HOA Board Members

HOA board members are the owners a homeowners association (HOA) elects to its board of directors. The HOA board holds the legal authority to set the budget, hire vendors and enforce the community’s rules for every homeowner.

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HOA Board Powers

An HOA board draws its powers from three layers: state statute, the declaration and the association’s rules. California’s Corporations Code, section 7210, says the board conducts the corporation’s affairs and exercises its powers. The board may delegate management to a management company but keeps ultimate direction.

Each HOA board member is usually a volunteer, and the governing documents set how many serve and for how long. An HOA board has three main jobs:

• managing the finances, including the annual budget and assessments
• enforcing the rules and handling violations
• hiring the vendors that maintain shared property

The HOA board and governance hub covers the wider set of board duties.

Virginia’s Property Owners’ Association Act, Chapter 18 of Title 55.1, gives the HOA board the power to adopt and enforce rules and regulations for the common areas. At a special meeting, a majority of the votes cast can repeal or amend a rule the directors adopted.

The same chapter lets an HOA board member vote to levy an additional assessment. The purpose must serve the association, and the money must go mainly to maintenance and upkeep of the common area.

California’s Corporations Code, section 5047, defines a director as a natural person who acts as a member of the governing body.

HOA Board Positions

Most HOA boards fill four officer positions: president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. The bylaws name the offices and set the roles. Florida’s condominium act, Chapter 718, sets a default slate of three officers when the documents are silent.

Common Board Roles

The common roles are the four officers plus a member at large, and each role carries only the powers the documents give it. Each officer position has a usual job:

• President: presides at meetings and signs contracts for the board
• Vice president: acts when the president is absent
• Secretary: keeps the minutes and the official records
• Treasurer: tracks dues, expenses and reserves
• Member at large: votes without an officer title

The HOA secretary’s duties and HOA treasurer’s duties pages cover those two offices in detail. A condominium follows the same pattern, as the condo board guide explains.

Does an HOA president have more power than a board member?

No. Authority sits with the group, and the president carries out its decisions. California’s Corporations Code, section 7213, makes the president the general manager and chief executive officer unless the articles or bylaws say otherwise.

The same section says officers serve at the pleasure of the board. On a vote, each board member holds one seat, and an officer title adds none unless the documents provide differently.

Core Board Roles and Duties

The core job of an HOA board member is fiduciary: acting for the members, not for personal gain. Florida’s HOA act, Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes, states that officers and directors have a fiduciary relationship to the members.

Florida’s act requires HOA board members to disclose a possible conflict of interest at least 14 days before voting on the issue or signing the contract. A contract with a board member’s own company needs approval from two-thirds of the directors present. An officer who accepts a kickback commits a third-degree felony under the same chapter.

Florida also sets training. A new HOA board member must finish a state-approved course within 90 days of taking office.

An association with fewer than 2,500 parcels then requires at least 4 hours of continuing education each year, and a larger association requires 8 hours. A board member who misses the certificate deadline is suspended until the certificate is filed.

The fiduciary duties of directors page covers the duty of care and the duty of loyalty.

General Board Responsibilities

Board member duties fall into four daily areas: money, maintenance, rules and records. Each HOA board member is responsible for all four, and state statutes shape those responsibilities in each area.

Money comes first. Virginia’s act requires the board to make the annual budget, or a summary of it, available to owners before the fiscal year starts.

Florida’s HOA act requires insurance or a fidelity bond for every person who controls or disburses association funds, including the president, secretary and treasurer. The association pays the cost.

A management company can handle the daily tasks. Virginia’s act says funds a managing agent holds for an association must sit in a trust account at a federally insured institution, separate from the agent’s own assets. An HOA board member still makes the decisions that bind the association.

Can an HOA president be sued?

Yes, but the law shields a board member who acts in good faith within the job. Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute explains the business judgment rule. A court upholds a decision made in good faith, with the care a reasonably prudent person would use, and in the reasonable belief it served the corporation.

A plaintiff can defeat the rule by proving gross negligence, bad faith or a conflict of interest. The shield covers every officer, but it does not cover a decision made for personal gain.

California adds a statute. Civil Code section 5800 limits a volunteer’s personal liability to the association’s insurance coverage. The act must fall within the volunteer’s duties, be in good faith, and not be willful, wanton or grossly negligent. The same section requires general liability and director coverage of at least $500,000 for 100 or fewer separate interests, and $1,000,000 for more than 100. A licensed attorney in the state can confirm how these protections apply to a specific board.

Who holds the board accountable?

