Because most Michigan associations, condo and subdivision alike, are incorporated as nonprofit corporations, this is the one topic where the general Nonprofit Corporation Act works directly in your favor. MCL § 450.2402 requires a corporation to hold an annual meeting of its shareholders or members to elect directors and conduct business, on a date set in the bylaws. If the board misses that date, the meeting still has to happen "as soon after that date as is convenient," and if 90 days pass with no meeting, or 15 months pass since formation or the last annual meeting with no date designated at all, any member can ask the circuit court to summarily order the association to hold the meeting or the election, or both, on the court's own terms. That is real, usable leverage against a board that just stops running elections.
Notice has teeth too. MCL § 450.2404 requires written notice of the time, place, and purpose of a meeting, given personally, by mail, or electronically, not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the meeting (or published in a regularly issued community newsletter as an alternative). Attending a meeting without objecting at the start waives your right to complain about defective notice afterward, so if something looks off, say so on the record before the meeting proceeds.
Board meetings, director removal, and condo vote allocation
The board itself runs under MCL § 450.2521: regular meetings can happen with or without notice as the bylaws prescribe, special meetings require the notice the bylaws set, and a director's attendance without objecting waives a notice defect the same way a member's attendance does. Directors and committee members can also participate remotely by phone or other means unless the articles or bylaws restrict it. On removing a director, MCL § 450.2511 lets members remove one or more directors with or without cause, unless the articles require cause, by a majority vote of those entitled to vote in a director election; the articles can require a higher threshold specifically for removal without cause. For condo owners specifically, MCL § 559.154(7) lets the bylaws allocate votes either proportional to each unit's percentage of value or as one equal vote per unit, so check which formula your condo actually uses before a contested vote.
The authority
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading. Informational only, not legal advice.
MCL 450.2402
Requires an annual membership meeting and lets a member petition the circuit court to summarily order the meeting or election if the board lets it lapse past 90 days, or 15 months with no meeting at all.
MCL 450.2404
Sets meeting notice timing (10 to 60 days), acceptable delivery methods, and the waiver rules that apply if you attend without objecting.
MCL 450.2511
Lets members remove one or more directors with or without cause, unless the articles require cause, by majority vote of those entitled to vote.
MCL 559.154
Lets condo bylaws allocate votes proportional to a unit's percentage of value, or as one equal vote per unit, a detail worth confirming before any contested vote.
Step by step
How to assert your meeting, election, and voting rights in Michigan
Steps to hold a Michigan association accountable to the annual-meeting, notice, and director-removal rules in the Nonprofit Corporation Act.
- 01
Check your bylaws for the annual meeting date
Confirm what date the bylaws designate, since that's the anchor MCL § 450.2402's 90-day clock runs from.
- 02
If the meeting was skipped, start the clock
Once 90 days pass the designated date, or 15 months pass with no meeting or designated date at all, you can petition circuit court under MCL § 450.2402 to summarily order the meeting or election.
- 03
Confirm notice was proper
Check that written notice went out 10 to 60 days before the meeting, by an acceptable method, as MCL § 450.2404 requires. Object at the start of the meeting if it wasn't, or you'll waive the defect.
- 04
Watch board-meeting notice and remote participation
MCL § 450.2521 governs how the board itself must notice and conduct its meetings, including remote participation, before you treat a board vote as valid or invalid.
- 05
Organize the right vote to remove a director
Check the articles for a cause requirement, then confirm you have the majority MCL § 450.2511 requires (or a higher threshold if the articles set one for removal without cause).
Straight answers
Common questions
What happens if my Michigan HOA board just never holds an annual meeting?
MCL § 450.2402 gives you a real remedy. If 90 days pass after the bylaws' designated meeting date, or 15 months pass with no meeting or designated date at all, any member can petition the circuit court to summarily order the association to hold the meeting or the election.
How much notice do I have to get before a meeting?
MCL § 450.2404 requires written notice 10 to 60 days before the meeting, delivered personally, by mail, electronically, or through a regularly published community newsletter as an alternative.
Can members remove a board member in Michigan?
Generally yes. MCL § 450.2511 lets members remove one or more directors with or without cause, unless the articles require cause, by a majority vote of those entitled to vote in a director election.
How are votes allocated in my Michigan condo association?
MCL § 559.154(7) lets the bylaws choose between allocating votes proportional to each unit's percentage of value, or giving every unit one equal vote. Check your own bylaws to see which formula applies before a contested vote.