notice and read and comprehend the entire content of the notice and the agenda.

In addition to any of the authorized means of providing notice of a meeting of the board, the association may, by rule, adopt a procedure for conspicuously posting the meeting notice and the agenda on the association’s website or an application that can be downloaded on a mobile device for at least the minimum period of time for which a notice of a meeting is also required to be physically posted on the association property.

Any rule adopted must, in addition to other matters, include a requirement that the association send an electronic notice to members whose e-mail addresses are included in the association’s official records in the same manner as is required for a notice of a meeting of the members. Such notice must include a hyperlink to the website or such mobile application on which the meeting notice is posted.

The association may provide notice by electronic transmission in a manner authorized by law for meetings of the board of directors, committee meetings requiring notice under this section, and annual and special meetings of the members to any member who has provided a facsimile number or e-mail address to the association to be used for such purposes; however, a member must consent in writing to receiving notice by electronic transmission.

Requirements for Voting

WA VOTING STATUTES: RCW 64.32.280, RCW 64.38.120, RCW 64.34.340, RCW 64.90.455

"Unit owners" and "Apartment owners" are interchangeable depending on the statute:

(1) Unit owners may vote at a meeting in person, by absentee ballot pursuant to subsection (3)(d) of this section, or by a proxy pursuant to subsection (5) of this section.

(2) When a vote is conducted without a meeting, unit owners may vote by ballot pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.

(3) At a meeting of unit owners the following requirements apply:

(a) Unit owners or their proxies who are present in person may vote by voice vote, show of hands, standing, written ballot, or any other method for determining the votes of unit owners, as designated by the person presiding at the meeting.

(b) If only one of several unit owners of a unit is present, that unit owner is entitled to cast all the votes allocated to that unit. If more than one of the unit owners are present, the votes allocated to that unit may be cast only in accordance with the agreement of a majority in interest of the unit owners, unless the declaration expressly provides otherwise. There is a majority agreement if any one of the unit owners casts the votes allocated to the unit without protest being made promptly to the person presiding over the meeting by any of the other unit owners of the unit.

(c) Unless a greater number or fraction of the votes in the association is required under this chapter or the declaration or organizational documents, a majority of the votes cast determines the outcome of any action of the association.

(d) Whenever proposals or board members are to be voted upon at a meeting, a unit owner may vote by duly executed absentee ballot if:

(i) The name of each candidate and the text of each proposal to be voted upon are set forth in a writing accompanying or contained in the notice of meeting; and

(ii) A ballot is provided by the association for such purpose.

(4) When a unit owner votes by absentee ballot, the association must be able to verify that the ballot is cast by the unit owner having the right to do so.

(5) Except as provided otherwise in the declaration or organizational documents, the following requirements apply with respect to proxy voting:

(a) Votes allocated to a unit may be cast pursuant to a directed or undirected proxy duly executed by a unit owner in the same manner as provided in RCW 24.06.110.

(b) If a unit is owned by more than one person, each unit owner of the unit may vote or register protest to the casting of votes by the other unit owners of the unit through a duly executed proxy.

(c) A unit owner may revoke a proxy given pursuant to this section only by actual notice of revocation to the secretary or the person presiding over a meeting of the association or by delivery of a subsequent proxy. The death or disability of a unit owner does not revoke a proxy given by the unit owner unless the person presiding over the meeting has actual notice of the death or disability.

(d) A proxy is void if it is not dated or purports to be revocable without notice.

(e) Unless stated otherwise in the proxy, a proxy terminates eleven months after its date of issuance.

(6) Unless prohibited or limited by the declaration or organizational documents, an association may conduct a vote without a meeting. In that event, the following requirements apply:

(a) The association must notify the unit owners that the vote will be taken by ballot.

(b) The notice must state:

(i) The time and date by which a ballot must be delivered to the association to be counted, which may not be fewer than fourteen days after the date of the notice, and which deadline may be extended in accordance with (g) of this subsection;

(ii) The percent of votes necessary to meet the quorum requirements;

(iii) The percent of votes necessary to approve each matter other than election of board members; and

(iv) The time, date, and manner by which unit owners wishing to deliver information to all unit owners regarding the subject of the vote may do so.

