Start with your condominium’s state law and governing documents—the declaration, bylaws, articles and adopted rules. They determine whether you need a board-agenda request or a special meeting of unit owners, who may call it, the percentage of voting interests required, how the request must be delivered, notice and response deadlines, quorum, and the approval threshold for the proposed action.
A petition that asks the board to discuss an item is not the same as a demand for a membership meeting, and neither one automatically approves the proposal. The practical process is to identify the correct meeting, verify the exact voting-interest threshold, submit a documented written request to the designated recipient, monitor the deadline, and follow the meeting’s notice, quorum and voting rules.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
First decide which meeting or vote you need
Condo owners often use “special board meeting” to describe several different procedures. That distinction matters because the people who attend, the person who can call the meeting and the legal effect of a vote may all change.
Recommended Free Tools
Requesting an item on a board-meeting agenda
A board-agenda request asks the executive board to consider a defined issue at a board meeting. The directors—not the petition signers—usually conduct the board’s vote. A state statute or bylaw may require the board to place a properly supported item on an upcoming agenda, but that requirement does not mean the board must adopt the requested resolution.
#1 Best Overall
Calling a special meeting of unit owners
A special owner meeting is a membership meeting. Owners vote in their capacity as members, subject to the association’s voting allocation, quorum rule, proxy or ballot procedures and any special notice language. The bylaws may allow the president, a majority of directors or a stated percentage of owners to call it. In some states, owners have a statutory fallback if the association does not issue notice after a qualifying request; in others, no comparable fallback applies.
Obtaining a binding owner vote
Before collecting signatures, confirm that the proposed action is one the owners are authorized to approve. Removing directors, amending governing documents, approving an assessment, authorizing litigation or changing use restrictions can each have a different quorum or approval standard. Getting an item scheduled only starts the process; it does not satisfy the vote requirement.
Read the documents before circulating a petition
Obtain the current versions of the declaration, bylaws, articles of incorporation and applicable rules. Look for provisions titled “Special Meetings,” “Meetings of Members,” “Notice,” “Quorum,” “Voting,” “Proxies,” “Ballots,” “Petitions,” “Board Meetings” and “Inspection of Records.” Check for amendments and for a conflict rule stating whether the declaration, bylaws, statute or another document controls.
Identify the association’s legal name, the registered or designated recipient for member requests and the permitted delivery methods. A bylaw may direct requests to the secretary, while a statute may identify another officer. Sending the petition to a property manager, individual director or general mailbox may not satisfy the required procedure unless the documents say it does.
Use the association’s current owner or voting-interest information only through a method the documents and applicable privacy rules permit. A condominium may allocate votes by unit percentage rather than one vote per unit. Some units may have suspended or limited voting rights because of delinquency, ownership status or another documented condition. Ask how the association calculates voting interests on the relevant date.
Calculate the signature threshold correctly
Do not assume that a headcount of owners equals the required percentage. The controlling language may require a percentage of “voting interests,” “votes entitled to be cast,” “units” or “members.” Those terms can produce different totals.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
- Determine the denominator: all voting interests, only votes entitled to be cast, or another measure stated in the statute or bylaws.
- Determine who may sign: an owner of record, a designated voting representative, a member in good standing or another person specified by the documents.
- Determine whether co-owners must act together, whether one co-owner may sign for the unit, and how an entity-owned unit must authorize its representative.
- Check whether the threshold is a minimum percentage or a fixed number of units, and whether the percentage is calculated when the request is delivered or when the meeting occurs.
- Keep enough additional support to allow for an invalid signature, a duplicate signature, a transfer of title or a disputed voting allocation.
For a board-agenda petition, calculate the threshold stated for agenda requests. For an owner-meeting demand, calculate the separate threshold stated for calling a membership meeting. A threshold that works for one route may not work for the other.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWrite a precise, verifiable request
State the requested action in one sentence that could be copied into an agenda or notice. Avoid a broad demand such as “discuss management problems.” Use a specific subject and, where appropriate, a proposed resolution. Separate the request for a meeting from the merits of the proposal so the recipient can determine whether the procedural requirements are met.
