RCW 64.90.515: Washington HOA Meeting Notice Rules
Quick answer: RCW 64.90.515 controls how a Washington HOA or condo delivers notice. Notice must be in the form of a record. It can go by mail, private carrier or hand delivery, or by email only to owners who have consented in writing. Mailed notice is effective on the day it's deposited. The timing for owners' meetings comes from RCW 64.90.445(1): not less than 14 and not more than 50 days before the meeting, stating the time, date, place and agenda items.
Most notice disputes come down to two questions: was it sent the right way, and was it sent at the right time? This guide covers both, with a sample notice and a minutes entry you can reuse.
How notice must be delivered (RCW 64.90.515)
The statute starts with a simple rule:
(1) Notice to the association, board, or any owner or occupant of a unit under this chapter must be provided in the form of a record.
(RCW 64.90.515(1))
A record means something written or stored that can be retrieved: a letter, an email, a posted document. A phone call or an announcement at the pool doesn't count.
Paper notice
(2) Notice provided in a tangible medium may be transmitted by mail, private carrier, or personal delivery; telegraph or teletype; or telephone, wire, or wireless equipment that transmits a facsimile of the notice.
(RCW 64.90.515(2))
Paper notice goes to the unit address unless the owner has asked, in a record delivered to the association, for a different address or method (RCW 64.90.515(2)(b)). Keep those requests on file and update your mailing list from them.
Email notice: only with written consent
(a) Notice to unit owners or board members by electronic transmission is effective only upon unit owners and board members who have consented, in the form of a record, to receive electronically transmitted notices under this chapter and have designated in the consent the address, location, or system to which such notices may be electronically transmitted, provided that such notice otherwise complies with any other requirements of this chapter and applicable law.
(RCW 64.90.515(3)(a))
That means:
- No consent form, no email notice. Owners who haven't consented still get paper.
- Two bounces revoke consent. If two consecutive notices can't be delivered electronically and the secretary learns of it, the consent is treated as revoked (RCW 64.90.515(3)(d)). Switch that owner back to paper.
- Portal posting works if the owner consented and you send a separate notice of the posting with instructions on how to access it (RCW 64.90.515(3)(e)).
- Owners can keep their email address private. The consent form can include a box to keep the email address confidential from other owners' records requests (RCW 64.90.515(3)(a); RCW 64.90.495(2)(b)).
When notice counts as given
| Method | Effective on |
|---|---|
| Mail, private carrier, hand delivery | The date of hand delivery or deposit with the carrier (RCW 64.90.515(5)(a)) |
| Email to a consenting owner | The date it's sent to the designated address (RCW 64.90.515(5)(b)(i)) |
| Portal posting to a consenting owner | The date it's posted and the separate notice of posting is sent (RCW 64.90.515(5)(b)(ii)) |
Count your 14-to-50-day window from those dates.
A safety net for honest mistakes
(6) The ineffectiveness of a good faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized means does not invalidate action taken at or without a meeting.
(RCW 64.90.515(6))
This protects the meeting if a letter goes astray. It doesn't protect a board that used an unauthorized method, like emailing an owner who never consented.
When notice must go out (RCW 64.90.445)
RCW 64.90.515 says how. RCW 64.90.445(1) says when and what, for owners' meetings. Confirm the details with the statute / your attorney:
| Rule | Summary |
|---|---|
| Annual meeting | The association must hold an owners' meeting at least once a year |
| Special meetings | Can be called by the president, a majority of the board, or owners holding at least 20 percent of the votes (or a lower percentage if your organizational documents say so) |
| Timing | Notice must go out not less than 14 and not more than 50 days before the meeting |
| Contents | Time, date, place, and the agenda items, including the text of any proposed amendment to the declaration or organizational documents, and any proposal to remove a board member or officer |
RCW 64.90.515(7) says that where the chapter sets different notice rules for particular situations, those rules govern. Budget ratification is one example. Its meeting must be 14 to 50 days after the budget goes out; see our Washington budget ratification guide. Board meetings have their own notice rules in RCW 64.90.445(2). See RCW 64.90.445 explained.
Sample owners' meeting notice
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF OWNERS, [Association Name]
Date: [date] Time: [time] Place: [address] / Video link: [link and access instructions]
Agenda: 1. Call to order and quorum 2. Approval of prior meeting minutes 3. Treasurer's report 4. Election of directors: [number] seats. Candidates: [names] 5. [Any proposed amendment. Attach the full text.] 6. Owner forum 7. Adjournment
Proxies and absentee ballots are [allowed / not allowed] under [bylaws section]. [Instructions.]
Sent on [date] by [mail / email to owners who have consented to electronic notice].
For building the agenda, see how to create an HOA meeting agenda.
Proving notice in the minutes
Keep proof of notice in the association's records, and record it at the top of the minutes:
Sample minutes entry: The secretary reported that notice of this meeting, with the agenda, was mailed to all owners on [date] and emailed on [date] to [number] owners who have consented to electronic notice, [number] days before the meeting, as required by RCW 64.90.445(1) and RCW 64.90.515.
For more, see what to include in HOA meeting minutes and HOA board secretary duties.
Quick checklist
- Get consent forms on file before you email notices.
- Keep a mailing list with any alternate addresses owners requested.
- Send 14 to 50 days before the meeting, and write down the send date.
- Include the time, date, place and every agenda item, with the full text of any amendment.
- Switch bounced email owners back to paper.
- Record the notice in the minutes.
Need help with the money side of an annual meeting (budgets, reserves, collections)? See Dynamite Management's Washington WUCIOA guide.
This is not legal advice. Confirm your association's procedures with the current statute, your governing documents and your attorney.
FAQ
Can a Washington HOA send meeting notices by email? Only to owners who have consented, in a record, to electronic notice and named the address to use (RCW 64.90.515(3)(a)). Everyone else gets paper.
How far in advance must an owners' meeting be noticed? Not less than 14 and not more than 50 days before the meeting (RCW 64.90.445(1)).
When is mailed notice effective? On the date it's deposited with the carrier (RCW 64.90.515(5)(a)).
What if an owner didn't receive a properly sent notice? A good-faith effort to deliver notice by an authorized method doesn't invalidate the meeting (RCW 64.90.515(6)).
What must the notice include? The time, date, place and agenda items, including the full text of any proposed amendment and any proposal to remove a director or officer (RCW 64.90.445(1)).
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