Academy/Motions & Parliamentary Procedure
Amending a motion
The mover does not get to decide alone once the motion is on the floor.
An amendment is a motion to change the wording of a motion that's already on the floor. Once the chair has stated the motion, it belongs to the whole board, not just the person who made it, so any amendment, even one everyone assumes is friendly, has to be voted on or accepted by unanimous consent before it changes anything.
Two kinds of amendment
An amendment is a motion to change the wording of a motion that is still on the floor. It can add words, strike words, or swap one phrase for another. There are two versions of it. A primary amendment changes the main motion itself, the one the board is actually trying to pass. A secondary amendment changes a primary amendment that is already pending, before that primary amendment reaches a vote. Think of it as one layer deeper: you are not changing the proposal yet, you are changing the change.
The motion doesn't belong to the mover anymore
Once the chair has repeated the motion back to the board, a step called stating the question, it stops being one director's idea and becomes the board's business. That matters for amendments, because it means the person who made the original motion does not get to approve or reject a proposed change on their own, even if the room calls it "friendly."
"Any amendment, 'friendly' or otherwise, must be adopted by the full body, either by a vote or by unanimous consent."
Source: Robert's Rules of Order, Official FAQ, The Robert's Rules Association
"Friendly" describes the mood in the room, not the procedure. It still has to go to the board. See friendly amendments for how that plays out in practice.
The fast path: unanimous consent
Most amendments in a small HOA board meeting do not need a formal roll call. The chair can simply ask, "Any objection to changing the figure to $750?" If nobody speaks up, the chair announces the motion as amended, and the board has adopted the change by unanimous consent. That is not a shortcut around the rule that the board must adopt the change; it is one of the two ways the board can adopt it. A counted vote is the other.
What your bylaws might say instead
How many votes an amendment needs, and whether your board even uses formal amendments at all, depends on what your own governing documents say. Most associations adopt a parliamentary authority like Robert's Rules only to fill the gaps their declaration, bylaws, and board resolutions leave open. If your bylaws describe a different process for changing a pending motion, that process controls, not this page. Check your bylaws first, then ask the board's counsel if anything is unclear. See voting on a motion for how votes get counted once you get there, or the RONR Quick Reference Guide for the fuller mechanics.
Check yourself
Answer before you read the explanation, recalling it is what makes it stick.
A director moves to change the requested repaving budget from $12,000 to $15,000 while the original motion is still on the floor. What has to happen before the number actually changes?
During discussion, a director says, "I move to amend the amendment by capping it at $13,500." What kind of amendment is this?
The board is amending a motion about landscaping vendors. Nobody objects out loud when the chair asks if the group accepts the change. What just happened?
Sources
- Robert's Rules of Order, Official FAQ, The Robert's Rules Association
- RONR 12th ed. Quick Reference Guide, The Robert's Rules Association
Motions & Parliamentary Procedure
Ready to see how a primary amendment plays out step by step? Read primary amendments next.
This page explains general Robert's Rules practice, not legal advice. Amendment procedure can vary by state law and always by your own bylaws; confirm both before relying on it in a live meeting.