California
Articles of Incorporation Information
California Articles of Incorporation must be
drafted to include all required provisions and may include
other provisions, such as the names and addresses of the initial
directors, if those provisions are permitted under California
law. The Secretary of State’s office, however, does
not provide samples that include permissive provisions. The
document must be typed with letters in dark contrast to the
paper. Documents that would produce poor quality microfilm
will be returned unfiled.
Article I - The Articles must include
a statement of the name of the corporation, which name must
be exactly as you want it to appear on the records of the
Secretary of State. Rules and regulations of a
profession may restrict the name style of the corporation.
For information about name style requirements, we suggest
you contact the regulatory agency of the particular profession.
Article II – This exact statement
is required by the California Corporations Code cannot be
modified except for the inclusion of the type of profession
being incorporated.
Article III – This provision is
required. Articles of Incorporation must state that “this
corporation is a professional corporation within the meaning
of Part 4, Division 3, Title 1, California Corporations Code”
or that “this corporation is a professional corporation
within the meaning of the Moscone-Knox
Professional Corporation Act.”
Article IV – The Articles must
include a statement as to the name and California address
of the initial agent for service of process. The designated
agent, whether an individual or a corporation, must agree
to accept service of process on behalf of the corporation
prior to designation. A corporation cannot designate itself
as its own agent for service of process. When designating
another corporation as agent, that other corporation must
have previously filed a Certificate Pursuant to Section 1505,
California Corporations Code, with the Secretary of State.
When a corporate agent is used, the address of the designated
corporation must be omitted.
Article V – The Articles must
include a statement of the total number of shares that the
corporation will be authorized to issue. NOTE: Before shares
of stock are sold or issued the corporation must comply with
the Corporate Securities Law administered by the Department
of Corporations. For information regarding
permits to issue shares please contact that agency.
The Articles of Incorporation must
be signed by an incorporator, or by directors, if initial
directors have been named in the document. If directors
are named, each director must both sign and acknowledge the
articles. The names of incorporators or directors must be
typed beneath their signatures.
The original and at least two copies of the
Articles of Incorporation, together with the applicable fee,
must be mailed or hand delivered to the Secretary of State’s
office in Sacramento or hand delivered to the one of the regional
offices located in Fresno, Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco.
Regional offices do not process mailed in documents. If documents
are submitted to a regional office, a duplicate original is
also required.
To facilitate the processing of documents mailed
to the Sacramento office, a self-addressed envelope and a
letter referencing the corporate name as well as your own
name, return address and telephone number should
also be submitted.
Courtesy
of: California Secretary of State, Business Programs Division
California
Corporations (Self Incorporation) | California
Articles of Incorporation Information | Sample
Articles of Incorporation
INCORPORATE
IN CALIFORNIA
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