Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. announced the launch of the 2026 Queens community board membership application process via online form available at bit.ly/communityboard2026 and QueensBP.NYC.gov.
The application deadline is Feb. 13 and applies to both new applicants and existing community board members seeking an additional term. The two-year term of service for the upcoming appointments will begin on April 1.
Members of community boards play an advisory role in considering land use and zoning matters in their respective districts, such as affordable housing projects and commercial projects.
According to a news release from Richards’ office, the form takes a few minutes to complete and is intended to make the process easier for prospective applicants while also allowing for a more diverse applicant pool.
In addition to the application process, a digital campaign curated by Richards’ office will highlight the importance of community board service and encourage Queens residents of all ages, genders, ethnicities, orientations and backgrounds to apply.
The campaign, the news release said, will include video interviews with Richards and a diverse array of current Queens community board members. Videos detailing the work of a community board and how one’s membership can bring positive change to a neighborhood will be posted weekly on the office’s social media platforms.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the tremendous progress we’ve made in diversifying our community boards and giving our neighbors seats at the table during my first term,” Richards said. “But there is so much more work to do to create a local government that is truly by, for and of the people.
Richards noted the “challenging” political climate and how it has inspired Queens residents to get involved in civics. He said he strongly encourages residents to apply for their community boards and help make a difference in their neighborhoods.
According to the Borough President’s 2025 Community Board Demographic Report, more 4,500 applications have been submitted since 2021 — the vast majority of which came from individuals who had not previously served on a community board.
The report also shows 916 Queens residents submitted applications last year alone, 361 of which were appointed to a community board. Those applications include 119 new members who were not previously serving on a board, which is the largest number of new members appointed during the Richards Administration thus far.
Richards has overseen five community board application processes after his election in November 2020 and has since observed a significantly larger and more diverse applicant pool. According to his office, recent community board classes have greater percentages of women and younger members, as well as those who identify as Latinx/Hispanic, African American, South Asian, East Asian/Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, immigrants and beyond.
The application process was modernized in 2021 through digitization efforts and online forms that no longer required notarization. Richards’ office also attributed heightened interest in community board participation to a series of government reforms aimed at establishing a centralized code of conduct for all 14 community boards, as well as holistic review of each board’s bylaws intended to make boards more welcoming places for new members.
There are 59 community boards citywide, including 14 in Queens, that each hold monthly full membership meetings. The boards advise zoning matters in their respective districts under the City’s Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure, in addition to holding hearings and issuing recommendations about the city’s budget, municipal service delivery and numerous other matters that impact their communities.
All Queens community board members are appointed by the borough president, pursuant to the City Charter, with half of the appointments nominated by city councilmembers representing their respective community districts. Each board is composed of up to 50 unsalaried members, with each member serving a two-year term.
All community board members who wish to continue serving on a board are required to reapply at the conclusion of their two-year term and are subject to review and reconsideration.
