OMA section 2.02(a)
OMA5 ILCS 120/2.02(a). Section 2.02 overview: Detailed public-notice rules: post the year's regular meeting schedule at the start of each year, post an agenda at least 48 hours before each regular meeting (and on the body's website if it has staff-maintained one), and give appropriate notice for special or emergency meetings too.
46 issues across 39 determination letters:16 violation found · 29 no violation · 1 no determination / resolved.
Counts are per issue, not per letter, and come from automated extraction checked against sampled letters. Determination letters are not binding precedent.
Authorities the Bureau cites most on this issue
- Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 23656 cited 5 times
- River Road Neighborhood Ass'n v. South Texas Sports, 720 S.W.2d 551, 557 (Tex. App. 1986) cited 5 times
- Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 32604 cited 4 times
- Gosnell v. Hogan, 179 Ill. App. 3d 161, 170 (1989) cited 3 times
- Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 29886 cited 2 times
- Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board v. Homer Community Consolidated School District No. 208, 132 Ill. 2d 29, 36 (1989) cited 1 times
- People v. Board of Education of District 170 of Lee and Ogle Counties, 40 Ill. App. 3d 819, 821-23 (2nd Dist. 1976) cited 1 times
- A board's final action on unagendized admission fees (Pub. Acc. Op. No. 13-002) cited 1 times
How to challenge a denial on this issue
AI-generated summary of the decisions listed on this page, with each point linked to the letters it comes from. Determination letters are not binding precedent and this is not legal advice. Open the letter and check the PDF before relying on any point.
When a challenge is strong
- The public body posted the agenda less than 48 hours before the meeting, or failed to post any agenda. Section 2.02(a) requires posting an agenda at least 48 hours in advance for regular and special meetings.Based on: 2024 · Meeting agendas, public comment p… · 2018 · A city council's failure to post … · 2017 · Rescheduling a meeting without 48…
- The agenda was not continuously available for public inspection for the full 48 hours before the meeting (e.g., locked inside a building, or posted only in an online archives section). The agenda must be accessible for the entire 48-hour period.Based on: 2017 · A county board's meeting agenda a… · 2017 · A school board’s failure to post … · 2017 · A school district's website posti…
- The public body held an emergency meeting but the circumstances were foreseeable or not a true emergency. A bona fide emergency requires unforeseen circumstances requiring immediate action.Based on: 2022 · A village board's emergency meeti… · 2017 · Emergency board meeting on person…
- The public body amended a special meeting agenda less than 48 hours before the meeting to add new items. Special meeting agendas cannot be changed within 48 hours; discussion is limited to items on the posted agenda.Based on: 2018 · Agenda items added to a special m…
When the public body usually wins
- The public body revised a regular meeting agenda less than 48 hours before the meeting but did not take final action on the new items. OMA allows amending a regular meeting agenda as long as no final action is taken on matters not properly noticed.Based on: 2023 · Adding an agenda item less than 2…
- The public body's website is not maintained by full-time staff, so it did not post the agenda online. The website posting requirement applies only if the website is maintained by full-time staff.Based on: 2023 · A library board's posting of meet… · 2022 · Website posting of meeting agenda… · 2017 · Notice and agenda posting for a c…
- The meeting was a bona fide emergency due to truly unforeseen circumstances (e.g., a sudden public health recommendation). OMA permits emergency meetings with less than 48 hours' notice when unanticipated circumstances require immediate action.Based on: 2023 · An emergency school board meeting… · 2022 · A school board's emergency meetin… · 2021 · A school board's emergency meetin…
- The meeting was a reconvened meeting held within 24 hours of the original meeting, with an announcement made at the original meeting and no change in the agenda. No additional notice is required for such reconvened meetings.Based on: 2021 · An electoral board's continued he… · 2021 · An electoral board's continued he… · 2017 · Notice of a school board meeting'…
Points to put in your letter
- If the agenda was posted less than 48 hours before the meeting, state that Section 2.02(a) requires posting at least 48 hours in advance.Based on: 2024 · Meeting agendas, public comment p… · 2018 · A city council's failure to post …
- If the agenda was not continuously available (e.g., locked building), argue that the agenda must be accessible for the entire 48-hour period.Based on: 2017 · A county board's meeting agenda a… · 2017 · A school board’s failure to post …
- If the meeting was called an emergency but the need was foreseeable, point out that a bona fide emergency requires unforeseen circumstances.Based on: 2022 · A village board's emergency meeti… · 2017 · Emergency board meeting on person…
- If a special meeting agenda was changed within 48 hours, note that OMA prohibits discussing items not on the posted special meeting agenda.Based on: 2018 · Agenda items added to a special m…
Common mistakes
- Assuming that '48 hours' means 48 business hours; the Act requires 48 calendar hours.Based on: 2022 · Agenda-posting timing for regular…
- Believing that all public bodies must post agendas on their website; only those with full-time staff maintaining the website must do so.Based on: 2023 · A library board's posting of meet… · 2022 · Website posting of meeting agenda… · 2017 · Notice and agenda posting for a c…
- Thinking that any mention of an unlisted topic at a special meeting is a violation; simple announcements without deliberation are allowed.Based on: 2020 · A special city council meeting's … · 2019 · Discussion of items under "any ot…
- Assuming that a regular meeting agenda cannot be amended less than 48 hours before the meeting; it can be, as long as no final action is taken on new matters.Based on: 2023 · Adding an agenda item less than 2…
Facts to gather first
- The exact date and time the agenda was posted (or if it was posted at all).