Include:
- The association’s exact legal name.
- The date of the request.
- Whether you are requesting a board-agenda item or a special meeting of unit owners.
- The proposed agenda wording or resolution.
- The statutory or bylaw provision you believe authorizes the request.
- Each supporting signer’s printed name, unit identifier and signature or approved electronic authentication.
- The voting-interest information used to calculate the percentage, if the documents permit or require it.
- A request for written confirmation of receipt and, for a meeting request, the proposed date, time, place or remote-access information when known.
A concise cover letter can accompany a signature sheet. Keep the proposal factual and avoid promising that the requested action will pass.
Subject: Request for special meeting of unit owners — [association legal name]In an actual submission, replace the code-line subject with the association’s name and identify the agenda item in the body of the letter. Keep the signed pages and any attachments together so the association can match each signature to a unit and voting interest.
Deliver it in a way you can prove
Follow the delivery method in the bylaws or statute exactly. If several methods are allowed, choose one that creates a dated record, such as a delivery service with confirmation, a receipt-signed hand delivery or an electronic method expressly authorized by the documents. Address the request to the specified officer or recipient, not merely to a convenient contact.
Retain a complete copy of the request, every signature page, the governing-document provision relied on, attachments, delivery receipt, email headers and any response. If multiple owners submit separate pages, designate one person to transmit the complete package and maintain the original records.
Ask for written acknowledgment without treating acknowledgment as approval. A receipt confirms delivery; it does not establish that the threshold was met or that the proposed action is legally authorized.
Track the response and notice deadlines
Make a timeline as soon as the request is delivered. Record the date received, the date by which the board or secretary must respond, the deadline for issuing meeting notice and the date by which owners must receive that notice. Keep statutory and bylaw deadlines separate; a later deadline in one document does not automatically override an earlier requirement in another.
If the association rejects the request, ask for the specific reason, the calculation used for voting interests and the document provision supporting the decision. Correct a curable defect—such as a missing unit identifier or an incorrect recipient—promptly, while preserving the original submission and the correction date.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Do not send your own meeting notice unless the governing law and documents expressly authorize an owner-called meeting after the association misses a deadline. Oregon provides one example of such a remedy: after a qualifying written request, if notice is not given within 30 days, a signing owner may set and give notice as the statute provides. That mechanism is specific to Oregon’s law and cannot be assumed in another state.
Prepare for notice, quorum and voting
Review the draft notice before it is sent, if the association provides one. It should identify the date, time, place or remote platform and the business to be considered. A notice that omits the proposed action may prevent a valid vote, especially for amendments, assessments or director matters.
Confirm the quorum rule independently from the petition threshold. Quorum determines whether the meeting may conduct business; it is not the percentage needed to demand the meeting. Then confirm the approval threshold for the actual proposal. A simple majority of votes cast, a majority of all voting interests, two-thirds or another standard may apply.
Rank #4
Check who may vote and how:
- Verify the record date and any deadline for curing voting suspensions.
- Use the association’s approved proxy or ballot form when one is required.
- Confirm whether electronic voting, secret ballots or remote participation are permitted.
- Read proxy limits, revocation rules and any requirement that a proxy be filed before the meeting.
- Ask how abstentions, blank ballots and challenged ballots are counted.
