Attending HOA Meetings in Pennsylvania

The Uniform Planned Community Act guarantees Pennsylvania owners a yearly meeting and proper notice, while leaving many of the finer points of how the association meets and votes to the bylaws and the nonprofit corporation law. Knowing which rights are statutory helps you press for them. For your specific situation, a licensed Pennsylvania attorney is the right resource. This is general information, not legal advice.

How much notice must a Pennsylvania HOA give for owner meetings?

Between 10 and 60 days. Under 68 Pa.C.S. § 5308, Pennsylvania's Uniform Planned Community Act requires association meetings at least once each year, with notice hand delivered or sent prepaid by United States mail to each unit's mailing address, or an address the owner designates, within that window. Electronic notice is permitted where the owner consents or the bylaws allow it.

Under § 5308, "meetings of the association [must] be held at least once each year." That annual meeting is the membership's guaranteed touchpoint with the association's business.

The statute also requires real notice. Notice of a meeting must be "hand delivered or sent prepaid by United States mail to the mailing address of each unit" — or to an address an owner designates — between 10 and 60 days before the meeting. Electronic notice is permitted where the owner consents or the bylaws allow it. A meeting noticed outside that window, or not noticed to owners at all, is procedurally vulnerable.

Can I attend my Pennsylvania HOA's meetings remotely?

Yes, unless the bylaws provide otherwise. Under 68 Pa.C.S. § 5308(c), owners and board members may participate "by means of a conference telephone or other remote electronic technology," so they can take part in meetings of a Pennsylvania planned community without being physically present.

Pennsylvania accounts for modern meetings. Section 5308(c) allows participation "by means of a conference telephone or other remote electronic technology," so owners and board members can take part without being physically present unless the bylaws provide otherwise.

Act 115 of 2022: a major update to the rules

Many of Pennsylvania's modern meeting and election rules come from Act 115 of 2022 (HB 1795), effective May 2, 2023 — the most significant overhaul of the state's planned-community, condominium, and cooperative statutes in decades. Among its changes:

• Independent election reviewer. Communities of 500 or more units must use an independent reviewer — a CPA, a Pennsylvania-licensed attorney, or a vote-management system — to monitor and tally elections; smaller communities may opt in by a 51% vote.
• Board removal. An executive board member may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at a meeting, provided the meeting notice stated the intention to vote on removal.
• Bylaw amendments. Amending the bylaws requires at least 14 days' notice and approval by at least 51% of votes cast.
• Electronic notice is allowed if the owner has agreed in writing or the bylaws permit it, and remote participation is allowed unless the bylaws provide otherwise (§ 5308).

These run alongside the § 5308 annual-meeting and notice requirements above.

What UPCA leaves to the bylaws

UPCA does not impose the kind of broad statutory open-board-meeting mandate that some states have. UPCA does set default quorums (§ 5309) and basic proxy and voting-method rules (§ 5310), but much of the remaining detail — how the executive board meets and votes and how member votes are run — comes from the declaration and bylaws and from the Nonprofit Corporation Law of 1988 (15 Pa.C.S. § 5101 et seq.), under which most associations are incorporated. That means the governing documents are where you confirm your specific meeting and voting rights, and a licensed Pennsylvania attorney can read them with you.

Transparency through records, not just meetings

Even where a meeting right is governed by the bylaws, Pennsylvania's records statute (§ 5316) gives owners a parallel form of oversight — financial records on request, backed by the Attorney General complaint route. Minutes and notices obtained through that channel often reveal how a decision was actually made.

What people generally do

Owners who want a real voice in their Pennsylvania association commonly take these steps:

• Owners often confirm meetings are noticed within the § 5308 window and delivered as the statute requires
• Reading the bylaws shows the quorum, proxy, and board-meeting rules that supplement UPCA
• Many attend the annual meeting, run for the board, or submit agenda items in writing
• Requesting minutes and notices can show how decisions were made
• If meetings or notice appear to fall short of § 5308, a licensed Pennsylvania attorney is the right resource

Sources

• 68 Pa.C.S. § 5308 — Meetings
• 68 Pa.C.S. § 5309 — Quorums
• 68 Pa.C.S. § 5310 — Voting; proxies
• 68 Pa.C.S. § 5316 — Association records
• Act 115 of 2022 (HB 1795) — omnibus amendments to UPCA/UCA/RECA