WUCIOA Quorum & Supermajority Calculator — 25% Quorum, 67% Amendment, 80% Termination (RCW 64.90.435)

How this calculator works

This is a quorum-and-threshold validator for Washington common interest community unit-owner votes under the Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act (WUCIOA). Given the total units, in-person attendance, proxy count, mail/electronic ballot count, vote type, and any declaration-specified overrides, it returns:

1. Whether quorum has been met (total ballots compared against the effective quorum requirement under RCW 64.90.435(1) or the declaration-specified override).
2. The yes votes required to pass for the vote type — 67% of total for declaration amendments under RCW 64.90.265, 80% of total for termination under RCW 64.90.225, majority of those present for board removal under RCW 64.90.440, majority of quorum at the rejection meeting for budget rejection under RCW 64.90.525, and majority of quorum for regular votes.
3. The current outcome (PASSED, FAILED, PENDING, or NO-QUORUM) based on the supplied vote tally.

The budget-rejection vote type uses an inverse-vote convention: yes votes are treated as REJECT votes, and the outcome label changes accordingly. If the rejection threshold is met, the budget is REJECTED; if not, the budget is RATIFIED automatically under RCW 64.90.525.

Use the calculator before convening a unit-owner meeting to confirm the procedural framework, during ballot counting to validate the threshold, and after a meeting to memorialize the outcome in the secretary's minutes.

The relevant WUCIOA / RCW statute (which regime applies — 2018 cutoff)

The Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act lives at RCW 64.90 and applies to common interest communities formed on or after July 1, 2018. Older condominiums (1990-2018) remain under the Washington Condominium Act (RCW 64.34) with a parallel but separately-cited voting framework. Older planned communities follow the Washington Homeowners' Association Act (RCW 64.38), which has a less prescriptive voting framework. This calculator covers WUCIOA voting; for pre-2018 projects, the substantive thresholds are often similar but the citations differ.

RCW 64.90.435(1) — Default quorum at unit-owner meetings is 25% of the votes in the association unless the declaration or bylaws specify otherwise. The 25% default is slightly higher than Connecticut's 20% but materially lower than California's 50% under Cal. Civ. Code Sec. 4070.

RCW 64.90.265 — Declaration amendment requires at least 67% of the votes in the association. This is a TOTAL-VOTES threshold (not 67% of those voting). The declaration may specify higher (75% or unanimous for some categories); it cannot specify lower than 67% for general declaration amendments.

RCW 64.90.265(2)-(4) — Certain declaration amendments require a higher threshold or UNANIMOUS consent: changes to allocated interests, unit boundaries, conversion of a unit into common elements, increase in the number of units, and similar property-affecting changes. These are the highest-threshold actions under WUCIOA.

RCW 64.90.225 — Termination of the common interest community requires 80% of the votes in the association. The declaration may specify higher (some require 90% or unanimous consent). Termination dissolves the common interest community.

RCW 64.90.440 — Executive board member removal by a majority of unit owners present and entitled to vote at a meeting where a quorum is present. This "majority of those present and voting" standard is materially easier than the OF-TOTAL thresholds.

RCW 64.90.450 — Bylaws amendment per bylaws specification; absent specification, the default majority of quorum applies.

RCW 64.90.525 — Budget ratification by REJECTION mechanism. Board adopts the budget; unit owners may REJECT by majority of unit owners present at the rejection meeting; no rejection = automatic ratification.

Washington-specific gotchas (190-day nonjudicial sale notice, dual-regime WUCIOA vs old Condo Act)

MAJORITY OF TOTAL vs MAJORITY OF QUORUM. The two thresholds produce different outcomes when turnout is low. WUCIOA uses OF-TOTAL for declaration amendments (RCW 64.90.265 — 67%) and termination (RCW 64.90.225 — 80%). WUCIOA uses OF-QUORUM (or "of those present and voting") for board removal (RCW 64.90.440), budget rejection (RCW 64.90.525), and regular governance. The OF-TOTAL thresholds are intentionally hard to reach for property-affecting changes; the OF-QUORUM thresholds make governance practical at typical Washington turnout levels (often 30-40%).

A DECLARATION AMENDMENT CAN FAIL EVEN WITH 100% OF VOTERS APPROVING. In an 80-unit association with 50% turnout (40 voters), 40 yes votes (100% of voters) is only 50% of total — well short of the 54-vote (67%) threshold and the amendment FAILS. Boards routinely announce declaration amendments as passed based on majority-of-voters math; this is wrong. The calculator distinguishes the two thresholds explicitly to prevent this error.

