Meetings & GovernanceWA
Attending HOA Meetings in Washington
By The HOARebel Team · June 2, 2026 · 2 min read
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.
Open meetings and notice: RCW 64.90.445
Under RCW 64.90.445, board and committee meetings "must be open to the unit owners except during executive sessions." Notice of a meeting must state the time, date, place, and agenda, and be given "not less than 14 days and not more than 50 days before the meeting date." That defined window means owners should have real advance notice of what the board plans to do.
This is one of the WUCIOA sections that, under RCW 64.90.365, applies even to communities created before July 1, 2018 — so the open-meeting rule reaches older Washington HOAs and condos for current events, not just newer ones.
A guaranteed chance to comment
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.
Executive sessions can't hide decisions
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." Decisions have to be made where owners can see them.
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 within the 14-to-50-day window and 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.