MEETING RULES: MARYLAND
Maryland meeting rules,
between elections.
Maryland is the clearest split of the eight: a condominium council of unit owners has a hard 10 to 90 day notice window, and a homeowners association has no number at all, only a duty of reasonable notice.
Both acts carry the same open-meeting rule, the same eight closed-session grounds, the same comment period, and an electronic-meeting section that needs no permission from the owners.
Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice.
Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Reviewed on Sep 1, 2026
NOTICE
Notice for the annual meeting in Maryland
Days below are counted back from the meeting date. Where the statute sets a ceiling as well as a floor, the notice has to land inside the window, not simply before it.
Homeowners association
Maryland Homeowners Association Act, Title 11B
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Regularly scheduled open meeting | No day count in the statuteThe Homeowners Association Act asks only that all members be given reasonable notice of every regularly scheduled open meeting. It names no number of days, so your bylaws govern and we cannot compute a date for you. | Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-111(2) |
Condominium
Maryland Condominium Act, Title 11
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Regular or special meeting of the council | 10 to 90 days beforeA regular or special meeting of the council of unit owners may not be held on less than 10 nor more than 90 days notice. The council keeps a current roster of names and addresses and sends board meeting notice to it at least once a year.How it travels: Written notice delivered or mailed to the roster address, or sent by electronic transmission where §11-139.1 is satisfied. | Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(2), (c)(4) |
Worked example: a meeting on Dec 1, 2026
- Condominium, regular or special meeting of the council: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out between Sep 2 and Nov 21, 2026.
That is arithmetic on the day counts above, nothing more. Your bylaws may ask for longer, weekends and holidays are not adjusted for, and a date is not a ruling on your meeting.
BOARD MEETINGS
Board meetings in Maryland
Open to owners
Whatever the governing documents say, meetings of the association, of the board or other governing body, and of a committee are open to all members or their agents. A condominium meeting of a governing body is open and held at the time and place in the notice or bylaws.
A comment period
Subject to reasonable rules, the governing body has to set aside time during a meeting for owners to comment on any matter relating to the association. At a special meeting or one with a limited agenda, comments may be held to the agenda topics. At least one meeting a year has to be open to any subject.
Eight grounds close a meeting
A closed session is allowed only for employee and personnel matters, protecting the privacy or reputation of an individual in a matter unrelated to association business, legal advice, consultation about pending or potential litigation, an investigation of possible criminal misconduct, the terms of a business transaction still being negotiated where disclosure would hurt the association, a specific legal requirement to keep something private, and an individual owner assessment account.
What the closing has to record
Nothing outside those eight grounds may be discussed or acted on in a closed session. The minutes of the next meeting have to carry the time, place and purpose of the closed meeting, how each member voted to close it, and the ground relied on.
Condominium
Maryland Condominium Act, Title 11
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Special meeting of the board | No day count in the statuteNotice of a special meeting of the board of directors is given as the bylaws provide. The statute adds a delivery method, not a deadline, so your bylaws govern.How it travels: As provided in the bylaws, or by electronic transmission where §11-139.1 is satisfied. | Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(5) |
MINUTES AND RECORDS
Minutes and records in Maryland
Twenty-one days, or forty-five
Ask in writing for financial statements or the minutes of a governing body meeting and the association compiles and sends them within 21 days if they were prepared in the last 3 years, or within 45 days if they are older. Books and records are otherwise open for examination or copying during normal business hours after reasonable notice.
What may be withheld
Six things may be kept back: personnel records other than salary and compensation figures, an individual medical record, an individual personal financial record, records about a business transaction still in negotiation, the written advice of legal counsel, and the minutes of a closed meeting unless a majority of the quorum that met votes to unseal them.
What a copy costs
A reasonable charge is allowed for reviewing, copying or delivering, and no other charge is. An owner may not be charged for examining financial statements in person, or for receiving them electronically. A copying charge may not exceed the limits in Title 7, Subtitle 2 of the Courts Article.
PROXIES AND QUORUM
Proxies and quorum in Maryland
Twenty-five per cent
Unless the bylaws say otherwise, a condominium has a quorum when owners entitled to cast 25 per cent of the total votes are present in person or by proxy. The Homeowners Association Act sets no percentage, so an HOA reads its bylaws.
