Washington State HOA Meeting Rules (RCW 64.38 & WUCIOA): Open Meetings, Notice & Minutes

This guide is general information for volunteer board members, not legal advice. Statute references are to the Revised Code of Washington (RCW); always read the current text and your association's governing documents, and consult an attorney for specific situations.

Washington is unusual: two different statutes govern HOA meetings, depending on when your community was created. Older associations operate under the Homeowners' Associations Act (RCW 64.38); communities created on or after July 1, 2018 fall under the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act — WUCIOA (RCW 64.90), and the legislature has been steadily moving all associations toward WUCIOA. Step one for any Washington board: confirm which law applies to you. The good news is the meeting fundamentals point the same direction under both.

Board meetings are open to owners

Under RCW 64.38.035, all meetings of the board of directors must be open for observation by all owners of record (and their authorized agents). WUCIOA carries the same open-meeting principle forward for newer communities and adds owner-participation expectations. A "workshop," "study session," or group text where a quorum of directors hashes out association business is still a board meeting in substance — treat it like one.

Executive (closed) session: announce it, then vote in the open

The board may convene in closed session only for limited purposes — typically consultation with legal counsel, likely or pending litigation, personnel matters, and matters involving individual owners (such as delinquencies or alleged violations). Washington's procedure is specific and boards get it wrong constantly:

• The presiding officer must announce the purpose of the closed session before the board goes behind closed doors.
• Any binding vote on the matter is taken back in open session, and the minutes reflect it.

Keep the closed-door discussion out of the open minutes — see our guide to executive session minutes for how to document it properly.

Minutes: required, and owners can examine them

Minutes of all board and association meetings must be kept and made reasonably available for examination by owners, alongside the association's books and records (RCW 64.38.045). Record the motion wording, who moved and seconded, and the vote result — if it isn't in the minutes, it's hard to prove it happened. Start from what to include in HOA minutes or grab the free minutes template.

Member meeting notice: 14 to 60 days

For meetings of the association (like the annual meeting), written notice must go to every owner not less than 14 and not more than 60 days before the meeting, hand-delivered or sent prepaid first-class mail (with electronic delivery options in newer law). State the time, place, and purpose; if the budget or assessments are on the table, say so in the notice. Our annual meeting guide covers the full run-of-show, and the free agenda template keeps the meeting itself on the rails.

Budgets get their own ritual under WUCIOA

For communities under RCW 64.90, the board adopts a budget and must send it to owners with a summary and a meeting date — and the budget is ratified unless a supermajority of owners rejects it. If you're a post-2018 community and your board treats the budget like any other motion, review the WUCIOA procedure with counsel.

Quick compliance checklist for Washington boards

1. Know your statute: RCW 64.38 (older HOAs) or RCW 64.90 / WUCIOA (created on or after July 1, 2018) — and watch for WUCIOA provisions extending to everyone.
2. Open every board meeting to owner observation.
3. Closed session: announce the purpose first; take binding votes in open session.
4. Keep minutes of every meeting and make them available to owners with the association records.
5. Member meetings: written notice 14–60 days ahead, stating time, place, and purpose.
6. WUCIOA communities: follow the budget-ratification procedure.

Minutes that hold up, without the homework

HOA Board Minutes is a completely free tool that keeps Washington boards on script — noticed agenda, motions and votes recorded in open session, executive session noted properly, and approved minutes exported to PDF or Word for the association record. Create a free account and run your next meeting by the book.

Primary sources: RCW 64.38.035 and 64.38.045 (Homeowners' Associations Act) and RCW 64.90 (WUCIOA), available at app.leg.wa.gov.