Section 1603-108 requires the association to hold a meeting at least once a year, with notice sent 10 to 60 days ahead of any meeting stating the time, place, and agenda, including the general nature of any proposed amendment to the declaration or bylaws, budget changes, or a proposal to remove a director or officer. So the board can't blindside owners with a removal vote nobody was told about. Board meetings get a lighter but real notice requirement, timely notice reasonably calculated to inform owners, which can be a posting or an email rather than individual delivery, and owners have the right to attend subject to reasonable rules. Executive sessions are limited to five listed purposes, attorney consultation, active litigation, personnel matters, ongoing contract negotiations, and protecting individual privacy, and the board can't take a final vote or action behind that closed door.
Quorum and voting are set by default rules you can hold the board to. Section 1603-109 sets quorum at 20% of the votes for a members' meeting and 50% of the board's votes for a board meeting, unless your bylaws set a different number (with a 10% floor for members). Section 1603-110 governs proxies: they must be dated, they terminate automatically 11 months after signing unless a shorter term is specified, and they can't be revoked except by actual notice to whoever is presiding over the meeting, not just by staying silent.
When does a developer actually have to let go of the board?
Section 1603-103(d) through (f) puts a real outer limit on declarant control: it lasts no more than seven years if the declarant reserved development rights, or five years otherwise, and it terminates no later than 60 days after 75% of the units have been conveyed to owners other than the declarant, whichever comes first, regardless of what the declaration tries to say. Section 1603-103(c) also requires the board to send a budget summary within 30 days of adopting it and hold a ratification meeting 10 to 30 days later; only a majority of all unit owners, not just those who show up, can reject the budget, so an empty meeting defaults to ratifying whatever the board proposed. Section 1602-117 sets the bar for changing the declaration itself at 67% owner approval (higher if your declaration specifies), with only a one-year window to challenge an amendment after it's recorded.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
33 M.R.S. § 1603-108
Requires an annual meeting, 10 to 60 days' notice disclosing the agenda (including proposed amendments, budget changes, or a removal vote), and limits executive sessions to five listed purposes with no final vote allowed inside them.
33 M.R.S. § 1603-109
Sets default quorum at 20% of the votes for a members' meeting and 50% of the board's votes for a board meeting, absent a different bylaw.
33 M.R.S. § 1603-103
Caps declarant control of the board at seven or five years (or 75% unit conveyance, whichever is first), and sets the annual budget-ratification procedure.
Step by step
How to protect your meeting and voting rights in Maine
Steps to hold a Maine condo association to its notice, quorum, and board-control obligations under the Maine Condominium Act.
- 01
Check the notice window
Confirm you received 10 to 60 days' notice before any association meeting and that the agenda disclosed anything material, including a proposed amendment, budget change, or director removal, under § 1603-108.
- 02
Know your quorum number
Default quorum is 20% of the votes for a members' meeting and 50% for the board under § 1603-109, unless your bylaws set a different figure. Confirm the actual number before accepting a vote as valid.
- 03
Read any proxy before you sign or rely on one
A proxy expires automatically 11 months after it's dated unless it states a shorter term, and it can only be revoked by actual notice to the meeting's presiding officer, under § 1603-110.
- 04
Show up for the annual budget ratification meeting
Since only a majority of all owners, not just attendees, can reject the proposed budget under § 1603-103(c), skipping the meeting favors the board's proposal by default.
- 05
If a declarant still controls the board, check the calendar
Confirm the seven-year or five-year outer limit, and the 75%-conveyance trigger, haven't already passed under § 1603-103(d) through (f). If they have, the declarant's continued control may no longer be lawful.
Straight answers
Common questions
How much notice does my Maine condo association have to give before a meeting?
Section 1603-108 requires 10 to 60 days' written or electronic notice before any association meeting, and the notice has to state the time, place, and agenda, including any proposed amendment, budget change, or director-removal vote.
What's quorum for my association's annual meeting?
Unless your bylaws say otherwise, § 1603-109 sets quorum at 20% of the votes for a members' meeting and 50% of the board's votes for a board meeting.
How long is a proxy good for in Maine?
Eleven months from the date it was signed, unless it specifies a shorter term, under § 1603-110. It also can't be revoked except by actual notice to whoever is presiding over the meeting.
When does a developer have to give up control of the board?
No later than seven years (if development rights were reserved) or five years (otherwise), or 60 days after 75% of units are conveyed to non-declarant owners, whichever comes first, under § 1603-103(d) through (f).