Nevada HOA Meeting Minutes Requirements (NRS Chapter 116 Guide)

Nevada is home to one of the most HOA-dense populations in the country — the Las Vegas metro area alone has thousands of planned communities. And Nevada's HOA law, NRS Chapter 116 (the Uniform Common-Interest Ownership Act as adopted by Nevada), is among the most detailed and enforcement-oriented in the United States.

Unlike some states where HOA governance is largely self-regulated, Nevada created a dedicated enforcement body: the Nevada Real Estate Division's Ombudsman for Owners in Common-Interest Communities. Unit owners can file complaints, boards can face civil penalties, and Nevada courts take HOA compliance seriously.

For board secretaries and managers, getting meeting minutes right isn't optional — it's a legal requirement with real consequences for non-compliance.

NRS Chapter 116: Nevada's HOA Law

NRS Chapter 116 (Nevada Revised Statutes) governs common-interest communities in Nevada, including planned unit developments, condominiums, and cooperative housing. Key sections for meeting documentation:

• NRS 116.31083 — Executive board meeting requirements and open meeting rule
• NRS 116.31085 — Executive session (closed meeting) provisions
• NRS 116.31175 — Records of the association and unit owner inspection rights
• NRS 116.3108 — Member meeting requirements

Your CC&Rs, bylaws, and rules can add requirements but cannot diminish the rights NRS Chapter 116 grants to unit owners.

Nevada's Open Meeting Requirement

NRS 116.31083(1) establishes a strong open meeting rule: all meetings of the executive board must be open to unit owners. This is one of Nevada's most-litigated HOA provisions.

Unit Owner Rights at Board Meetings

Under NRS 116.31083, unit owners have the right to:

• Attend all open portions of executive board meetings
• Speak at meetings before the board takes action on any matter — the board must provide a reasonable opportunity for owners to comment
• Receive notice of meetings and agendas in advance

The "reasonable time" requirement: Nevada law specifically says the board must provide a "reasonable time" for owners to comment on each agenda item before the board votes. This isn't window dressing — it's enforceable, and boards that barrel through votes without allowing comment are in violation.

Meeting Notice Requirements

NRS 116.31083 requires:

• At least 10 days' notice before any board meeting, provided by posting in a prominent place in the common areas
• The notice must include the agenda for the meeting
• The notice must specify the date, time, and location

10 days is longer than most states — many require only 48 hours. Nevada boards must plan ahead and cannot call last-minute meetings for routine business.

Emergency meetings are an exception. NRS 116.31083(3) allows emergency meetings with shorter (or no) notice when immediate action is necessary to prevent imminent harm to the association or its property. The emergency must be documented in the minutes.

For annual and special unit owner meetings, NRS 116.3108 requires:

• At least 15 days' notice (your bylaws may require more)
• Notice by mail or other means specified in your governing documents
• Agenda included with notice

Executive Sessions Under NRS 116.31085

Nevada has a detailed and specific list of topics that may be discussed in executive (closed) session. NRS 116.31085 permits executive sessions only for:

• Consultation with legal counsel regarding pending or contemplated litigation or orders of a governmental entity
• Hearings for unit owners to address alleged violations or fines
• Personnel matters relating to association employees
• Discussing the character, alleged misconduct, professional competence, or physical or mental health of a unit owner
• Negotiating the acquisition or sale of real property by the association

This list is exhaustive — not illustrative. If the topic isn't on this list, it cannot be discussed in executive session under Nevada law.

Executive Session Documentation Requirements

NRS 116.31085 has specific documentation requirements that Nevada boards often overlook:

1. The board must announce in open session that it is going into executive session and state the general reason (from the statutory list above)
2. The announcement and transition to executive session must be noted in the open session minutes
3. Any action taken as a result of an executive session must be taken in open session — the vote happens in public
4. The association must maintain separate minutes of executive sessions, which are generally not available to unit owners (except in litigation or by court order)

The announcement requirement is commonly missed. Boards that slip into closed session without a formal announcement in open session are violating NRS 116.31085.

