What is quorum?

Quorum is the minimum number of homeowners who need to be present, in person, by proxy, or through a written ballot, before a meeting can legally conduct business at all. That’s a separate threshold from the vote needed to pass a motion, a board can have quorum in the room and still fall short of the majority, or supermajority, a given decision requires. Bylaws set the required numbers for both, and whether proxies, absentee ballots, or electronic participation count toward quorum depends on the governing documents and, in some states, added legal requirements layered on top.

Why does quorum matter?

If quorum isn’t met, the meeting can still happen, people can talk, but nothing voted on is valid, which is how a board ends up thinking it settled something it will have to redo from scratch. Getting people to show up a second time is harder too, so falling short on quorum often means a real delay to whatever the vote was supposed to decide.

When You’ll Run Into This

This becomes an active concern the moment attendance looks thin right before a meeting starts. Our guide to understanding and meeting HOA quorum requirements covers what to do when you’re short.