parliamentary PROCEDURE

Membership Meetings. Annual and special meetings of the membership must be conducted in accordance with a recognized system of parliamentary procedure. Civil Code §1363(d) Although Robert's Rules of Order is the most widely used system, others may be used. As a practical matter, most association meetings are not conducted in accordance with any system of parliamentary procedure unless the meetings become contentious, at which point parliamentary procedures are invoked.

Board & Committee Meetings. There is no requirement that board and committee meetings be conducted under Robert's Rules of Order or any other system of parliamentary procedure. Strict adherence to Robert's Rules in board meetings can be unwieldy. Boards are free to to use more flexible guidelines if they so choose, or none at all--unless the CC&Rs or Bylaws specifically require the use of Robert's Rules, in which case the board must follow the association's governing documents.

A basic introduction to parliamentary procedure is the A-B-C's of Parliamentary Procedure, a simple 16-page illustrated guideline. Another, more complete but easy to understand guide is the Complete Idiot's Guide to Robert's Rules, both of which may be obtained from the American Institute of Parliamentarians.

For websites about parliamentary procedures, see parliamentary menu

Updated 11/25/2007