THE 25% QUORUM DEFAULT IS MODERATE — NOT LOW BY UCIOA STANDARDS. WUCIOA's 25% default quorum is 5 percentage points higher than Connecticut's 20%. The Washington legislature's choice in 2018 reflected a balance between low-turnout accommodation and meaningful representation. Practical effect: regular WUCIOA votes can be conducted with moderate turnout, but ambitious thresholds (declaration amendment at 67% of total) still require aggressive outreach.

WUCIOA IS A DIFFERENT REGIME FROM THE CONDO ACT AND HOA ACT. A 1995-formed condominium runs under RCW 64.34 (Washington Condominium Act) with the parallel quorum and amendment rules in RCW 64.34.350 and 64.34.260. A 2005-formed planned community runs under RCW 64.38 (Washington Homeowners' Association Act) with a more declaration-driven voting framework. Only projects formed on or after July 1, 2018 are covered by this WUCIOA calculator. Pull the recorded declaration date from the county auditor before using this calculator.

BUDGET REJECTION FAVORS THE BOARD — BUT LESS SO THAN CONNECTICUT. Under RCW 64.90.525, the board's proposed budget is RATIFIED unless a majority of unit owners PRESENT at the rejection meeting affirmatively reject. Connecticut requires a majority of ALL unit owners under CGS Sec. 47-261b — a much harder threshold to mobilize. Washington's threshold of "majority of attendees at the rejection meeting" is more achievable than Connecticut's, making the WUCIOA mechanism somewhat more owner-friendly. Boards should still anticipate that their budgets typically pass unless owners actively organize opposition.

BOARD REMOVAL IS EASIER THAN DECLARATION AMENDMENT. A board member can be removed by a majority of those present at a properly noticed meeting with quorum (typically 11 votes in an 80-unit, 25%-turnout meeting). A declaration amendment requires 54 of 80 votes. The threshold contrast is intentional — WUCIOA treats governance (board composition) as more accountable to active engagement and property rights (declaration content) as requiring broad consent.

LISTED DECLARATION AMENDMENTS REQUIRE HIGHER OR UNANIMOUS CONSENT. RCW 64.90.265(2)-(4) lists categories of declaration amendments that require a higher threshold or UNANIMOUS consent — changes to allocated interests (a unit's vote allocation or common-expense allocation), unit boundaries, conversion to common elements, increase in the number of units, and similar property-affecting changes. The calculator does NOT model these heightened-threshold categories separately; if your vote type falls into a RCW 64.90.265(2)-(4) category, the 67% threshold understates the requirement.

PROXIES ARE COMMON BUT MUST BE CURRENT. WUCIOA RCW 64.90.450 permits proxies for unit-owner voting unless prohibited. Washington bylaws commonly specify a 11-month maximum proxy validity. Proxies older than the period are invalid even if all other elements are met. For OF-TOTAL threshold votes, aggressive proxy campaigns are typically necessary to reach the threshold.

What this calculator does NOT model

The calculator implements the WUCIOA QUORUM-AND-SUPERMAJORITY math. It does NOT:

• Model the heightened-threshold and unanimous-consent categories under RCW 64.90.265(2)-(4) (unit-boundary changes, allocated-interest changes, conversion to common elements, etc.). If your vote type falls into one of these categories, the 67% threshold understates the requirement; consult counsel.
• Model the bylaws-amendment procedures under RCW 64.90.450 in detail — the bylaws specify the threshold and the calculator uses a default majority-of-quorum if no declaration override is supplied.
• Validate the form of proxies (signature, witness, expiration, delegation chain).
• Model the executive-board meeting procedures under RCW 64.90.445 (board meetings have separate quorum and notice requirements).
• Model the special-assessment ratification mechanics under RCW 64.90.525 — special assessments above a declaration-specified threshold typically go through the rejection mechanism.
• Validate compliance with the RCW 64.90.435 notice requirements that gate the meeting.
• Cover voting under the Washington Condo Act (RCW 64.34) or the Washington HOA Act (RCW 64.38) — those are separate regimes for pre-2018 projects.

For any consequential vote, retain Washington counsel with WUCIOA experience to oversee the procedural compliance review.

Sources

Last reviewed: 2026-05-16 against:

• RCW 64.90 (Washington Uniform Common Interest Ownership Act).
• RCW 64.90.435 — 25% default quorum.
• RCW 64.90.265 — declaration amendment 67% of total default; heightened-threshold categories.
• RCW 64.90.225 — termination 80% of total default.
• RCW 64.90.440 — executive board removal.
• RCW 64.90.450 — bylaws amendment and proxy authorization.
• RCW 64.90.525 — budget adoption and rejection mechanism.
• RCW 64.34 — Washington Condominium Act parallel voting framework for pre-2018 condominiums.
• RCW 64.38 — Washington Homeowners' Association Act voting framework for pre-2018 planned communities.
• Washington State Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust Section practitioner materials on WUCIOA governance.