MEETING RULES: NEW JERSEY
New Jersey meeting rules,
between elections.
New Jersey opens executive board meetings to the owners, except conference or working sessions with no binding vote, and the Department of Community Affairs rules add the number the statutes leave to the bylaws: at least seven days of notice of an open board meeting.
An association formed as a nonprofit corporation gives 10 to 60 days of notice of a members’ meeting, and in a community of 50 or more units the notice of a board election goes out 14 to 60 days ahead, after a call for nominations.
Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice.
Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Reviewed on Nov 10, 2026
The statutes were read in the legislature’s own statute file, STATUTES-TEXT.zip, updated through P.L.2026, c.50, from the Internet Archive’s October 25, 2026 capture of it, because the legislature’s site did not accept a connection from an automated reader. Each statute link opens that capture’s list of the legislature’s statute files, where the file is. The Department of Community Affairs rules were read in the department’s own compilation. Confirm at the legislature before your board relies on it.
NOTICE
Notice for the annual meeting in New Jersey
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.
Nonprofit corporation
New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting of the members | 10 to 60 days beforeFor an association formed as a nonprofit corporation, written notice of the time, place and purposes of every meeting of the members goes out not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the meeting, unless the act provides otherwise. An adjourned meeting needs no new notice if its new time and place are announced at the meeting that adjourns and it takes up only business the original meeting could have, unless the bylaws say otherwise or the board fixes a new record date.How it travels: In writing, personally or by mail, to each member of record entitled to vote. Where the board has authorized remote participation, the notice describes the means. | N.J.S. §15A:5-4(a), (b) |
Every association
Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act and its rules, N.J.A.C. 5:26-8
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting of the members | No day count in the statuteOutside board elections and the amendment procedure below, the planned development act leaves the method of calling members’ meetings, and the quorum, to the bylaws, and sets no day count. The Condominium Act does the same for meetings of unit owners. Your bylaws govern, together with the nonprofit act’s window above if the association is a nonprofit corporation. | N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(b); §46:8B-13(b) |
| Board election, 50 or more units | 14 to 60 days beforeIn a development of 50 or more units, written notice of an executive board election goes to the members no less than 14 nor more than 60 days before the meeting at which the election is scheduled, with a proxy ballot and an absentee ballot unless the bylaws prohibit them. Before it, no later than 30 days ahead of the date that notice is mailed, the association tells members in writing of their right to nominate themselves or another member in good standing, and the nomination period runs at least 14 days from the mailing of the request. The Department of Community Affairs rule adds that the call for nominations goes out no more than 60 days before the election notice is mailed.How it travels: Personal delivery, mail or electronic means. Mailed notice takes effect when it is deposited in the mailbox with proper postage. Electronic notice needs the member’s written agreement, or governing documents that permit it while absentee or proxy voting stays available. | N.J.S.A. §45:22A-45.2(c)(3), (4), (5); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.9(l)1 |
| Board election, fewer than 50 units | 14 to 30 days beforeThe statute requires a smaller association to provide election notice and ready access to information on when and how to vote, and sets no day count. The Department of Community Affairs rule sets one: written notice of the election not fewer than 14 and not more than 30 calendar days before the election, giving access to information on when and how to vote. | N.J.S.A. §45:22A-45.2(b); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.9(k)1 |
| Special meeting to amend the bylaws | At least 14 days beforeThis procedure applies where the bylaws give members no way to call a meeting to vote on an amendment, or say nothing about the steps it sets. Fifteen percent of the members may ask for a special meeting, the board schedules it within 60 days of receiving the request, and the vote moves to the annual meeting if that is scheduled within 60 days of the request. Notice goes to members at least 14 days before the meeting. The statute has the amendment itself delivered with the notice at least 10 days before the meeting, and the Department of Community Affairs rule puts that at 14 days.How it travels: The amendment travels with the notice, mailed, delivered by hand or, if the bylaws permit, delivered electronically. | N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(d)(2)(a), (b), (c); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.13(f) |
| Special election to remove a director | At least 14 days beforeUnder the Department of Community Affairs rule, members may remove a board member the unit owners elected by giving the board a petition signed by at least 51 percent of the members. The special election is held within 60 days of receiving the petition, or at the annual meeting if that is scheduled within 60 days, and notice of the meeting goes to members and voting-eligible tenants at least 14 days before it.How it travels: The ballot goes with the notice, mailed, delivered by hand or, if the bylaws permit and the owner consents, delivered electronically. | N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.11(d), (e) |
Condominium
New Jersey Condominium Act
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| First owner-elected board | 20 to 30 days beforeWithin 30 days after owners other than the developer become entitled to elect members of the governing board, the association calls a meeting of the unit owners to elect them, on not less than 20 nor more than 30 days of notice. If the association does not, any unit owner may call the meeting and give the notice. The planned development act sends a condominium’s initial board elections to this timeline instead of its own election rules. | N.J.S.A. §46:8B-12.1(b); §45:22A-45.2(d) |
Worked example: a meeting on Dec 1, 2026
- Nonprofit corporation, meeting of the members: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out between Oct 2 and Nov 21, 2026.