The second meeting
If the first meeting fails for want of a quorum, both acts allow a second one for the same purpose at least 15 days later, where the owners present in person or by proxy are the quorum. Two conditions: the first notice had to say the procedure might be used and give the date, time and place, and a separate notice has to go out at least 10 days before. It does not change the percentage needed to amend the declaration or bylaws.
One hundred and eighty days
A condominium proxy runs a maximum of 180 days from issue unless it is given to a lessee or a mortgagee, and is revocable at any time. An undirected proxy may be used only for quorum and for business other than electing officers and directors: only an owner voting in person, an owner voting by electronic transmission, or a proxy voting for candidates the owner named may vote for directors.
Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(9), (c)(10), (c)(11), (c)(12)
REMOTE MEETINGS
Meeting by phone or screen in Maryland
No permission needed
Whatever the governing documents say, the governing body may hold or let people attend a meeting of the association, the board or a committee by telephone conference, video conference or similar electronic means. The system has to let everyone attending hear and be heard, the notice has to carry the link or the joining instructions, and no separate authorisation from the owners is required.
Present for quorum
Anyone attending that way counts as present for quorum and for voting. A member who cannot get in because their own phone or computer failed does not invalidate the meeting or anything done at it.
NEXT
What to do with this.
This page adds what the election page does not: The open-meeting duty in both acts, the eight closed-session grounds, the comment period, the 21 and 45 day records deadlines, and the electronic-meeting sections that need no owner permission. The ballot rules for Maryland stay where they already are, on vote.direct, and that page is linked below.
Reading a statute is not the same as running a meeting. Send us your roster and we set your community up on the phone, in one sitting. Call or text (512) 222-8191.
QUESTIONS
Maryland board questions, answered
How much notice does a Maryland association have to give for the annual meeting?
The Homeowners Association Act asks only that all members be given reasonable notice of every regularly scheduled open meeting. It names no number of days, so your bylaws govern and we cannot compute a date for you. For a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, that puts the notice between sep 2 and nov 21, 2026. That is arithmetic on the statute, not a ruling on your meeting. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-111(2). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Are Maryland HOA board meetings open to homeowners?
Whatever the governing documents say, meetings of the association, of the board or other governing body, and of a committee are open to all members or their agents. A condominium meeting of a governing body is open and held at the time and place in the notice or bylaws. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-111(1); §11-109(c)(6). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Can an owner speak at a Maryland board meeting?
Subject to reasonable rules, the governing body has to set aside time during a meeting for owners to comment on any matter relating to the association. At a special meeting or one with a limited agenda, comments may be held to the agenda topics. At least one meeting a year has to be open to any subject. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-111(3); §11-109(c)(7). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
How much notice does a Maryland board meeting need?
Notice of a special meeting of the board of directors is given as the bylaws provide. The statute adds a delivery method, not a deadline, so your bylaws govern. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(5). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
How fast does a Maryland association have to answer a records request?
Ask in writing for financial statements or the minutes of a governing body meeting and the association compiles and sends them within 21 days if they were prepared in the last 3 years, or within 45 days if they are older. Books and records are otherwise open for examination or copying during normal business hours after reasonable notice. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-112(a)(1); §11-116(c)(1). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Can a Maryland association hold its meeting online?
Whatever the governing documents say, the governing body may hold or let people attend a meeting of the association, the board or a committee by telephone conference, video conference or similar electronic means. The system has to let everyone attending hear and be heard, the notice has to carry the link or the joining instructions, and no separate authorisation from the owners is required. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11B-113.6(a); §11-139.3(a). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Do proxies count toward a quorum in Maryland?
Unless the bylaws say otherwise, a condominium has a quorum when owners entitled to cast 25 per cent of the total votes are present in person or by proxy. The Homeowners Association Act sets no percentage, so an HOA reads its bylaws. Md. Code, Real Prop. §11-109(c)(8)(i). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Does governance.center tell us our Maryland meeting was properly noticed?
No, and it never will. We show you the statute, the date the arithmetic produces and the section it came from, so your board and your attorney can check our work. Your bylaws may set a longer period than the state does, and where they do, the bylaws govern. We never tell a board that it is compliant.
Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice.
Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Your bylaws may ask for a longer period than the state does, and where they do, the bylaws govern. We never tell a board that it is compliant. If something here does not match what your attorney reads, call (512) 222-8191 and tell us. We will correct it.