Who takes HOA board meeting minutes?

The board secretary usually takes HOA board meeting minutes, though bylaws often let the secretary delegate the job to a community manager or another recording secretary. The secretary remains responsible for the minutes and signs them once the board approves them.

Can homeowners see HOA board meeting minutes?

In most states, owners can inspect or get copies of HOA board meeting minutes from open sessions, usually within a set time after a written request. Executive-session minutes are generally confidential. State law and the association’s bylaws set the exact rules.

Do HOA minutes need to be signed?

Many associations have the secretary sign and date HOA minutes after the board approves them, which helps show they’re the official version. Whether a signature is required depends on your bylaws and state law.

Should HOA minutes record how each director voted?

HOA minutes always record the result of each vote. Names are recorded for roll-call votes, and whenever a director asks to have a vote, objection or abstention noted; otherwise a count of yes, no and abstain votes is usually enough.

Free HOA Board Meeting Minutes Template

Last updated November 3, 2026

General information, not legal advice. What minutes must contain, who can see them, how executive sessions work and how long records are kept are set by state law and by your association’s bylaws and other governing documents, and both vary widely. Some states have specific open-meeting and records rules for HOAs and condominiums. Check your documents, and ask your association’s attorney if you’re unsure.

What does a board meeting minutes template look like?

A good minutes template follows the agenda in order and records the facts of each item: who was there, whether there was a quorum, each motion and its result, and when the meeting ended. Delete any section that doesn’t apply.

Template · Board meeting minutes

[ASSOCIATION NAME] MINUTES OF THE [REGULAR / SPECIAL] MEETING OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS DRAFT – NOT YET APPROVED Date: [DATE] Time: [START TIME] Location: [ADDRESS OR "Video/teleconference via [PLATFORM]"] Notice: Notice of this meeting was given to owners on [DATE] by [METHOD, e.g. "email and posting at the clubhouse"], as required by [BYLAWS SECTION / STATE LAW]. 1. CALL TO ORDER [PRESIDING OFFICER NAME], [TITLE], called the meeting to order at [TIME]. 2. ATTENDANCE AND QUORUM Directors present: [NAMES] Directors absent: [NAMES] Also present: [MANAGER, ATTORNEY, GUESTS, e.g. "J. Doe, community manager"; number of owners attending] A quorum of the board was [present / not present] ([NUMBER] of [NUMBER] directors). 3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA The agenda was [approved as presented / approved as amended to add [ITEM]]. 4. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MINUTES MOTION: [DIRECTOR] moved to approve the minutes of the [DATE] meeting [as presented / as corrected: [CORRECTION]]. Seconded by [DIRECTOR]. VOTE: [NUMBER] in favor, [NUMBER] opposed, [NUMBER] abstaining. Motion [carried / failed]. 5. OFFICER AND COMMITTEE REPORTS Treasurer: [DIRECTOR] presented the financial report for [MONTH]: operating balance $[AMOUNT], reserve balance $[AMOUNT], delinquencies $[AMOUNT]. The report is filed with these minutes. [COMMITTEE NAME]: [ONE- OR TWO-SENTENCE SUMMARY]. [Report attached / No action taken.] Manager's report: [ONE- OR TWO-SENTENCE SUMMARY, if any]. 6. OWNER COMMENTS [NUMBER] owners spoke on: [TOPICS, e.g. "pool hours, parking on Elm Ct."]. No action was taken during owner comments. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. [ITEM, e.g. "Roof replacement bids"] [ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION, if needed.] MOTION: [DIRECTOR] moved to [EXACT WORDING OF THE MOTION, e.g. "accept the bid from [VENDOR] for $[AMOUNT], funded from the reserve fund"]. Seconded by [DIRECTOR]. VOTE: [NUMBER] in favor, [NUMBER] opposed, [NUMBER] abstaining. Motion [carried / failed]. 8. NEW BUSINESS a. [ITEM] MOTION: [DIRECTOR] moved to [EXACT WORDING]. Seconded by [DIRECTOR]. VOTE: [NUMBER] in favor, [NUMBER] opposed, [NUMBER] abstaining. Motion [carried / failed]. b. [ITEM] Discussed; no action taken. [Tabled to the [DATE] meeting.] 9. ACTIONS TAKEN WITHOUT A MEETING (if any) The board ratified the following action taken by [unanimous written consent / email vote, if allowed by the bylaws and state law] on [DATE]: [DESCRIPTION]. 10. EXECUTIVE SESSION (if any) The board met in executive session from [TIME] to [TIME] to discuss [GENERAL TOPIC PERMITTED BY STATE LAW OR BYLAWS, e.g. "a delinquent account" / "pending litigation" / "a personnel matter"]. [No action was taken. / On returning to open session, the board voted [NUMBER]–[NUMBER] to [ACTION, described without confidential details].] 11. NEXT MEETING The next board meeting is scheduled for [DATE] at [TIME] at [LOCATION]. 12. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at [TIME]. Respectfully submitted, [NAME] Secretary [or recording secretary], [ASSOCIATION NAME] Approved by the board on: [DATE OF APPROVAL] Attachments: [Treasurer's report; committee reports; bids; resolutions]

What must HOA meeting minutes include?