- Every association, board election, 50 or more units: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out between Oct 2 and Nov 17, 2026.
- Every association, board election, fewer than 50 units: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out between Nov 1 and Nov 17, 2026.
- Every association, special meeting to amend the bylaws: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out by Nov 17, 2026.
- Every association, special election to remove a director: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out by Nov 17, 2026.
- Condominium, first owner-elected board: for a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, notice goes out between Nov 1 and Nov 11, 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.
Now yours: when is your meeting?
Type the date and see the days your notice can go out under the New Jersey sections above. Nothing you type leaves this page.
BOARD MEETINGS
Board meetings in New Jersey
Open to owners
Every meeting of the executive board is open to all association members, and to voting-eligible tenants where that applies, unless it is a conference or working session at which no binding vote is to be taken. The Condominium Act sets the same rule for a governing board the unit owners elect. The Department of Community Affairs rule counts a vote as binding when it is taken with a quorum of the board present.
N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(a)1
Four grounds to close
The board may exclude or restrict attendance at a meeting, or the part of a meeting, dealing with any of four matters: one whose disclosure would be an unwarranted invasion of individual privacy, pending or anticipated litigation or contract negotiations, matters within the attorney-client privilege to the extent confidentiality is needed for the attorney’s ethical duties, and the employment, promotion, discipline or dismissal of a specific officer or employee. Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, a closed portion of an open meeting is held either before the open portion or at the end of it.
N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(e)3
Owner comment, board’s call
At a meeting that has to be open, whether owners take part in the proceedings, or are given a public comment session, is at the discretion of the executive board. The Department of Community Affairs rule lets an association adopt a policy for comments by members and voting-eligible tenants during meetings, applied uniformly.
Explain each binding vote
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, the board gives a brief explanation of the basis for, and the cost of, any matter it takes a binding vote on, and puts that explanation in the minutes. Every elected board member gets an equal opportunity to take part in any meeting of the board.
A schedule posted yearly
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, the association holds an annual meeting and, within seven days after it, posts the executive board’s open meeting schedule with the time, date and location of each meeting, kept posted all year where notices go. A change to that schedule is made at least seven days before the scheduled date and posted the same way. A board that cancels a scheduled open meeting posts a notice at the meeting site by the starting time, saying when the meeting will be held and why it was cancelled, and promptly posts it where notices go on the property and on any website.
Emergency meetings
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, when a matter is so urgent and important that waiting out seven days of notice would likely cause substantial harm to the association, the board may meet on notice posted as soon as possible after the meeting is called, as long as the meeting is limited to that matter. The board keeps on the record the facts that made it an emergency and any earlier knowledge of the condition, and minutes are taken and made available as for any open meeting.
Meeting place
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, a meeting the law requires to be open to all unit owners is held within the development or, if it has no suitable room, elsewhere in the same municipality or in an adjoining one. A room too small for a reasonable number of owners who might wish to attend is not suitable.
Every association
Planned Real Estate Development Full Disclosure Act, Condominium Act and N.J.A.C. 5:26-8
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Open board meeting | At least 7 days beforeBoth association acts require adequate notice of every open board meeting to all members, in the manner the bylaws prescribe, and neither sets a number. The Department of Community Affairs rule does: on top of the posted yearly schedule, notice goes to all members, and voting-eligible tenants where that applies, at least seven days before the meeting. It gives the time, date and location and the agenda items to the extent known, including items for discussion and for action. A member may waive personal delivery in writing and still has the right to the open meeting minutes.How it travels: Posted prominently in at least one place on the property that every owner can reach at all times, posted on the association’s website and in any newsletter, or given to each member or designee by mail, hand delivery or electronic means. | N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(c) |
Nonprofit corporation
New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act
| Notice | The rule | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Notice to the trustees | No day count in the statuteThe nonprofit act lets regular board meetings be held with or without notice, as the bylaws prescribe, and holds special meetings on the notice the bylaws prescribe. It sets no day count, so your bylaws govern the notice the trustees themselves receive. The notice does not have to state the business or purpose of the meeting unless the bylaws call for it. | N.J.S. §15A:6-10(b) |
MINUTES AND RECORDS
Minutes and records in New Jersey
Member list, ten days
An association formed as a nonprofit corporation keeps books and records of account and minutes of the proceedings of its members and its board. It makes the records of members’ names and addresses available for inspection within 10 days after demand by a member entitled to inspect them. That is a member of record for at least six months before the demand, or a person holding at least five percent of the memberships of a class or authorized in writing by members who do, and on at least five days’ written demand that person may examine the minutes of the members’ meetings and the record of members for any proper purpose.
