Meetings & GovernanceOR
Attending HOA Meetings in Oregon
By The HOARebel Team · June 1, 2026 · 3 min read · Updated June 2, 2026
Oregon's Planned Communities Act gives homeowners a statutory framework for both member meetings and board meetings — including rules on when the board can exclude owners in executive session. For your specific situation, a licensed Oregon attorney is the right resource. This is general information, not legal advice.
Lot-owner meetings: ORS 94.650
Section 94.650 of the Planned Communities Act governs meetings of lot owners — including how notice must be given and minimum notice periods. Where the bylaws are silent, the statute sets the default. Lot-owner meetings are where major decisions — amending the declaration, electing the board, approving budgets — are made.
Board meetings: ORS 94.644 and executive sessions
Section 94.644 governs board-of-directors meetings, including notice requirements to lot owners and the circumstances under which the board may convene an executive session — a closed meeting from which owners are excluded. Oregon's Planned Communities Act is notable for defining when executive sessions are appropriate. Boards may not use executive sessions as a general shield against owner attendance. Improper use of executive sessions is a recurring concern in HOA disputes.
Records from meetings
The association is required under ORS 94.670 to keep its documents and records — including meeting minutes — and to make them available for owner inspection. Minutes of both member meetings and board meetings (except for executive-session matters) are accessible to owners. That is how owners verify what was actually decided and whether the board had a proper meeting to do it. See Getting Your Oregon HOA's Records.
Reserves and the budget: ORS 94.595
One of the more prescriptive financial duties in the Planned Communities Act runs through the board. Under ORS 94.595, the association must maintain a reserve account to fund major maintenance, repair, or replacement of common property that will normally require such work in "more than one and less than 30 years," and it must prepare a reserve study and a maintenance plan. The statute requires the board to "annually conduct a review of the reserve account" and adjust funding as needed. Because reserve funding decisions affect every owner's assessments, the reserve study and the annual review are among the financial records owners commonly examine — and budget items appear on the meeting agendas the statute requires owners to be notified about. A licensed Oregon attorney can explain how the reserve requirements apply to a particular association.
The attorney-fee backstop — and a 1-year deadline
ORS 94.780(1) allows enforcement actions under the Planned Communities Act and provides that "[t]he prevailing party is entitled to reasonable attorney fees and court costs." That includes claims based on procedural obligations like proper meeting notice. But ORS 94.780(3) requires the suit to be "commenced within one year after the discovery or identification of the alleged violation" — a notably short window after a contested meeting.
What owners in Oregon generally do
People who want a voice in their association closely read the bylaws for notice periods and quorum rules, document any failure of required notice in writing, request meeting minutes and notices, and consult a licensed Oregon attorney when the board makes consequential decisions — special assessments, rule changes, enforcement actions — without proper notice, quorum, or transparency.