What business can a meeting conduct after losing its quorum?

Short answer

Very little. Under Robert's Rules, once a quorum is lost, the group may only do four things: adjourn, take a recess, set a time to continue the meeting later, or take steps to get a quorum back (RONR §40). A quorum is the minimum number of members who must be present to do business. Any other action taken without one is not valid.

What to do

1. Watch the room. If members leave and you think the count has dropped below quorum, check before the next vote.
2. Announce it. The chair should say that a quorum is no longer present. At the latest, do this before taking any vote or stating any new motion (RONR §40).
3. Stop new business. Do not take votes, adopt motions, or start new items.
4. Choose one of the allowed options:
   • Try to get a quorum back. For example, call or text absent members, or wait a few minutes for people to return (RONR §40).
   • Recess. This is a short break that does not end the meeting (RONR §20).
   • Set a time to continue. This schedules an adjourned meeting, which is a continuation of this same meeting at a later time (RONR §22, §9).
   • Adjourn. This ends the meeting (RONR §21).
5. Record it in the minutes. Note when quorum was lost and what happened next (RONR §48).
6. Handle unfinished items later. Anything left undone can come up at the next meeting that has a quorum.

What the chair says

The chair notes that a quorum is no longer present. We cannot take any further action at this time.

Is there a motion to recess for ten minutes while we try to reach absent members?

If not, the chair will entertain a motion to adjourn, or a motion to set a time to continue this meeting.

There being no quorum and no further business that can be done, the meeting is adjourned.

The motion

The most common choice is the motion to adjourn (RONR §21):

• Needs a second? Yes.
• Debatable? No.
• Amendable? No.
• Vote needed? Majority.
• Can it interrupt a speaker? No.

In a small board, the chair can often just declare the meeting adjourned if no one objects.

Common mistakes

• "Let's just vote. Nobody will object." Members cannot waive the quorum, even if everyone agrees. The quorum rule protects absent members, so it cannot be suspended (RONR §25, §40). Silence does not make the action valid.
• Assuming it's too late to object. Any member may raise a point of order (a request that the chair enforce the rules) about the missing quorum. They just can't interrupt someone who is speaking (RONR §23, §40). If the minutes show that a vote happened without a quorum, the action is invalid, even if no one objected at the time.
• Forgetting ratification. Sometimes members act without a quorum because something truly could not wait. Those members take a risk. The group can later approve, or ratify, the action at a meeting that has a quorum (RONR §10). Ratification is a fix after the fact. It is not permission to act in advance.

When your own rules say otherwise

Your bylaws usually set your quorum number. Some also say what may happen when quorum is lost. Some allow a smaller group to adjourn or to fill vacancies. Nonprofit and HOA boards may be covered by state corporation or community-association laws on board quorum. Public bodies, such as city councils and school boards, often have quorum and adjournment rules in a charter or state open-meetings law. Those rules can be stricter than Robert's Rules. Where these laws, your charter, or your bylaws differ from Robert's Rules, they win (RONR §2). If the stakes are high, consult an attorney who knows your type of organization.