(c) The association must deliver a ballot to every unit owner with the notice.

(d) The ballot must set forth each proposed action and provide an opportunity to vote for or against the action.

(e) A ballot cast pursuant to this section may be revoked only by actual notice to the association of revocation. The death or disability of a unit owner does not revoke a ballot unless the association has actual notice of the death or disability prior to the date set forth in (b)(i) of this subsection.

(f) Approval by ballot pursuant to this subsection is valid only if the number of votes cast by ballot equals or exceeds the quorum required to be present at a meeting authorizing the action.

(g) If the association does not receive a sufficient number of votes to constitute a quorum or to approve the proposal by the date and time established for return of ballots, the board of directors may extend the deadline for a reasonable period not to exceed eleven months upon further notice to all members in accordance with (b) of this subsection. In that event, all votes previously cast on the proposal must be counted unless subsequently revoked as provided in this section.

(h) A ballot or revocation is not effective until received by the association.

(i) The association must give notice to unit owners of any action taken pursuant to this subsection within a reasonable time after the action is taken.

(j) When an action is taken pursuant to this subsection, a record of the action, including the ballots or a report of the persons appointed to tabulate such ballots, must be kept with the minutes of meetings of the association.

(7) If the governing documents require that votes on specified matters affecting the common interest community be cast by lessees rather than unit owners of leased units:

(a) This section applies to lessees as if they were unit owners;

(b) Unit owners that have leased their units to other persons may not cast votes on those specified matters; and

(c) Lessees are entitled to notice of meetings, access to records, and other rights respecting those matters as if they were unit owners.

(8) Unit owners must also be given notice, in the manner provided in section 8 of this act, of all meetings at which lessees may be entitled to vote.

(9) In any vote of the unit owners, votes allocated to a unit owned by the association must be cast in the same proportion as the votes cast on the matter by unit owners other than the association.

Regardless of which statutes govern your community, your Bylaws should establish notice requirements for meetings of members (owners) and for meetings of your Board.  Portions of statutes supersede your Bylaws and vice versa.

In Washington State, WUCIOA requires the most thorough and transparent provisions for notice (see below).  In addition to changes that became effective July 25, 2021, additional changes to the Nonprofit Corporations Act became effective January 1, 2022 (see below).

Notice: Nonprofit Corporations Act

RCW 24.03A.015 - Notice


(1) Notice under this chapter must be in the form of a record unless this chapter or the articles or bylaws allow oral notice.

(2) Notice may be communicated in person or by delivery. If these forms of communication are impracticable, notice may be communicated by a newspaper of general circulation in the area where published, or by radio, television, or other form of public broadcast communication.

(3) Notice, other than notice described in subsection (4) of this section, is effective at the earliest of the following:

(a) When received;

(b) When left at the recipient's residence or usual place of business;

(c) Five days after its deposit in the United States mail or with a commercial delivery service, if the postage or delivery charge is paid and the notice is correctly addressed; or

(d) On the date shown on the return receipt, if sent by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, or by commercial delivery service.

(4) Notice in the form of a record by a membership corporation to a member is effective:

(a) Five days after its deposit in the United States mail or with a commercial delivery service, if the postage or delivery charge is paid and the notice is correctly addressed to the member's address shown in the corporation's current record of members;

(b) When given, if the notice is delivered by electronic transmission to the member's address shown in the corporation's current record of members; or

(c) When given, if the notice is delivered in any other manner that the member has authorized.

(5) Notice to a domestic or registered foreign nonprofit corporation may be delivered to its registered agent or to the corporation or its secretary at its principal office shown in its most recent annual report or, in the case of a foreign corporation that has not yet delivered an annual report, in its registration statement.

(6) Where oral notice is permitted, it is effective when communicated, if communicated in a comprehensible manner.

(7) If this chapter prescribes notice requirements for particular circumstances, those requirements govern. If the articles or bylaws prescribe notice requirements, not inconsistent with this section or other provisions of this chapter, those requirements govern.