Minutes before next meeting
Minutes are taken at every board meeting that has to be open, and copies are made available to all members before the next open meeting. The Department of Community Affairs rule adds that they are made available in a timely manner before the next meeting and may be marked draft or unapproved.
N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(f)5
What the minutes record
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, the minutes of each open session are legible and identify the board members present with their titles, every matter addressed, and every matter voted on with a record of the votes and a brief explanation of the basis for and cost of the matter.
Recordings for thirty days
If a meeting is recorded electronically, a written record of the matters addressed and voted on is still taken. Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, members have access to the recording for 30 days from the date the written minutes are approved, as well as to the written record, and may copy either.
Notices kept two years
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, each board meeting notice is filed with the board member responsible for administering association business and kept by the board for two years. None of the sections read here sets a period for keeping minutes, so your bylaws govern that.
Condominium accounting records
A condominium association keeps accounting records under generally accepted accounting principles, open to inspection by unit owners at reasonable times. They include a record of all receipts and expenditures and an account for each unit showing any common expenses or other charges due, their due dates, the present balance and any interest in common surplus. The section sets no deadline for answering a request.
Year-end statements on request
A member of an association formed as a nonprofit corporation who asks in writing is mailed the balance sheet as of the end of the preceding fiscal year and the statement of income and expenses for that year.
Audit during developer control
While the developer controls the executive board, copies of the annual audit of association funds are available for inspection by owners or their authorized representative at the project site.
PROXIES AND QUORUM
Proxies and quorum in New Jersey
Bylaws set the quorum
Both association acts leave the share of votes needed for a quorum at a members’ meeting to the bylaws. For a nonprofit corporation, unless the certificate of incorporation, the bylaws or the act provide otherwise, the members entitled to cast a majority of the votes are a quorum. Members present in person or by proxy at a duly organized meeting may keep doing business until adjournment even after enough members leave to drop below a quorum, and less than a quorum may adjourn.
Proxies last eleven months
Unless the certificate of incorporation or bylaws provide otherwise, a member entitled to vote at a members’ meeting may authorize another person to act by proxy, executed in writing by the member or the member’s agent, or given by telegram, cable or its equivalent. A proxy is valid for no more than 11 months unless it expressly provides a longer time, never after three years from its execution, and unless it is coupled with an interest it can be revoked at will. A member who attends after giving a proxy revokes it only by filing written notice with the secretary of the meeting before the proxy is voted.
Majority of eligible votes
Where the bylaws give members no amendment vote open to all of them, or require more than a two-thirds majority, members may amend the bylaws by a majority of the total authorized votes in the association. That total is the number of units owned by someone entitled to membership, less the members who cannot vote because they are not in good standing.
An undecided vote adjourns
Under the fallback amendment procedure, if too few ballots or proxies arrive to decide the amendment either way, the meeting is adjourned for 30 days, or longer if the members approve a motion to extend the vote, but never past 11 months from when the notice was sent. Proxies and ballots received before the new date stay valid if they are valid under the bylaws.
Board quorum, nonprofit act
For a nonprofit corporation, a majority of the entire board is a quorum unless the certificate of incorporation or bylaws set another number, which can never be less than two people or one-third of the entire board, whichever is greater. The act of the majority present at a meeting with a quorum is the act of the board, unless more is required.
REMOTE MEETINGS
Meeting by phone or screen in New Jersey
Members online, if authorized
For an association formed as a nonprofit corporation, a members’ meeting may be held by remote communication, and members may take part that way, to the extent the board authorizes it and adopts guidelines and procedures. A member who takes part remotely is deemed present in person and may vote. The corporation takes reasonable measures to verify that each remote participant is a member or a member’s proxy, to let each one vote and read or hear the proceedings substantially as they happen, and to keep a record of votes taken remotely, and the meeting notice describes the means. The planned development and condominium sections read here say nothing about remote meetings.
Trustees by conference call
Unless the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws provide otherwise, any or all trustees may take part in a meeting of the board or a board committee by conference telephone or any means of communication that lets everyone participating hear each other.
NEXT
What to do with this.
This page adds what the election page does not: The open board meeting rule and its four closed-session grounds, the seven-day board meeting notice, posted yearly schedule and minutes rules from the Department of Community Affairs, the nonprofit act’s 10 to 60 day members’ meeting notice and records deadlines, and the fallback procedure for amending the bylaws. The ballot rules for New Jersey 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. Start free in a few minutes, or send us your owner list and we set your community up with you on the phone, in one sitting. Call or text (512) 222-8191.
THE OTHER STATES
Meeting rules we have read elsewhere.
