Virtual HOA meetings save owners a drive across town and can bring more people into the room. They also raise fair questions. Is the board even allowed to meet online? How do you count a quorum on a screen? What happens if the connection drops in the middle of a vote?

This guide walks a self-managed board through those questions in order. It starts with the one that matters most, which is whether your association can meet virtually at all. Then it covers notice, attendance, voting, setup, hybrid meetings, and keeping a clean record. It ends with a short sample policy your board can adapt.

A quick note first: rules on remote meetings come from your governing documents and your state’s laws, and they vary a lot from state to state. Treat this as a general guide, not legal advice, and check your bylaws, CC&Rs, and state law before you change how you meet.

Can your HOA meet virtually? Check your authority first

Before you send a meeting link, confirm the association has the authority to meet that way. Parliamentarian Jim Slaughter puts it plainly in a tips article on CAI’s HOAresources site (checked Oct 23, 2026): “State law or the governing documents need to authorize meeting remotely.”

Start with these places:

Your bylaws. Look for language on how and where meetings are held, and whether directors or members can take part by phone or video.
Your CC&Rs and any board resolutions. Some associations adopted remote meeting rules in recent years.
Your state’s HOA, condo, or nonprofit corporation law. Many states address remote participation, and the rules can differ for board meetings and owner meetings.

If the documents are silent or unclear, ask the association’s attorney before you hold a meeting where votes will be taken. A meeting held without proper authority invites a challenge to anything it decided.

Board meetings vs annual meetings online

Board meetings and owner meetings often follow different rules. A board meeting is usually smaller, and owners often have a right to observe it under state law or the governing documents. A virtual board meeting should still give owners a way to watch and, where your rules allow, to speak during an owner comment period.

An annual meeting is bigger and usually includes elections and a budget presentation. It has stricter notice and quorum rules, and more owners will want to take part. For the full prep list, use our HOA annual meeting checklist. For how meetings fit into the board’s year, see our guide on how to run a self-managed HOA.

Notice for a virtual meeting: what to include

Follow the same notice timing your governing documents require for any meeting. Then add the details owners need to join online:

The date, start time, and time zone
The meeting link and any passcode
A phone dial-in option for owners without a computer
How owners can ask to speak, such as raising a hand or using the chat
The agenda
A backup plan if the meeting platform fails, such as a second link or a phone line

Send the notice the same way you send every official notice, and keep a copy of what went out and when.

Quorum, identity and attendance

Quorum still matters online. Decide in advance how you will confirm who is present.

Check owners in. Ask attendees to join with their full name and unit or lot number shown on screen.
Track phone-only attendees. Have a board member note each caller’s name as they join.
Record attendance at the start and before each vote. People drop off during long meetings, so confirm quorum again before key decisions.
Use a waiting room. Admit people one at a time and match them against your owner list.

Motions and voting during the meeting

Voting is where virtual meetings need the most care. The CAI article notes that “the fall-off between who is logged on for a virtual meeting and who votes on motions can be extreme.” Plan for that.

For board votes, a roll call is the clearest method. The chair names each director, and each one says yes, no, or abstain out loud. For owner votes, follow whatever method your governing documents and state law allow, and record the results in the minutes. Secret ballot elections usually need a separate process. We will cover online voting tools in a later post.

Setting up Zoom for an HOA meeting

Zoom is a common choice for HOA meetings, though Google Meet and Microsoft Teams also work. Whatever you pick, check its limits before the meeting. According to Zoom’s pricing page (checked Oct 23, 2026), its Basic plan allows “40 minutes per meeting” and 100 participants, while paid plans allow meetings of up to 30 hours. Zoom also says participants do not need an account to join. Most board meetings run longer than 40 minutes, so plan for that.

A few setup tips:

Name a co-host. One person runs the agenda while another admits people and manages the mute button. Zoom lists co-hosts as a paid plan feature.
Turn on the waiting room so you can check owners in.
Share the dial-in number for owners who prefer the phone.
Decide on recording before the meeting and announce it at the start.
Do a test run with the board a few days before.

Hybrid meetings: room plus online

A hybrid meeting has some people in a room and others online. It can be the best of both, but only if online attendees can hear and be heard.

Use a conference microphone, not a laptop mic, so remote owners can hear the room.
Put the video feed on a screen so people in the room can see who is speaking online.
Assign one person to watch the online hands and the chat.
Repeat questions from the room before answering them.

Keep the record: minutes, recording and chat

The minutes are still the official record of the meeting. Note that it was held virtually, list the platform, record who attended and how, and capture each motion and vote. Our HOA meeting minutes template shows what to include.

Decide on a policy for recordings and the chat log. Some boards delete recordings once the minutes are approved. Others keep them for a set period. Check your state law and governing documents on recording consent and records retention. Owners may also have a right to see some meeting records, as covered in our guide to the HOA records request process.

A virtual meeting policy your board can adopt

A short written policy keeps every meeting consistent. Here is a sample to adapt with your attorney:

Virtual and Hybrid Meeting Policy

Authority. The association may hold board and member meetings by video or phone as permitted by its governing documents and state law.

Notice. Meeting notices will include the date, time, agenda, a video link, a phone dial-in number, and a backup way to join.

Platform. The board will choose a platform that lets all attendees hear each other at the same time.

Attendance. Attendees must identify themselves by name and unit or lot number. The secretary will record attendance and confirm quorum before votes.

Speaking. Owners may speak during the owner comment period by raising a hand or using the chat. The chair will call on speakers in order.

Voting. Board votes will be taken by roll call. Owner votes will follow the method allowed by the governing documents.

Recording. Any recording will be announced at the start of the meeting and kept according to the association’s records policy.

Technical problems. If the connection fails, the chair may pause the meeting, move to the backup line, or adjourn and reschedule.

Frequently asked questions

Can HOA meetings be held on Zoom?

Yes, if your state law or governing documents allow remote meetings. Check both before you schedule one.

Do owners have to be able to attend a virtual board meeting?

It depends on your state and your documents. Many associations let owners observe board meetings, so plan to give them a link and a dial-in number.

Can the board vote by email instead of meeting?

Some states and governing documents allow board action by written consent outside a meeting, and the requirements vary. Check your rules before relying on email votes.

Should the HOA record virtual meetings?

That is a board decision. If you record, announce it at the start and set a clear retention policy.

What if the connection drops during a vote?

Pause and wait for members to reconnect, then confirm quorum and retake the vote. Your policy should say how the chair handles outages.

A virtual meeting only works if owners can find the link, the agenda, and the minutes afterward. In BoostHOA, boards can post meeting notices and store approved minutes in the owner portal’s document library, where every owner can view and download them. BoostHOA doesn’t host video meetings. To see costs, see BoostHOA pricing.

Ready to give your owners one place for notices and minutes? Create your HOA in BoostHOA and set up your community today.

HOA Virtual Meetings: How to Run Board and Annual Meetings Online (and When You Can)