- Whether the agenda was physically accessible to the public for the entire 48 hours before the meeting.
- Whether the public body's website is maintained by full-time staff.
- Whether the meeting was a regular or special meeting.
- Whether the body took final action on an item not listed on the agenda.
These notes are based on non-binding determination letters; outcomes depend on specific facts, and you should verify the full text of any cited decision.
Drafting brief for an AI assistant
Copy this into your assistant to help draft a request, appeal, or challenge to a denial that turns on this issue. It carries the rules and decisions, not your facts: add those yourself. Machine-readable version: oma-2-02-a.json.
Violation found (16)
Agenda posted less than 48 hours before meeting
Rule: A public body must post the agenda it uses at least 48 hours before the meeting; posting a revised agenda after the meeting began violates this requirement.
Violation found Meeting agendas, public comment periods, and COVID-19 meeting access · February 9, 2024
Notice for reconvened meetings and agenda changes
Rule: The 48-hour notice exception for reconvened meetings applies only if the meeting is reconvened within 24 hours, an announcement was made at the original meeting, and there is no change in the agenda.
Violation found Meeting agendas, public comment periods, and COVID-19 meeting access · February 9, 2024
Posting of meeting location on agenda
Rule: Agenda must include meeting location when annual schedule lists a different location, to provide written notice.
Violation found Meeting location notice on a hospital board agenda · June 13, 2023
October 19, 2022 regular meeting agenda online posting
Rule: A public body with a website maintained by its full-time staff must post regular meeting agendas online at least 48 hours in advance.
Violation found Posting of meeting agendas on a school district website · March 23, 2023
Emergency meeting held without bona fide emergency
Rule: A public body may hold a meeting with less than 48 hours' notice only if unforeseen circumstances require immediate action; a foreseeable need to appoint an interim manager does not qualify.
Violation found A village board's emergency meeting notice · October 20, 2022
Failure to post adequate agenda 48 hours in advance
Rule: A public body must post an adequate agenda at least 48 hours before a meeting, both online and at required physical locations.
Violation found A city council's meeting agenda postings · June 13, 2019
Amendment of special meeting agenda less than 48 hours before meeting
Rule: A public body may not discuss items at a special meeting unless they were on an agenda posted at least 48 hours in advance; adding items later violates OMA.
Violation found Agenda items added to a special meeting · April 25, 2018
Failure to post meeting agenda 48 hours in advance
Rule: A public body must post an agenda specific to the meeting, describing the general subject matter of final actions, at least 48 hours before the meeting.
Violation found A city council's failure to post a meeting agenda · February 8, 2018
Agenda posted at meeting location 48 hours in advance
Rule: Agenda must be continuously available for public review during the entire 48-hour period before the meeting, not locked inside a building.
Violation found A school board’s failure to post a meeting agenda · September 20, 2017
Emergency meeting notice under OMA
Rule: A public body must give 48 hours' notice unless the meeting is held in a bona fide emergency, meaning unforeseen circumstances requiring immediate action.
