Attending HOA Meetings in Washington

Washington gives owners some of the most detailed meeting rights in the country — open board meetings, a fixed notice window, a guaranteed comment period, and a ban on deciding things behind closed doors. And these rules reach older communities too. For your specific situation, a licensed Washington attorney is the right resource. This is general information, not legal advice.

Are HOA board meetings open to owners in Washington?

Yes. Under RCW 64.90.445, board and committee meetings must be open to unit owners except during executive sessions. Board-meeting notice generally goes out at least 14 days ahead and states the time, date, place, and agenda. Since January 1, 2026, the rule also reaches most communities created before July 1, 2018 (RCW 64.90.365).

Under RCW 64.90.445(2)(a), board and committee meetings "must be open to the unit owners except during executive sessions." Unless a board meeting is included in a schedule given to the owners, its notice "must be given at least 14 days before the meeting and must state the time, date, place, and agenda of the meeting"; a meeting about an event that could not have been reasonably foreseen needs at least seven days' notice, sent electronically to owners whose electronic address or phone number the association knows (RCW 64.90.445(2)(f)). Annual and special unit owner meetings have their own window: notice "not less than 14 days and not more than 50 days before the meeting date" (RCW 64.90.445(1)(c)). Those defined periods mean owners should have real advance notice of what the board plans to do.

Since January 1, 2026 (Laws of 2025, ch. 119), this is one of the WUCIOA sections that, under RCW 64.90.365, applies even to most communities created before July 1, 2018 — so the open-meeting rule reaches older Washington HOAs and condos for current events, not just newer ones. For those older communities, RCW 64.90.365(2) says the listed sections "do not invalidate existing provisions of the governing documents" that existed on July 1, 2018, and small plat or miscellaneous communities described in RCW 64.90.360(4) and nonresidential or mixed-use communities are excluded. The older HOA and Condominium Act meetings sections (RCW 64.38.035 and 64.34.332) were repealed that day.

Can homeowners speak at HOA meetings in Washington?

Yes. Under RCW 64.90.445, owners must be given a reasonable opportunity at any meeting to comment on any matter affecting the community or the association. At board meetings, the board must provide at least 15 minutes at the beginning of each meeting for owners to comment on agenda items before it votes, with a minimum allowance for each owner.

Washington does not leave owner input to the board's goodwill. Owners "must be given a reasonable opportunity at any meeting to comment regarding any matter affecting the common interest community or the association." For board meetings specifically, the board "must provide at least 15 minutes at the beginning of each meeting for unit owners to comment about agenda items before the board votes," with a minimum allowance for each owner. The comment period comes before the vote, so it is a real chance to be heard.

When can a Washington HOA board meet in closed session?

Only for narrow purposes. Under RCW 64.90.445, the board may meet in executive session for consulting legal counsel, litigation or mediation, personnel and labor matters, contract negotiations, or protecting individual privacy. A final vote or action may not be taken during an executive session, so decisions have to be made where owners can see them.

The board may meet in executive session for narrow purposes — consulting legal counsel, litigation or mediation, personnel and labor matters, contract negotiations, or protecting individual privacy. But the limit that gives the rule teeth is explicit: "[a] final vote or action may not be taken during an executive session."

What the bylaws and corporation law add

Quorum, proxies, how directors are elected, and member-voting procedures generally come from the declaration and bylaws and the Washington Nonprofit Corporation Act (RCW 24.03A), which fill in the mechanics around WUCIOA's open-meeting floor. A licensed Washington attorney can read them with you.

Transparency through records, too

WUCIOA's records statute (RCW 64.90.495) gives a parallel form of oversight — minutes, budgets, and financials on a 10-day clock. Minutes obtained that way often reveal how a decision was actually made.

What people generally do

For owners who want a real voice in their Washington association, a few things commonly matter:

• Whether board meetings are noticed at least 14 days ahead (unless they're on a schedule given to owners), owner meetings within the 14-to-50-day window, and both held open.
• The 15-minute comment period, which lets owners raise concerns before the board votes.
• Whether any final action is improperly taken in executive session.
• Minutes and notices show how decisions were made.
• A licensed Washington attorney is the resource if meetings or notice appear to fall short of RCW 64.90.445.

Sources

• RCW 64.90.445 — Meetings
• RCW 64.90.365 — Applicability to common interest communities
• RCW 64.90.495 — Association records