Standing vs ad-hoc committees

The two kinds of committees

Robert's Rules, the parliamentary standard most associations that adopt a parliamentary authority rely on, splits committees into exactly two kinds. One is appointed for an ongoing stretch of time and keeps doing its job as members rotate in and out. The other is appointed to finish one piece of work and then it's done.

"The committee may be either a 'standing committee,' appointed for a definite time, as a session or a year; or a 'special [or select] committee,' appointed for a special purpose."

Source: Robert's Rules of Order Revised, Article IX, public domain edition

A parliamentarian's gloss on this makes the practical split even clearer: standing committees are usually set up in the bylaws to serve a permanent function, while special committees exist only until their one job is done and reported back.

Where each type gets its authority

A standing committee usually traces back to the bylaws or the CC&Rs, which is where an association typically names it and sets who appoints its members, often the board itself unless the bylaws hand that job to a specific officer.

A special committee is typically created by a single board vote for a defined purpose. It exists only as long as the board wants it to. That is true of most committees, not just special ones: an association's committees generally serve at the board's discretion, meaning the same vote that created a committee can generally reshape or end it, unless the bylaws set a different process.

How to tell which one you're on

Check two places. First, the bylaws: if your committee is named there, with an ongoing role, it's standing. Second, the board minutes or resolution that created it: if it names a single task and no end date beyond "report back," it's special, whatever it happens to be called on the meeting agenda.

Either way, a committee charter can spell out the committee's mission, scope, membership, and reporting expectations, which is useful for a special committee especially, since nothing in the bylaws will already answer those questions for it.

Whether your bylaws name any standing committees at all, and whether creating a new one requires a formal bylaw amendment, varies by association and by state. Check your own governing documents before assuming either answer.