Violation found Emergency board meeting on personnel and litigation · July 14, 2017
Agenda not continuously available 48 hours before meeting
Rule: A public body must ensure the agenda is continuously available for public review for the entire 48 hours before a meeting, including on its website if maintained by full-time staff.
Violation found A county board's meeting agenda and final action items · October 26, 2017
Failure to provide proper advance notice for rescheduled meeting
Rule: A public body must post notice and agenda for a rescheduled regular meeting at least 48 hours before the meeting at its principal office and at the meeting location.
Violation found Rescheduling a meeting without 48-hour agenda notice · December 7, 2017
Website posting of special meeting notice
Rule: A public body with a full-time maintained website must post meeting notice on the website; posting in an archives section fails to provide proper advance notice.
Violation found A school district's website postings for meeting agendas and schedules · July 31, 2017
Annual schedule of regular meetings
Rule: A public body must give public notice of its regular meeting schedule at the beginning of each calendar or fiscal year.
Violation found A school district's website postings for meeting agendas and schedules · July 31, 2017
Board held meeting without notice or agenda
Rule: OMA applies to a public body's internal discussions about collective bargaining, so the Board violated OMA by meeting without advance notice or an agenda.
Violation found An unannounced meeting on collective bargaining · February 27, 2015
Failure to provide notice for private gathering
Rule: A public body must provide at least 48 hours advance notice for special meetings, except in bona fide emergency.
Violation found A committee's private discussion of a redistricting map · August 12, 2011
No violation (29)
Agenda amendment less than 48 hours before meeting
Rule: A public body may revise a regular meeting agenda less than 48 hours before the meeting as long as it does not take final action on matters not properly noticed.
No violation Adding an agenda item less than 24 hours before a meeting · November 21, 2023
No posting of special meeting agenda/minutes
Rule: OMA's website posting requirements for agendas and minutes apply only to regular meetings, not special meetings.
No violation A library board's posting of meeting agendas and minutes online · September 26, 2023
No posting of regular meeting agenda/minutes
Rule: Only public bodies whose websites are maintained by full-time staff must post regular meeting agendas and minutes; the Library director works up to 35 hours per week, so the website is not maintained by full-time staff.
No violation A library board's posting of meeting agendas and minutes online · September 26, 2023
Validity of emergency meeting notice under OMA
Rule: A public body may hold an emergency meeting with less than 48 hours' notice when unanticipated circumstances require immediate action and the body did not create the urgency through lack of diligence.
No violation An emergency school board meeting for storm-damage funding · June 12, 2023
Insufficient notice for Conversations Over Coffee meetings
Rule: Special meetings require posting the agenda at the principal office at least 48 hours in advance; website posting is required only for the governing body, not committees.
No violation School committee meetings at a restaurant · March 6, 2023
Committee meeting agendas and minutes compliance with OMA
Rule: OMA only requires the governing body to post meeting agendas and minutes on its website; committees must still physically post agendas and prepare minutes.
No violation A school board's closed-session discussions and failure to review minutes · April 14, 2022
Posting agendas and minutes on Commission website
Rule: A public body must post agendas or notices on its website only if full-time staff maintain that website.
No violation Website posting of meeting agendas and minutes · September 20, 2022
Agenda posting 48 hours vs 48 business hours
Rule: Section 2.02(a) requires posting an agenda at least 48 hours in advance, not 48 business hours, so the alleged facts do not support a violation.
No violation Agenda-posting timing for regular meetings · March 18, 2022
Whether Board improperly held emergency meeting without 48-hour notice
Rule: A meeting qualifies as a bona fide emergency when unforeseen circumstances require immediate action and the need for the meeting was not clearly foreseeable to the public body.
No violation A school board's emergency meeting for a grant application · February 14, 2022
Notice for December 15, 2020 reconvened meeting
Rule: No additional notice required when announcement of reconvened meeting time and place was made at original meeting and agenda unchanged.
No violation An electoral board's continued hearing sessions · February 23, 2021
Notice for December 16-18, 2020 reconvened meetings
Rule: No additional notice required for reconvened meetings held within 24 hours of the original meeting.