Same treatment on each: a primary source per fact, a link per citation, and the date the reading happened.
Arizona
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 50 days
California
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 90 days
Colorado
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 50 days
Florida
Annual meeting notice: At least 14 days
Nevada
Annual meeting notice: 15 to 60 days
Texas
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Maryland
Annual meeting notice: No day count in the statute
Washington
Annual meeting notice: 14 to 50 days
Virginia
Annual meeting notice: At least 14 days
New York
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 50 days
North Carolina
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Pennsylvania
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Michigan
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
South Carolina
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Connecticut
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Idaho
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
Wisconsin
Annual meeting notice: At least 10 days
Illinois
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 30 days
Hawaii
Annual meeting notice: At least 14 days
Oregon
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 50 days
New Hampshire
Annual meeting notice: At least 21 days
Delaware
Annual meeting notice: 10 to 60 days
QUESTIONS
New Jersey board questions, answered
How much notice does a New Jersey association have to give for the annual meeting?
For an association formed as a nonprofit corporation, written notice of the time, place and purposes of every meeting of the members goes out not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the meeting, unless the act provides otherwise. An adjourned meeting needs no new notice if its new time and place are announced at the meeting that adjourns and it takes up only business the original meeting could have, unless the bylaws say otherwise or the board fixes a new record date. For a meeting on Dec 1, 2026, that puts the notice between Oct 2 and Nov 21, 2026. That is arithmetic on the statute, not a ruling on your meeting. N.J.S. §15A:5-4(a), (b). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Are New Jersey HOA board meetings open to homeowners?
Every meeting of the executive board is open to all association members, and to voting-eligible tenants where that applies, unless it is a conference or working session at which no binding vote is to be taken. The Condominium Act sets the same rule for a governing board the unit owners elect. The Department of Community Affairs rule counts a vote as binding when it is taken with a quorum of the board present. N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(a)1. Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Can an owner speak at a New Jersey board meeting?
At a meeting that has to be open, whether owners take part in the proceedings, or are given a public comment session, is at the discretion of the executive board. The Department of Community Affairs rule lets an association adopt a policy for comments by members and voting-eligible tenants during meetings, applied uniformly. N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(a)3. Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
How much notice does a New Jersey board meeting need?
Both association acts require adequate notice of every open board meeting to all members, in the manner the bylaws prescribe, and neither sets a number. The Department of Community Affairs rule does: on top of the posted yearly schedule, notice goes to all members, and voting-eligible tenants where that applies, at least seven days before the meeting. It gives the time, date and location and the agenda items to the extent known, including items for discussion and for action. A member may waive personal delivery in writing and still has the right to the open meeting minutes. N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(a); §46:8B-13(a); N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(c). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
How fast does a New Jersey association have to answer a records request?
An association formed as a nonprofit corporation keeps books and records of account and minutes of the proceedings of its members and its board. It makes the records of members’ names and addresses available for inspection within 10 days after demand by a member entitled to inspect them. That is a member of record for at least six months before the demand, or a person holding at least five percent of the memberships of a class or authorized in writing by members who do, and on at least five days’ written demand that person may examine the minutes of the members’ meetings and the record of members for any proper purpose. N.J.S. §15A:5-24(a), (c). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
How long does a New Jersey association have to keep its records?
Under the Department of Community Affairs rule, each board meeting notice is filed with the board member responsible for administering association business and kept by the board for two years. None of the sections read here sets a period for keeping minutes, so your bylaws govern that. N.J.A.C. §5:26-8.12(c)2. Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Can a New Jersey association hold its meeting online?
For an association formed as a nonprofit corporation, a members’ meeting may be held by remote communication, and members may take part that way, to the extent the board authorizes it and adopts guidelines and procedures. A member who takes part remotely is deemed present in person and may vote. The corporation takes reasonable measures to verify that each remote participant is a member or a member’s proxy, to let each one vote and read or hear the proceedings substantially as they happen, and to keep a record of votes taken remotely, and the meeting notice describes the means. The planned development and condominium sections read here say nothing about remote meetings. N.J.S. §15A:5-1(a), (b), (c); §15A:5-4(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 New Jersey?
Both association acts leave the share of votes needed for a quorum at a members’ meeting to the bylaws. For a nonprofit corporation, unless the certificate of incorporation, the bylaws or the act provide otherwise, the members entitled to cast a majority of the votes are a quorum. Members present in person or by proxy at a duly organized meeting may keep doing business until adjournment even after enough members leave to drop below a quorum, and less than a quorum may adjourn. N.J.S.A. §45:22A-46(b); §46:8B-13(b); N.J.S. §15A:5-9(a). Our reading, to support your review, not legal advice. Confirm with your attorney before the board acts.
Does governance.center tell us our New Jersey 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.