Many homeowner and condominium associations have difficulty meeting the quorum requirement for annual ownership meetings. Unless a quorum is achieved, the meeting cannot proceed. The association’s bylaws typically contain the quorum requirement—usually a percentage of the ownership. Oregon has a unique statute which allows for a reduced quorum for ownership meetings. For condominiums, the statute is ORS 100.408, for planned communities, the statue is ORS 94.655.

If the membership meeting cannot proceed because of a lack of quorum, you may adjourn the meeting. The meeting may then immediately re-start with a reduced quorum. The reduced quorum is 1/2 of the quorum requirement or 20%, whichever is greater.

So, if your quorum requirement is 50%, the reduced quorum would be 25%. If your quorum requirement is 30%, the reduced quorum is 20% (remember, 1/2 or 20%, whichever is greater). If your quorum requirement is 20%, it stays at 20%. Keep in mind that the notice of the meeting must contain a statement that the quorum will be reduced and what the percentage will be if reduced. The language should also state that the meeting will be immediately recalled with the reduced quorum percentage (otherwise, you must wait 48 hours).

Let’s walk through a hypothetical:

It’s Saturday morning and the annual ownership meeting is about to begin. The association’s governing documents require at least 30% of the ownership to be present in person or proxy. After everyone has checked in with the secretary, only 25% of the ownership is present in person or proxy. Assuming the notice of the meeting contained the required language, the new quorum requirement is 20%. And with 25% of the owners present, you’ve reached quorum!

If you’re interested in calculating your reduced quorum requirement, plug-in your numbers in the Oregon quorum calculator here.