Minutes should let someone who wasn’t there know what the board decided and that it had the authority to decide it. In general, that means:

The association’s name, the type of meeting (regular, special, annual) and its date, time and place
How and when owners were given notice, if your documents or state law require notice
Who presided and who recorded the minutes
Directors present and absent, others present, and whether a quorum was met
Approval (or correction) of the previous meeting’s minutes
Every motion, worded exactly as voted on, with who made and seconded it if your practice records that
The result of every vote; record names for roll-call votes, and any director who asks to have a vote or abstention recorded
Reports received, summarised in a line or attached, and any action taken on them
Any conflict of interest a director disclosed, and whether that director abstained
That an executive session was held, its general topic, and any action taken as a result
The time the meeting adjourned, and the secretary’s signature

What should HOA minutes leave out?

Minutes record actions, not conversations. Leaving out the back-and-forth keeps them accurate, short and less likely to cause disputes.

Who said what. A one-line summary of the discussion is enough when context helps; a verbatim record isn’t needed.
Opinions and characterisations. Avoid words like “heated” or “unreasonable”. Stick to what was decided.
Private details. Don’t put an owner’s account balance, medical information, legal strategy or personnel details in open-session minutes. Refer to a unit or matter generally (“a delinquent account”) instead.
Motions that were never made. Ideas that didn’t become a motion usually don’t need recording, beyond “discussed; no action taken.”

If your association records meetings, check whether state law or your bylaws treat the recording as an official record, and keep the written minutes as the record either way.

How are open session and executive session minutes different?

Open-session minutes are generally available to owners; executive-session minutes, where they’re kept, are generally confidential. Many states allow a board to meet in executive (closed) session only for certain topics, commonly litigation and legal advice, personnel and contracts under negotiation, delinquencies and violations involving a specific owner, and matters affecting someone’s privacy. Your state’s law and your bylaws decide which topics qualify and whether any vote must be taken in open session.

In the open-session minutes, note that the board went into executive session, the general topic, the start and end times, and any action taken, described without confidential details.
In separate executive-session minutes, if you keep them, record attendance, the topic and any decision, and store them apart from the minutes owners can see.

Template · Executive session minutes

[ASSOCIATION NAME] CONFIDENTIAL – EXECUTIVE SESSION MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Date: [DATE] Time: [START TIME] to [END TIME] Directors present: [NAMES] Also present: [ATTORNEY / MANAGER, if any] Topic: [CATEGORY PERMITTED BY STATE LAW OR BYLAWS, e.g. "Delinquent account – Unit [NUMBER]"] Summary: [ONE OR TWO FACTUAL SENTENCES] Decision: [DECISION, or "No action taken"] [If a vote is required in open session: "To be voted on in open session."] Recorded by: [NAME], Secretary

How are HOA meeting minutes approved?

Minutes are usually approved by the board at its next meeting. Until then they’re a draft: label them “Draft” if you share them early, and check whether your state requires drafts to be available to owners within a set time.

The secretary (or a manager acting as recording secretary) drafts the minutes soon after the meeting, while memories are fresh.
Directors review the draft and send corrections before the next meeting.
At the next meeting, a director moves to approve the minutes as presented or as corrected, and the board votes. Corrections are made to the draft itself, and the approval is recorded in that meeting’s minutes.
The secretary signs and dates the approved minutes and files them with the association’s records.

Annual meeting minutes are often approved by the board, or at the next annual meeting, depending on your bylaws.

How long should an HOA keep meeting minutes?

Many associations keep board and owner meeting minutes permanently, because they’re the record of every rule, contract and budget the board approved. Some states set a minimum retention period for association records, and many give owners a right to inspect or copy minutes within a set time after a request. Your state’s law and your bylaws govern both.

Keep approved minutes, with their attachments, in one place the whole board can reach, not in one director’s inbox.
Keep executive-session minutes separately, with access limited to the board.
Hand the records over in full when officers change.

Tips for minutes that hold up

Word the motion before the vote. Have the chair restate the exact motion so the secretary can record it word for word.
Use the agenda as the outline. Minutes that follow the agenda’s numbering are easy to check and easy to search later.
Record money exactly. Amounts, vendors and which fund pays (operating or reserve) should be in the motion.
Be consistent. Use the same format every meeting, and the HOA annual meeting checklist for the yearly owners’ meeting.

HOA board meeting minutes template.