What Nevada HOA Minutes Must Include

NRS 116.31175 requires associations to maintain minutes of all board meetings and member meetings as part of official association records. Complete Nevada HOA minutes should include:

Open Session Board Meeting Minutes

• Meeting identification: date, time, location, type (regular, special, emergency)
• Board members present and absent by name
• Quorum confirmation: explicit statement that a quorum was present
• Unit owners present: note that owners were present and given opportunity to comment (names not required)
• All motions: exact text, maker, seconder
• All votes: how each director voted (Nevada boards should record individual votes, not just outcomes, on contested matters)
• Executive session: the announcement that executive session was called, the stated reason from NRS 116.31085, time session began and ended, and any action taken upon return to open session
• Actions taken: contracts approved, assessments levied, rules adopted, notices authorized
• Next meeting date if announced

Annual Member Meeting Minutes

• Date, time, and location
• Board and officer attendance
• Quorum of unit owners established (typically percentage of units — check your bylaws)
• Election results with vote counts
• Financial report presented
• Owner comments and questions (summary)
• Any owner votes taken (budget ratification, rule changes, etc.)

Unit Owner Access to Records Under NRS 116.31175

Nevada gives unit owners substantial records access rights. NRS 116.31175 requires associations to make official records available for inspection and copying.

What Must Be Available

Unit owners may inspect and copy:

• Minutes of open session board meetings
• Minutes of annual and special unit owner meetings
• Financial records and budgets
• Contracts and vendor agreements
• The declaration, bylaws, rules, and amendments
• Insurance records
• Records of assessments levied and collected

Response Timeframe

Under NRS 116.31175, the association must make records available for inspection within 21 calendar days of a written request. This is the outer limit — making records available promptly is better practice and reduces disputes.

The association may charge a reasonable fee for copying but cannot charge for inspection itself.

Penalties for Non-Compliance

Nevada's enforcement mechanism has teeth. Under NRS 116.31183, unit owners can file complaints with the Ombudsman's office. If the association is found to have willfully failed to provide records:

• The association may be assessed a civil penalty
• Unit owners may seek court orders for records access plus attorney's fees
• Repeated violations can trigger Nevada Real Estate Division investigation

What Can Be Withheld

Associations may withhold:

• Executive session minutes (litigation, personnel, discipline matters)
• Attorney-client privileged communications
• Personnel records
• Records related to specific owner delinquencies or violations (requested by a third-party owner)
• Social security numbers, bank account information

Nevada's Ombudsman: An Enforcement Reality

The Nevada Ombudsman for Common-Interest Communities is not a toothless advisory body. Unit owners who believe their association violated NRS Chapter 116 — including meeting notice, open meeting, or records access provisions — can file formal complaints. Common violations that lead to Ombudsman complaints include:

• Failure to provide 10-day meeting notice with agenda
• Conducting executive sessions on non-permitted topics
• Taking votes in executive session instead of open session
• Failing to allow unit owner comment before votes
• Not maintaining or producing meeting minutes

Boards that keep clean, complete minutes and follow notice requirements are far less likely to face Ombudsman investigations — because their paper trail shows compliance.

Common NRS Chapter 116 Violations to Avoid

Violation	Consequence
Meetings not open to unit owners	Actions voidable; Ombudsman complaint; civil penalties
Fewer than 10 days' notice	Actions taken may be challengeable
Executive session without announcement in open session	NRS 116.31085 violation; actions challenged
Taking votes in executive session	Actions invalid; must be re-voted in open session
Not allowing owner comment before votes	NRS 116.31083 violation; enforceable by Ombudsman
Failing to produce records within 21 days	Civil penalties; court order; attorney's fees

Practical Tips for Nevada HOA Board Secretaries

• Post meeting notices 10+ days before every meeting — not 9, not 8. Nevada courts count calendar days.
• Always include the agenda in the notice — this is mandatory, not optional
• Build owner comment time into every agenda item before the vote — this is an NRS 116.31083 requirement
• Announce executive sessions formally in open session with the specific statutory reason before going in
• Bring all votes back to open session — no action in closed session
• Maintain separate executive session minutes, clearly labeled confidential
• Draft open session minutes promptly and make them available well within the 21-day inspection window
• Track records requests and the 21-day response clock in writing

How MinuteSmith Helps Nevada HOA Boards

Nevada's NRS Chapter 116 has real enforcement mechanisms and an active Ombudsman office. Boards that treat minutes as an afterthought are exposed. MinuteSmith gives Nevada HOA boards a structured, consistent way to capture everything NRS Chapter 116 requires — meeting details, quorum, member comment opportunity, executive session announcements, votes, and actions.

With MinuteSmith, your board can:

• Generate complete minutes that reflect NRS 116 compliance at every meeting
• Maintain an organized record ready for unit owner inspection requests
• Demonstrate compliance if an Ombudsman complaint is ever filed
• Stop worrying about whether you captured everything — MinuteSmith's structure handles it

Start your free trial — protect your board and your community with minutes that hold up to scrutiny.