(8) With respect to electronic transmissions:

(a) Unless otherwise provided in the articles or bylaws, or otherwise agreed between the sender and the recipient, an electronic transmission is received when:

(i) It enters an electronic system that the recipient has designated or currently uses for the purpose of receiving electronic transmissions of the type sent; and

(ii) It is in a form capable of being processed by that system.

(b) An electronic transmission is received under (a)(i) of this subsection even if no individual is aware of its receipt.

(c) Receipt of an electronic acknowledgment from an electronic system described in (a)(i) of this subsection establishes that a record was received but, by itself, does not establish that the content sent corresponds to the content received, and is not necessary for the record to be received.

(9) A member may revoke in the form of a record a corporation's express or implied authorization to deliver notices or communications by electronic transmission to the member. Such authorization is deemed revoked with respect to a member if:

(a) The corporation cannot deliver two consecutive notices or other communications to the member's address shown in the corporation's current record of members; and

(b) The inability becomes known to the secretary or other person responsible for giving the notice or other communication; but the failure to treat the inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.

RCW 24.03A.410 - Notice of Membership Meeting

(1) A membership corporation shall give notice to the members of the date, time, and place of each annual, regular, or special meeting of the members. Except as provided under subsection (6) of this section, the notice must be given in the form of a record no fewer than ten nor more than sixty days before the meeting date. Except as provided in this chapter, the articles, or the bylaws, the corporation is only required to give notice to members entitled to vote at the meeting.

(2) Unless this chapter, the articles, or the bylaws require otherwise, notice of an annual or regular meeting need not include a description of the purpose for which the meeting is called.

(3) Notice of a special meeting shall include a description of the purpose for which the meeting is called.

(4) If not otherwise fixed under RCW 24.03A.400 or 24.03A.420, the record date for determining members entitled to notice of and to vote at an annual or special meeting of the members is the day before the first notice is given to members.

(5) Unless the articles or bylaws require otherwise, if an annual, regular, or special meeting of the members is adjourned to a different date, time, or place, notice need not be given of the new date, time, or place if the new date, time, or place is announced at the meeting before adjournment. If a new record date for the adjourned meeting is or is required to be fixed under RCW 24.03A.420, then the corporation shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to the members entitled to vote on the new record date.

(6) Notice of regular meetings other than the annual meeting may be made by providing each member with the adopted schedule of regular meetings for the ensuing year in the form of a record at any time after the annual meeting and ten days before the next succeeding regular meeting and at any time requested by a member or by any other notice prescribed by the bylaws.

(7) Whenever notice would otherwise be required to be given under any provision of this chapter to a member, the notice need not be given if notice of two consecutive annual meetings, and all notices of meetings during the period between those two consecutive annual meetings, have been returned undeliverable or could not be delivered. If a member delivers to the nonprofit corporation a notice setting forth the member's then current address, then the requirement that notice be given to that member is reinstated.

RCW 24.03A.555 - Notice of Board Meetings


(1) Regular meetings of the board may be held with or without notice as prescribed in the articles or bylaws, unless notice is required by RCW 24.03A.530(2) or other provisions of this chapter.

(2) Unless the articles or bylaws provide for a longer or shorter period, special meetings of the board must be preceded by at least forty-eight hours' notice of the date, time, and place of the meeting. The notice need not describe the purpose of the special meeting, except as required by RCW 24.03A.530(2), other provisions of this chapter, or the articles or bylaws.

(3) Unless the articles or bylaws provide otherwise, the president, the secretary, or twenty percent of the directors then in office may call and give, or cause to be given, notice of a meeting of the board.

(4) Oral notice of meetings of the board may be given, unless oral notice is not permitted by a corporation's articles or bylaws.

Notice: WUCIOA (Continued)

RCW 64.90.505 - Notice for Changes to Rules


(1) Unless the declaration provides otherwise, the board must, before adopting, amending, or repealing any rule, give all unit owners notice of:

(a) Its intention to adopt, amend, or repeal a rule and provide the text of the rule or the proposed change; and

(b) A date on which the board will act on the proposed rule or amendment after considering comments from unit owners.