For a board meeting, also check whether owners may attend, speak or receive minutes. Attendance rights and speaking time do not turn a board meeting into an owner vote.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallCrashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteState examples show why the rules cannot be generalized
| Jurisdiction | Request or meeting rule described in the cited authority | Timing or quorum detail |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Under 2025 Florida Statutes §718.112, a petition from 20% of voting interests to address an item requires the board to place it on the agenda of its next regular board meeting or hold a special meeting within 60 days. | For certain board matters, including a nonemergency special assessment or a rule amendment concerning unit use, the statute specifies 14-day notice. |
| Texas | Property Code Chapter 82 addresses notice under the bylaws or applicable nonprofit-corporation provisions and requires the association to inform an owner who makes a written request of the time and place of the next regular or special board meeting. | The chapter supplies a 20% default quorum for association meetings unless the bylaws provide otherwise; it is not a general owner right to force a special meeting. |
| Oregon | ORS Chapter 100 allows a special owner meeting to be called by specified officers or directors, or by the relevant officer after receiving the written request percentage set in the bylaws. | If notice is not given within 30 days after a qualifying request, a signing owner may set and notice the meeting as the statute provides. The default quorum is 20% unless the bylaws require more. |
| Connecticut | The 2022 supplement to Chapter 828 requires a special unit-owner meeting when the president, a majority of the executive board or owners holding at least 20% of votes—or a lower bylaw percentage—request that the secretary call it. | The notice identifies the agenda; verify the current codification before relying on the supplement. |
Florida: an agenda petition is not an automatic approval
The Florida example uses 20% of voting interests, not necessarily 20% of people or units. The board must place the requested item at its next regular meeting or convene a special meeting within 60 days. The required placement gives owners a forum for consideration; directors or owners still must follow the applicable voting authority and approval standard for the proposal itself.
Texas: meeting information and quorum are different questions
Texas Chapter 82’s written-request provision concerns informing an owner about the time and place of the next regular or special board meeting. The 20% figure is a default quorum for association meetings unless the bylaws change it. Neither point, by itself, creates a universal right for owners to compel a special meeting.
Oregon: a narrowly defined notice fallback
Oregon’s statute ties the initial request percentage to the bylaws. The 30-day period is measured after a qualifying request, and the self-notice option exists only under the conditions and procedures stated in ORS Chapter 100. A signer should use the statutory form of notice and meeting procedure rather than improvising one.
Connecticut: check for a lower bylaw percentage
The Connecticut provision describes 20% of votes as the statutory trigger unless the bylaws set a lower percentage. Because the cited material is a 2022 supplement, confirm the current codification and any later amendment before relying on the figure or preparing notice.
Use extra care with high-consequence proposals
Some subjects have special procedures that can invalidate an otherwise well-supported petition. Before circulating signatures, verify the rules for:
Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
- Removing or electing directors, including whether removal must be handled at an annual or specially noticed owner meeting.
- Amending the declaration, bylaws or articles, including recording, supermajority and lender-consent requirements.
- Imposing or increasing assessments, including budget notice, reserve requirements and statutory disclosures.
- Changing leasing, occupancy, pet, parking or other unit-use restrictions.
- Authorizing litigation, settling a claim or waiving an association right.
If the documents conflict or the proposed action could materially affect title, assessments or voting rights, obtain advice from a lawyer or condominium professional who works in the association’s jurisdiction. A general explanation cannot determine whether a particular petition is valid.
Common mistakes and practical fixes
Using the wrong meeting label
Fix: write “board agenda item” or “special meeting of unit owners” in the first paragraph and use the matching procedure.
Counting signatures instead of voting interests
Fix: obtain the permitted voting-interest calculation and show how the numerator and denominator were determined.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Sending the request to an unofficial recipient
Fix: follow the officer and delivery address named in the bylaws or statute, then preserve proof of receipt.
Demanding a vote on business that was not noticed
Fix: put the exact resolution or subject in the request and confirm that the final notice contains it.
Confusing quorum with the approval threshold
Fix: record three separate figures: the percentage needed to request the meeting, the percentage needed for quorum and the percentage needed to approve the proposal.
Calling the meeting yourself too soon
Fix: use an owner-called-meeting remedy only when the applicable law and documents expressly provide it and only after the stated failure and waiting period occur.
What to bring to the meeting
- A copy of the submitted request and delivery proof.
- The governing-document provisions supporting the procedure.
- The proposed resolution in final wording.
- The association’s notice, agenda, proxy or ballot instructions.
- A written calculation of the petition threshold and expected quorum.
- Questions about voting eligibility, challenged ballots and the count.
Ask that the minutes record the motion, vote totals and any ruling on a procedural objection. Keep the final minutes and vote report with your records; they may be needed if the association later disputes what was decided.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
