Updated for 2026
This page is part of AMG’s Guide to North Carolina HOA laws. It summarizes the North Carolina HOA meeting rules for annual, special, and board meetings.
Association Management Group (AMG) prepared this guide for general informational purposes. AMG is a community association management firm, not a law firm, and this guide does not constitute legal advice. Statutes, and the court decisions interpreting them, change over time. Legal questions, and the final interpretation of any statute or of the governing documents, should be confirmed with qualified legal counsel.
In this guide, the term governing documents refers collectively to the association’s plat, articles of incorporation, bylaws, declaration, rules and regulations, and all policies adopted by the board or the membership.
Sources of North Carolina HOA meeting rules
Meeting requirements come from three sources read together: the Planned Community Act (Chapter 47F) or the Condominium Act (Chapter 47C), referred to on this page as “the Acts”; the Nonprofit Corporation Act (Chapter 55A); and the association’s governing documents. Under the Acts, association and board meetings follow the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised unless the bylaws provide otherwise.
Meeting rules at a glance
| Topic | Section | Most useful when |
|---|---|---|
| Association meetings and notice | § 47F-3-108 | An annual, special, or board meeting is being planned |
| Budget ratification meeting | § 47F-3-103 | The board has adopted a proposed budget for owner ratification |
| Association records | § 47F-3-118 | An owner has requested copies of meeting minutes |
| Special meetings of members | § 55A-7-02 | Owners have demanded a special meeting of members |
| Board meeting notice | § 55A-8-22 | A special board meeting is being called or noticed |
| Remote participation in member meetings | § 55A-7-09 | A virtual or hybrid owners’ meeting is under consideration |
| Remote board meetings | § 55A-8-20 | The board is considering meeting by remote communication |
Each Planned Community Act section listed has a Condominium Act counterpart with the same section number in Chapter 47C. Older communities, including planned communities created before 1999 and condominiums created on or before October 1, 1986, may not be subject to every rule on this page. For those communities, the declaration and bylaws are the first place to look. AMG’s guides to the NC Planned Community Act and the NC Unit Ownership Act explain the details.
Annual and special meetings
The Acts require an owners’ meeting at least once a year, ordinarily to elect directors and conduct other membership business. A special meeting may be called by the president, a majority of the board, or owners holding 10% of the votes in a planned community (20% in a condominium) or any lower percentage the bylaws set. Only business described in the notice may be taken up at a special meeting. Quorum, proxies, and voting are covered in AMG’s guide to North Carolina HOA voting and election rules.
The budget ratification meeting
After adopting a proposed budget, the board must send owners a budget summary and notice of a meeting to consider ratification. No quorum is required at that meeting, and the budget is ratified unless a majority of all owners, or any larger vote the declaration specifies, rejects it.
Notice requirements
The Acts require notice of every owners’ meeting at least 10 and no more than 60 days in advance. Notice may be hand-delivered, mailed to the lot or unit or to another mailing address the owner has designated in writing, or sent electronically, such as by email, to an address the owner has designated in writing. It must state the time, place, and agenda, including the general nature of any proposed amendment to the declaration or bylaws, any budget change, and any proposal to remove a director or officer. A defective notice can expose the meeting’s actions to challenge.
Board meetings
The board meets as the bylaws provide, and the Acts do not set a separate notice requirement for board meetings. Thus, the bylaws typically govern notice and how meetings are called, and the Nonprofit Corporation Act fills the gaps. Unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, the board may act without a meeting only by unanimous written consent of the directors.
Executive sessions
The Acts do not provide for executive or closed sessions, so their use depends on the governing documents and the rules of order that apply to the association’s meetings. Boards commonly reserve executive session for legal, contract, and personnel matters and for individual owner accounts or violations.
Meeting minutes
Records of association and board meetings must be made reasonably available to owners as the bylaws and the Nonprofit Corporation Act provide. Minutes typically record motions, votes, and actions in a neutral tone, without narrative. Responsibility for minutes rests with the board, and the bylaws commonly assign it to the secretary.
Virtual meetings
The Acts do not address remote meetings. Unless the articles of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, the Nonprofit Corporation Act allows the board to meet remotely, and owners may take part in owners’ meetings remotely where the board authorizes it.
Homeowner participation
The Acts require the board, at regular intervals, to give owners an opportunity to attend part of a board meeting and speak about their concerns. The board may reasonably limit speaking time and the number of speakers on each side of an issue, and the opportunity need not be offered at every board meeting.
How AMG supports the board
AMG can assist the board in organizing meetings, including preparing notices, agendas, and other materials for the board’s approval, and can attend meetings as the board directs and schedules. Calling or convening a meeting rests with the board, the officers, or the members. Minutes are taken by the association’s secretary or another person the board designates, and the preparation of minutes remains with the association. The association is the custodian of its records, and AMG can receive owner requests for minutes, forward them to the board, and provide available documents where the board has given written instructions to do so.
When to involve legal counsel
Matters that commonly warrant the involvement of the association’s attorney include, but are not limited to, uncertainty about which statutes govern the community’s meetings, a possibly defective notice, a contested special meeting, adoption of a remote-only meeting format, and owner requests for minutes that the board is considering declining. Whether and when to involve counsel is the board’s decision. At the board’s direction, AMG can help coordinate communications with the association’s attorney and assist in gathering the information counsel requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice is required for an HOA meeting in North Carolina?
Notice of an owners’ meeting must be hand-delivered, mailed, or sent electronically to an email address the owner designated in writing, 10 to 60 days in advance, and it must state the time, place, and agenda. Board meeting notice follows the bylaws and the Nonprofit Corporation Act.
Are HOA meeting minutes available to homeowners in North Carolina?
Owners are entitled to reasonable access to the records of association and board meetings, as provided in the bylaws and the records-inspection rules of the Nonprofit Corporation Act.
Can a North Carolina HOA hold meetings online?
An association generally can hold board meetings remotely and allow owners to participate in owners’ meetings remotely where the board authorizes it, subject to its articles of incorporation, its bylaws, and the Nonprofit Corporation Act.
Related Resources
- Guide to North Carolina HOA laws
- NC Planned Community Act
- North Carolina HOA voting and election rules
- North Carolina HOA dispute resolution
- NC Nonprofit Corporation Act and community associations
Have questions about your own community?
Boards of AMG-managed communities are encouraged to begin with their community manager, who can help the board locate the relevant governing documents and other available information and, at the board’s direction, liaise with the association’s attorney when a legal question arises. Associations that are not currently AMG clients may contact AMG’s client services team for information about AMG’s management services or for referrals to qualified professionals.
AMG provides administrative management services to associations and is not a law firm. AMG acts on behalf of the associations it manages rather than individual owners, and an owner involved in a dispute with an association may wish to consult independent counsel.
About AMG
This guide was prepared by Association Management Group (AMG) community managers, including managers who hold the PCAM®, AMS®, and CMCA® credentials. AMG is an AAMC®-accredited firm serving more than 30,000 property owners across the Carolinas. The information is intended to assist community association members and leaders in understanding the statutory framework in which their associations operate.
Learn more at www.amgworld.com. Additional governance discussion appears in the Lessons from the Neighborhood series at www.LessonsFromTheNeighborhood.com.