(2) Following adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule, the association must give notice to the unit owners of its action and provide a copy of any new or revised rule.

(3) If the declaration so provides, an association may adopt rules to establish and enforce construction and design criteria and aesthetic standards and, if so, must adopt procedures for enforcement of those standards and for approval of construction applications, including a reasonable time within which the association must act after an application is submitted and the consequences of its failure to act.

(4) An association's internal business operating procedures need not be adopted as rules.

(5) Every rule must be reasonable.

RCW 64.90.515 - Notice

(1) Notice to the association, board, or any owner or occupant of a unit under this chapter must be provided in the form of a record.

(2) Notice provided in a tangible medium may be transmitted by mail, private carrier, or personal delivery; telegraph or teletype; or telephone, wire, or wireless equipment that transmits a facsimile of the notice.

(a) Notice in a tangible medium to an association may be addressed to the association's registered agent at its registered office, to the association at its principal office shown in its most recent annual report or provided by notice to the unit owners, or to the president or secretary of the association at the address shown in the association's most recent annual report or provided by notice to the unit owners.

(b) Notice in a tangible medium to a unit owner or occupant must be addressed to the unit address unless the unit owner or occupant has requested, in a record delivered to the association, that notices be sent to an alternate address or by other method allowed by this section and the governing documents.

(3) Notice may be provided in an electronic transmission as follows:

(a) Notice to unit owners or board members by electronic transmission is effective only upon unit owners and board members who have consented, in the form of a record, to receive electronically transmitted notices under this chapter and have designated in the consent the address, location, or system to which such notices may be electronically transmitted, provided that such notice otherwise complies with any other requirements of this chapter and applicable law.

(b) Notice to unit owners or board members under this subsection includes material that this chapter or the governing documents requires or permits to accompany the notice.

(c) A unit owner or board member who has consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may revoke this consent by delivering a revocation to the association in the form of a record.

(d) The consent of any unit owner or board member is revoked if: The association is unable to electronically transmit two consecutive notices given by the association in accordance with the consent, and this inability becomes known to the secretary of the association or any other person responsible for giving the notice. The inadvertent failure by the association to treat this inability as a revocation does not invalidate any meeting or other action.

(e) Notice to unit owners or board members who have consented to receipt of electronically transmitted notices may be provided by posting the notice on an electronic network and delivering to the unit owner or board member a separate record of the posting, together with comprehensible instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.

(f) Notice to an association in an electronic transmission is effective only with respect to an association that has designated in a record an address, location, or system to which the notices may be electronically transmitted.

(4) Notice may be given by any other method reasonably calculated to provide notice to the recipient.

(5) Notice is effective as follows:

(a) Notice provided in a tangible medium is effective as of the date of hand delivery, deposit with the carrier, or when sent by fax.

(b) Notice provided in an electronic transmission is effective as of the date it:

(i) Is electronically transmitted to an address, location, or system designated by the recipient for that purpose; or

(ii) Has been posted on an electronic network and a separate record of the posting has been sent to the recipient containing instructions regarding how to obtain access to the posting on the electronic network.

(6) The ineffectiveness of a good faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized means does not invalidate action taken at or without a meeting.

(7) If this chapter prescribes different or additional notice requirements for particular circumstances, those requirements govern.

RCW 64.90.445(f)(g) - Meetings

(f) Unless the meeting is included in a schedule given to the unit owners or the meeting is called to deal with an emergency, the secretary or other officer specified in the organizational documents must provide notice of each board meeting to each board member and to the unit owners. The notice must be given at least fourteen days before the meeting and must state the time, date, place, and agenda of the meeting.

(g) If any materials are distributed to the board before the meeting, the board must make copies of those materials reasonably available to the unit owners, except that the board need not make available copies of unapproved minutes or materials that are to be considered in executive session.

EXAMPLE ELECTRONIC NOTICE OPT-IN

EXAMPLE Electronic Notice Opt-In.docx