Texas has steadily pried open HOA governance. Chapter 209 requires that regular and special board meetings be open to owners, with advance notice, and limits what the board can decide behind closed doors. Members generally have the right to attend, and the association has to keep and make available minutes of its meetings. The days of a board quietly running the community by email are, legally, behind us.
On elections, Texas law provides for secret ballots in certain association elections and votes when requested, and requires the association to follow its recorded election procedures. Owners are entitled to notice of elections and meetings, to the tabulation rules, and to fair access. Where the bylaws set quorum, proxy, and voting thresholds, those are enforceable against the board, not just against you.
Removing or replacing directors
Director removal in Texas runs primarily through your association's bylaws and the Texas nonprofit corporation rules most HOAs are organized under, combined with Chapter 209's open-meeting and notice protections. Owners typically petition for a special meeting and vote to remove directors per the bylaw threshold. The key is procedure: proper notice, a documented quorum, and a clean vote. Because Texas requires meetings to be open and noticed, an attempt to block or hide a removal vote is itself a violation you can point to.
The statutes behind this
Cited by name as authority, for your own reading — informational only, not legal advice.
Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0051
Requires open, noticed board meetings and limits closed-session action; owners may attend.
Tex. Prop. Code § 209.00592 & § 209.0058
Provide for secret ballots in certain association elections/votes and govern voting and tabulation procedures.
Tex. Bus. Orgs. Code (nonprofit corporation provisions)
Most Texas HOAs are nonprofit corporations; these provisions govern director removal, meetings, and member voting alongside the bylaws.
How to remove or challenge an HOA board in Texas
Use Chapter 209's open-meeting and election rules, plus your bylaws, to remove or check the board.
Read the bylaws' removal threshold
Find the petition percentage and vote threshold for removing directors and calling a special meeting. Texas nonprofit-corporation rules and your bylaws control this.
Petition for a special meeting
Gather the required owner signatures and demand a noticed special meeting to vote on removal. Keep proof of the petition.
Insist on open, noticed procedure
Chapter 209 requires open, noticed meetings. If the board tries to block, hide, or shortcut the vote, that's a violation you can document.
Request a secret ballot
Where Texas provides for secret balloting, request it so owners can vote without board pressure, and confirm the tabulation rules in advance.
Document quorum and the count
Record attendance, quorum, and the vote tally in the minutes. A clean, documented vote is what makes the removal stick.
Common questions
Can I attend my Texas HOA's board meetings?
Yes. Under Tex. Prop. Code § 209.0051, regular and special board meetings must be open to owners with advance notice, and closed-session action is limited to defined topics.
Do Texas HOA elections use secret ballots?
In certain elections and votes, yes — Texas provides for secret ballots when requested and requires the association to follow its recorded voting and tabulation procedures (Tex. Prop. Code § 209.00592 / § 209.0058).
How do we remove a director in Texas?
Removal runs through your bylaws and the Texas nonprofit-corporation rules most HOAs are organized under — typically a petition for a special meeting and a vote at the bylaw threshold — backed by Chapter 209's open-meeting and notice protections.
Can the board decide things outside a meeting?
Generally no. Chapter 209 requires open, noticed meetings and limits closed-session action. Substantive business done to evade the open-meeting rule is a violation you can point to.