Hawaii regulates association meetings with unusual specificity. Under § 421J-3.5, every regular, annual, or special meeting needs written notice at least fourteen days in advance, and the notice must state the agenda — including the general nature of and rationale for any proposed amendment to the declaration or bylaws, any proposed special assessment, and any proposal to remove a board member. Board meetings are separately governed by § 421J-5: they are open to all members, members may participate in any deliberation or discussion outside executive session unless a majority of a board quorum votes otherwise, the board must meet at least once a year, executive sessions are limited to personnel, litigation, and privilege topics announced in regular session, and the minutes must record each director's vote on every motion. All of it runs on Robert's Rules of Order (§ 421J-6).
Proxies — the usual lever of board entrenchment — are tightly boxed. Under § 421J-4, a proxy is valid only for a specified meeting, must be delivered by 4:30 p.m. on the second business day before the meeting, and a standard association proxy form must offer checkboxes (quorum-only, a named individual, the board as a whole, or the directors present); a form with no box or several boxes checked counts for quorum only. The managing agent and resident manager are barred from soliciting proxies outright. And when a board uses association funds to distribute proxies for a director election, it must first post 21 days' notice of its intent — and include every owner who timely requests nomination, with their candidate statement, in the mailing.
Removing directors is a written right
Since 2022, § 421J-3.3 gives planned-community members a statutory removal path: members may remove a director with or without cause, triggered either by a board recommendation or by a petition signed by members representing at least one hundred units or twenty-five per cent of the total units, whichever is less. The petition has formalities — printed names, unit identification, addresses, dated signatures, delivery within the statutory windows — and defective petitions are the usual reason removals fail, so match the statute exactly. On the condo side, § 514B-121 requires an annual meeting and lets owners force a special meeting by a petition of twenty-five per cent of unit owners; if the secretary or managing agent fails to send the meeting notices within fourteen days of receiving the petition, the petitioners may set the time and place and send the notices themselves at the association's expense. Where your documents provide no amendment procedure at all, § 421J-12 supplies defaults: three-fourths of member votes to amend a declaration, two-thirds for other association documents.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-3.5
14 days' written notice for association meetings, with the agenda stated — including the rationale for document amendments, any special assessment proposal, and any board-removal proposal.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-3.3
Members may remove directors with or without cause, on board recommendation or a petition of 100 members or 25% of total units, whichever is less, subject to the statute's petition formalities.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 421J-5
Board meetings are open; members may participate in deliberations outside executive session unless a majority of a board quorum votes otherwise; minutes must record each director's vote.
Haw. Rev. Stat. § 514B-121
Condos: annual meeting required; a petition of 25% of unit owners forces a special meeting, and petitioners may send the notices at the association's expense if the secretary fails to within 14 days.
Step by step
How to force a meeting or remove a director in Hawaii
The petition-and-notice path to compel a special meeting or remove a board member under Hawaii's association statutes.
- 01
Count your threshold
For a planned-community removal petition: 100 members or 25% of total units, whichever is less. For a condo special meeting: 25% of unit owners as shown in the association's record of ownership. Map the exact number before circulating anything.
- 02
Draft the petition to the statute
Include each signer's printed name, unit, address, and signature date. For removals, deliver within the statutory window after the association posts its notice of intent to distribute proxies or meeting notices, and within 120 days of the earliest signature.
- 03
Serve it on the secretary or managing agent
Deliver the petition with proof of receipt. For a removal, the proposal must then be included in the meeting notice; for a condo special meeting, the notice clock starts running against the association.
- 04
Use the self-help remedy if they stall
In a condo, if notices don't go out within 14 days of the petition, § 514B-121 lets the petitioners set the meeting and send the notices at the association's expense. Use it — it's the statute's own answer to a board that runs out the clock.
- 05
Line up the replacement vote
A removal without a successor plan stalls the association. Have candidates ready, request nomination in writing within the proxy-notice window, and confirm the vote threshold needed to elect at the same meeting.
Straight answers
Common questions
Can I attend and speak at my Hawaii HOA's board meetings?
Yes. Under § 421J-5, board meetings other than executive sessions are open to all members, and members may participate in any deliberation or discussion unless a majority of a board quorum votes otherwise. Minutes must record how each director voted.
How many signatures does it take to remove a director?
In a planned community, a petition of members representing at least 100 units or 25% of the total units, whichever is less — and removal can be with or without cause. The petition formalities in § 421J-3.3 matter; defective petitions are the usual failure point.
What notice must I get before a meeting or an assessment increase?
At least 14 days' written notice for any association meeting, with the agenda stated (§ 421J-3.5), and at least 30 days' written notice before any increase in regular assessments (§ 421J-9).
Can the manager collect proxies for the board?
No. Section 421J-4 bars the managing agent and resident manager from soliciting proxies from members and from casting proxy votes except to establish quorum. A proxy drive run by the management company is out of bounds.