The members hold the board accountable through elections, open meetings, document requests and removal votes. Each tool depends on state law and the association’s own rules.

California’s Corporations Code, section 7222, lets members remove any or all directors without cause. In a corporation with 50 or more members, the members must approve the removal.

Florida’s HOA act goes further for serious conduct. A board member charged with theft or embezzlement of association funds must be removed from office. An HOA board that finds a kickback violation must remove the officer immediately.

A homeowner who has a concern about a board member can work through these steps:

• ☐ Read the governing documents for conduct rules, removal and recall.
• ☐ Put the concern in writing and name the provision involved.
• ☐ Ask for the item on the agenda of the next open meeting.
• ☐ Request the records that show how the decision was made.
• ☐ Check whether members can call a special meeting or a removal vote.
• ☐ Ask a licensed attorney in the state to confirm the options.

Board Rules by State: Terms, Open Meetings and Elections

State law decides how long a board member serves, whether owners can attend meetings and how elections run. Rules for HOAs differ from rules for condominium associations in several states, so the table splits Florida and Illinois into two rows each. Each entry is the statutory rule or default, last checked September 24, 2026, and the association’s rules can add limits the statute does not set.

State	Owners may attend board meetings	Statutory cap on board member terms	Secret ballot for director elections
Arizona	Yes, with limited closed topics	None found	Allowed, not required
California	Yes, except executive session	Every seat up for election at least every 4 years	Required
Colorado	Yes, and owners may speak before a vote	None found	Required for contested seats
Florida (HOA)	Yes, with limited closed topics	None found	Only if the documents require it
Florida (condo)	Yes, with limited closed topics	8 consecutive years, unless two-thirds of votes cast approve more	Required
Georgia	Not set by statute	None found	Not set by statute
Illinois (HOA)	Yes, with listed closed topics	4 years	Not required
Illinois (condo)	Yes, with listed closed topics	2 years	Not required
Maryland	Yes, with listed closed topics	None found	Not required by default
New Jersey	Yes, with listed closed topics	4 years, in developments of 50 or more units	Not required
Nevada	Yes, and owners may speak	3 years	Required, by written ballot
North Carolina	Part of each meeting set aside for owner comments	None found	Not addressed
Ohio	HOA: closed unless the board allows; condo: open by default	Terms staggered so one-fifth expire each year	Not addressed
South Carolina	Not set by statute	5 years, for an incorporated HOA	Not set by statute
Texas (HOA)	Yes, with listed closed topics	None found	Not required
Virginia	Yes, with listed closed topics	None found	Not set for member elections
Washington	Yes, except executive session	None found	Not required

Sources include Illinois’ Condominium Property Act, Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 116 and Ohio Revised Code section 5312.04. A licensed attorney in your state can confirm how these rules apply to a specific association.

Frequently asked questions about HOA board members

What perks do board members get?

Most HOA board members are unpaid volunteers. Florida’s HOA act bars a board member from accepting a kickback, meaning anything of value from a vendor with no consideration given. It allows food at a business meeting worth less than $25 per person.

Whether a board may pay anyone depends on state law. See Do HOA Presidents Get Paid.

What happens to an HOA when no one wants to be on the board?

State law and the association’s rules set the process for an empty seat. New Jersey lets a board member keep serving after a term ends until a successor is elected.

Florida’s HOA act lets a board temporarily fill a seat left by a suspended member. Too few members can also block a quorum.

How long can you sit on a board of directors?

Term limits vary by state, and many states set none. Illinois caps condo terms at 2 years and HOA terms at 4. Nevada caps terms at 3 years.

A Florida condo board member may serve no more than 8 consecutive years unless two-thirds of the votes cast approve more. In states with no cap, the association’s own rules control.

Who are the officers of a homeowners association (HOA)?

An HOA usually has four officers, chosen by a board vote unless the documents provide otherwise. The positions section above names each office and its job.

Can a HOA president be fired?

In California, officers serve at the board’s pleasure under Corporations Code section 7213, so the directors can remove one. Other states leave removal to the documents.

Removing a president from the office does not end the person’s term as a director. That takes a member vote under section 7222.

How to address disrespectful behavior by HOA board members?

Start with the governing documents, which often set a conduct standard and a complaint process. Put the concern in writing and ask for a place on the agenda of an open meeting. The checklist in the accountability section lists the next steps, and a licensed attorney in the state can confirm the options.

Related reading

• What an HOA president does
• Responsibilities of HOA board members
• Candidate statement examples for HOA board elections

Educational information, not legal advice. See the disclaimer.