Meetings & GovernanceOH
Attending HOA Meetings in Ohio
By The HOARebel Team · June 1, 2026 · 2 min read · Updated June 2, 2026
Ohio's Planned Community Act establishes a baseline meeting requirement and expressly allows electronic notice — but most of the notice-period, quorum, and voting detail lives in the declaration and bylaws. Knowing what the statute mandates versus what your documents add is important. For your specific situation, a licensed Ohio attorney is the right resource. This is general information, not legal advice.
At least one annual meeting is required
Section 5312.04 requires the board to "call a meeting of the owners association at least once each year." The date, time, and notice period for that meeting come from the declaration or bylaws — and many associations hold additional special meetings when major decisions arise.
Electronic notice is authorized
Section 5312.04 also provides that notice "may be sent by electronic mail, provided the association has received the prior, written authorization" of the owner to use email. That means email notice is valid — but only if you have previously authorized it in writing. An owner who never authorized email notice may have grounds to argue that emailed-only notice was inadequate for a particular meeting.
Elections of officers and directors
Section 5312.04 governs the election of officers and directors, including terms and voting procedures. The precise rules — staggered terms, cumulative voting, proxy rights — are typically in the bylaws. Understanding the election process matters for any effort to change the board.
The budget and the reserve-fund requirement
Budgets are a frequent meeting topic, and Ohio law now sets a baseline for reserves. Under § 5312.06, the association's annual budget "shall include reserves in an amount adequate to repair and replace major capital items in the normal course of operations without the necessity of special assessments." That requirement can be waived — but only by the owners, "exercising not less than a majority of the voting power of the owners association," and the waiver must be "in writing annually." This reflects a 2022 change (Senate Bill 61): there is no standing, blanket waiver of reserves; if owners want to forgo adequate reserves, they have to do it in writing each year. For condominiums, a parallel reserve rule appears in § 5311.081.
Minutes and records
The Planned Community Act requires the association to maintain books and records under § 5312.07, and minutes of meetings are squarely within the records an owner may inspect. Minutes are how owners reconstruct what was decided — and whether the board had authority to decide it. See Getting Your Ohio HOA's Records.
What owners in Ohio generally do
People who want a real voice in their association closely read the bylaws for notice periods and quorum rules, document any failure of required notice in writing at or before the meeting, request meeting minutes and notices, and consult a licensed Ohio attorney when a board makes consequential decisions — such as a special assessment or a fine schedule change — without proper notice or quorum.