No violation An electoral board's continued hearing sessions · February 23, 2021
Notice of October 22, 2020 emergency meeting
Rule: A public body may hold an emergency meeting with less than 48 hours' notice when unanticipated circumstances require immediate action, such as a county health department recommendation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
No violation A school board's emergency meeting notice and closed-session discussions · November 17, 2021
Emergency meeting notice under 48 hours
Rule: A public body may hold an emergency meeting with less than 48 hours' notice if unanticipated circumstances require immediate action, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
No violation An emergency meeting with less than 48 hours' notice · June 8, 2020
Discussion of topics not on special meeting agenda
Rule: A public body may not discuss items not on a special meeting agenda, but simple announcements without deliberative discussion do not violate the Act.
No violation A special city council meeting's agenda and member training · February 21, 2020
Special meeting agenda item not listed
Rule: Merely receiving an update from a non-member officer does not constitute discussion or consideration of an item by committee members under OMA.
No violation Informational update on an unlisted agenda item · October 9, 2019
Special meeting agenda items not listed
Rule: During special meetings, OMA does not permit discussion of topics not listed on the agenda, but simple announcements do not constitute consideration of items.
No violation Discussion of items under "any other business" · September 12, 2019
May 20, 2019 closed session discussion not on agenda
Rule: A public body is not required to identify the subjects of closed session discussion on its agenda if it does not take final action on those items in open session.
No violation Final action on committee formation not on agenda · August 12, 2019
Amending of May 17, 2018 meeting agenda
Rule: OMA does not prohibit separately amending an internal agenda to provide additional details to board members, as long as the publicly posted agenda remains unchanged.
No violation Agenda descriptions for personnel actions · January 3, 2019
Notice for meetings within 60 days
Rule: A public body must post notice of regular or special meetings at least 48 hours in advance; three or more business days' notice satisfies this requirement.
No violation A council's meeting notices and member OMA training · December 19, 2018
Failure to list special meeting on annual schedule
Rule: OMA does not require a public body to update its annual schedule of regular meetings to reflect special meetings added during the year.
No violation A school board's special-meeting notice and agenda posting · July 23, 2018
April 10, 2018 meeting adding agenda item and voting
Rule: A regular meeting agenda need not preclude consideration of items not specifically set forth in the agenda.
No violation A school council's failure to post a meeting agenda and closed-session discussion of candidate selection · July 6, 2018
Agenda posted on District website 48 hours in advance
Rule: Only public bodies with a website maintained by full-time staff must post agendas on the website 48 hours in advance.
No violation A school board’s failure to post a meeting agenda · September 20, 2017
Reconvened meeting notice requirements
Rule: A meeting may be reconvened without further notice if an announcement of the time and place is made at the original meeting and there is no change in the agenda.
No violation Notice of a school board meeting's relocated location · July 5, 2017
Posting agenda at other locations
Rule: OMA requires posting at the principal office and meeting location; no other locations are required.
No violation Notice and agenda posting for a cemetery board meeting · May 26, 2017
Website posting of notice and agenda
Rule: A public body without its own website maintained by full-time staff is not required to post notice or agenda on a website.
No violation Notice and agenda posting for a cemetery board meeting · May 26, 2017
Failure to provide schedule of regular committee meetings
Rule: Section 2.02(a) requires public notice of the schedule of regular meetings at the beginning of each calendar or fiscal year, but this applies only to regular meetings, not committees that do not meet regularly.
No violation A village's committee meeting schedule · August 8, 2017
Advance notice of final action on separation agreement
Rule: Because the City Council did not take final action on the separation agreement, no advance notice of final action was required under OMA.
No violation A separation agreement approved by a city council · June 1, 2017
Physical posting of special meeting notice
Rule: For special meetings, the agenda need only be posted at the principal office, not at the meeting location.
No violation A school district's website postings for meeting agendas and schedules · July 31, 2017
Advance posting of meeting agenda
Rule: OMA requires posting the agenda at the principal office and meeting location 48 hours in advance, but does not require distributing printed copies to attendees.
No violation A board's ad hoc limit on public comment time and questions · December 7, 2017
No determination / resolved (1)
Posting of special meeting agenda 48 hours in advance
Rule: Conflicting evidence about which agenda was posted and when left insufficient evidence to conclude the Village violated the 48-hour posting requirement.
No determination / resolved Final action on unagendaed items and OMA training · February 10, 2017