Utah HOA board meetings: the open-meeting rules in § 57-8a-226
A Utah HOA board may only act at a board meeting, and those meetings belong to the owners too: at least 48 hours' written notice by email to every owner who requested it, doors open to any lot owner, and a reasonable opportunity to comment. A meeting may be closed only for six specific reasons — attorney consultation, litigation, personnel, contracts and bids, individual privacy, or a delinquency or fine.
(2)(a) At least 48 hours before a board meeting, the association shall give written notice of the board meeting via email to each lot owner who requests notice of a board meeting, unless: (i) notice of the board meeting is included in a board meeting schedule that was previously provided to the lot owner; or (ii)(A) the board meeting is to address an emergency... (3)(a) Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b), a board meeting shall be open to each lot owner or the lot owner's representative if the representative is designated in writing. ... (4)(a) At each board meeting, the board shall provide each lot owner a reasonable opportunity to offer comments.
What it means for your board
No meeting, no action
The board acts only at a board meeting or by written action under the nonprofit act. Decisions made over text threads and driveway conversations aren't board actions — which matters when a fine or contract gets challenged later.
Notice is an email, 48 hours out
Every owner who has requested board-meeting notice must get written notice by email at least 48 hours ahead — time, date, location, and how to join electronically if that's offered. The exceptions are narrow: a meeting already on a schedule the owner received, or a genuine emergency.
Owners are in the room, and they get to speak
Meetings must be open to every lot owner or their written-designated representative, with a reasonable opportunity to comment — which the board may consolidate into a single comment period. Executive session exists, but only for the six listed topics; 'general board business' is not one of them.
The remedy clock
An owner who catches the board out of compliance sends a written demand; the board then has 90 days to cure. If it doesn't, the owner may sue for injunctive relief and $500 or actual damages. The cheapest compliance program is a standing meeting schedule, distributed once, with minutes posted — which also satisfies part of your § 57-8a-227 records duty.
Common questions
Do Utah HOA board meetings have to be open to homeowners?
Yes — § 57-8a-226 requires board meetings to be open to every lot owner (or a representative designated in writing), with a reasonable opportunity to comment. Only six topics justify a closed session, including litigation, personnel, and individual delinquencies.
How much notice does a Utah HOA board meeting require?
At least 48 hours, by email, to each owner who has requested board-meeting notice — unless the meeting is on a schedule previously provided to owners or addresses an emergency.
Can a Utah HOA board vote by email or text?
The board may act only at a meeting or by written action under Utah's nonprofit act (§ 16-6a-813), which has its own formal requirements. Informal email consensus is not a board action.
What can homeowners do if the board violates the open-meeting rules?
Send a written demand. If the board doesn't cure within 90 days, the owner may sue for injunctive relief and $500 or actual damages.
Kahoa answers your homeowners with these citations built in
Every statute on this page ships inside Kahoa's Utah pack — modern HOA management software your board supervises. Upload your CC&Rs and the correspondence desk drafts replies to homeowner email with the statute and your own documents cited — your board approves and sends.
This page explains Utah statute in plain language for community boards and homeowners. It is general information, not legal advice, and it isn't a substitute for reading the statute or talking to a Utah attorney about your association's specific situation. Statute text quoted from le.utah.gov, current as of the verification date shown above.
Statute data from Kahoa's open Utah statute pack (CC-BY-SA-4.0) · verified July 29, 2026