Quorum

What is a quorum?

A quorum is the minimum number of officers or members of a given entity that must be present at a given meeting so that the entity can officially meet and conduct business. Homeowner associations often specify in their bylaws the percentage of membership or officers that must be present to establish a quorum. For those that don’t designate a percentage, state laws may step in and set a threshold: 30 percent of a HOA’s voting power in Florida, for instance, or one-third of membership for California HOAs. Under some bylaws or state statutes, members may be counted present by having designated, in advance of a meeting, a proxy to represent their voting interests.

Why is a quorum important to an HOA?

Without a quorum, an HOA (or other legal entity, from corporate annual meetings to small-town planning commissions to the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives) cannot officially meet and conduct the business entrusted to it. A simple (but not easy) remedy in the HOA context if a quorum cannot be established at a regular or called meeting is to set a subsequent meeting and implore voting members to attend. Another possible solution is to ask voting members who cannot or do not wish to attend to assign their vote by proxy to someone who will be in attendance. If an HOA repeatedly fails to achieve a quorum, some courts have granted requests to lower the quorum threshold.

How can you use “quorum” in a sentence?

Without a quorum of voting interests present, a homeowners association cannot take any official actions.