The preparation of a company’s articles of incorporation is a very important step in the process of state incorporation. It is one of the first legal documents to have prepared before the filing in the state office begins.
A company’s Articles of incorporation provide the outline the company’s legal framework. It states the who, what, when, where, how and why of the company. A company’s Articles of incorporation usually contain the following:
- The name of the incorporated company. The name must be unambiguous and must not be confused with any company incorporated with the state or with any other state for this matter.
- The full names of all the board of directors.
- The nature of the company whether it is a stock corporation or a non-stock corporation. (public or private)
- The purpose why the company was formed.
- The location of the company’s head office or their registered office.
The requirements of the included details in the articles of incorporation vary from state to state and with the nature of the corporation. The articles of incorporation must be filed in the preferred state of incorporation, in that state’s registered office. The fees and taxes vary by each state. Along with the articles of incorporation, the corporate by-laws is also an important document. It is usually created with the articles of incorporation as these two documents complement each other in terms of purpose.